Jared Michael Retkofsky (born March 16, 1983) is a former

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 with ...

long snapper In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempt ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...

and was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2007. Retkofsky earned a

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

with the Steelers in

Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

over the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. He was also a member of the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, as well as the

New York Sentinels New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and

Hartford Colonials The Hartford Colonials, originally the New York Sentinels, were a professional American football team that played in the United Football League in its 2009 and 2010 seasons. A charter member of the UFL, the Sentinels began play in 2009 nominally ...

of the United Football League (UFL). In 2015, he played for the Central Texas Wolf Pack of the National Public Safety Football League.

Professional career

As a free agent during the 2008 regular season, Retkofsky worked as a furniture mover.Robinson, Alan.
Former sofa lifter now Steelers long snapper
, The Associated Press, November 1, 2008. He was re-signed by the Steelers on October 28 after long snapper Greg Warren was placed on season-ending

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. Retkofsky served as the Steelers' long snapper through the rest of the regular season and playoffs as the Steelers won

that year. Retkofsky was waived by the Steelers on April 30, after suffering a broken shoulder from a non-football related incident. He then played for the

of the United Football League. Following the completion of the inaugural UFL season, Retkofsky returned to working for a moving company before being signed again by the Steelers. Retkofsky re-signed with the

on December 21, 2009, replacing Greg Warren for the second straight season due to a torn ACL.

References

External links

Pittsburgh Steelers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Retkofsky, Jared 1983 births Living people Players of American football from Wichita, Kansas American football defensive ends American football long snappers TCU Horned Frogs football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Seattle Seahawks players New York Sentinels players Hartford Colonials players