Henry Franklin Fraley Jr. (born September 21, 1977) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach and former center who is the

offensive line coach In American football, a position coach is a team official in charge of coaching a specific position group. Position coaches have more specialized duties than the head coach, assistant coach, and the offensive and defensive coordinators. Common ...

for the Detroit Lions of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He previously served as an assistant offensive line coach for the Lions and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

. Originally from

Gaithersburg, Maryland Gaithersburg ( ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the ninth-largest location in the state. Gai ...

, Fraley played college football at

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the mericanrevolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 b ...

and was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Waived before the start of the 2000 season, Fraley was claimed off waivers by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, for whom he started at center for five seasons. He lost his starting job to Jamaal Jackson before the 2006 season and was subsequently traded to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

. He played for the Browns for four seasons and the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

for one season.

Early years

Fraley attended Gaithersburg High School and as a senior in 1995, he helped them to the Maryland state championship game.

Playing career

College

Fraley's career began as a non-scholarship player at

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

near

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. He is listed as the second athlete to ever have his number, 75, retired from

. Fraley holds a degree in Organizational Leadership.

National Football League

Pittsburgh Steelers

Fraley was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2000.

Philadelphia Eagles

Fraley was claimed off waivers in 2000 by the

after being released by the Steelers. He was inactive for the entire 2000 season. In his first ever NFL game (vs

on September 9, 2001), Fraley was fined for an illegal downfield block. He started in 15 games in 2001. Fraley started in all 16 regular season games along with two postseason games during the 2002 season. He was part of an offensive line that helped the Eagles offense to 25.9 points per game, the fourth highest in the NFL. Fraley started in all 16 regular season games in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, he was an important part of the offensive line that helped the Eagles to 4,208 passing yards, a team record and 386 points, the third most in team history. He started the first eight games of the 2005 season, but suffered a shoulder injury at the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

on November 6 which ruled him out for the rest of the season.

Cleveland Browns

On September 2, 2006, Fraley was traded to the

in exchange for a draft pick in the 2008 NFL Draft after losing his starting job to Jamaal Jackson. He made his Browns debut versus the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

on September 10 and started in all 16 games. It was said by teammate wide receiver

Joe Jurevicius Joseph Michael Jurevicius (born December 23, 1974) is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Penn State. Jurevicius played for ...

that Fraley should have been considered the offensive

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

in the 2006 season, due to his line calling and blue-collar work ethic. Prior to the start of free agency in 2007, the Browns re-signed Fraley to a four-year contract for an undisclosed amount. He made his 100th NFL career start versus the Buffalo Bills on December 16. He was released by the Browns on March 3, 2010.

St. Louis Rams

On March 14, 2010, Fraley signed with the

. He was released on September 4, 2011, after just one season with the Rams.

Coaching career

University of San Diego

On April 7, 2012, Fraley was hired by the University of San Diego as the football team's offensive line coach.

San Jose State University

On January 31, 2013,

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

hired Fraley as offensive line coach for the Spartans football team under Ron Caragher.

Minnesota Vikings

On February 10, 2014, Fraley was hired by the

as an assistant offensive line coach.

UCLA

On January 21, 2017, the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

hired Fraley as their offensive line coach.

Detroit Lions

On February 16, 2018, Fraley was hired by the Detroit Lions as an assistant offensive line coach. On January 7, 2020, Fraley was promoted to offensive line coach.

Personal life

Hank grew up in Gaithersburg Maryland attending Gaithersburg High School. Prior to starting his NFL career, Fraley planned on teaching history and coaching football. He is married to Danielle (May 26, 2006), and they live in Canton, Michigan with their five Children: Trent, Mason, Travis, Beau, and Scarlett. They have one yellow lab, Wingman, a Leonberger named Uschi and a pug named Daisy.10 Questions with Hank Fraley

, Fall 2008. Accessed December 1, 2013. "Fraley and his wife, Danielle, reside in Woolwich Township, N.J., and have three sons together: Mason, Travis and Beau."

References

External links

San Diego Toreros bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraley, Hank 1977 births Living people People from Gaithersburg, Maryland People from Woolwich Township, New Jersey Players of American football from Maryland American football centers American football offensive guards Detroit Lions coaches Robert Morris Colonials football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Philadelphia Eagles players Cleveland Browns players St. Louis Rams players San Diego Toreros football coaches Gaithersburg High School alumni