Jon Abbate (born June 18, 1985) 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 wi ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

. He played college football at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

in 2004–2006 and was signed as a

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 ...

by the Houston Texans 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) in 2007.

College career

After redshirting his first year in college, Abbate immediately became a starter in 2004. During that redshirt freshman season, Abbate had 101 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss. In 2005, Abbate only had 76 tackles because of injury problems. During the 2006 season, Abbate led the team in tackles with 120 (second in the ACC). He had a late interception in the endzone against rival

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. In the ACC Championship in Jacksonville, Florida, Abbate had 15 tackles against the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Ramblin' Wrec ...

. The Deacons won that game 9-6. Abbate was voted as the MVP of the game for ABC. Abbate then played in the

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...

against the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...

. He had 15 tackles in that game, the first Bowl Championship Series bowl game participation for Wake Forest. Abbate was named an All-American (honorable mention, Sports Illustrated) and first-team All-ACC (ACSMA, College Football News) in recognition of his performance throughout his final season during which he averaged 8.6 tackles per game.

The 2006 season

On February 13, 2006, Abbate's 15-year-old brother, Luke, was seriously injured in a car accident on the way home from lacrosse practice, and died two days later. Before his junior season, Abbate asked head coach Jim Grobe whether he could switch his jersey number from 40 to 5, the number his brother had worn. Grobe agreed, and Abbate wore the number throughout his junior season. During the 2006 season, Abbate and his family would hold up five fingers before the start of the fourth quarter as a tribute to Luke. As the season progressed, Abbate's teammates, Wake Forest fans, and even fans of opposing teams began holding up five fingers as well—a tradition that attracted much media attention during the Deacons' successful year. Additionally, the Abbate family created the "Five Foundation" to raise awareness among young people of the responsibilities and dangers of driving. A movie about Jon Abbate, his brother Luke, and Wake Forest's 2006 football season, entitled ''The 5th Quarter'', was released on March 25, 2011.

Professional career

Houston Texans

At the conclusion of the 2006 season, Abbate decided to enter the 2007 NFL Draft. "Unless someone could promise me if I went back that I'd grow three inches, the decision was pretty easy," Abbate said. "I could have gone back and been productive again, had another 100-plus tackles. But I'd be in the same situation with my height as a knock." Abbate was not drafted due to tearing his hamstring at the NFL combine but following the draft he signed a three-year contract with the Houston Texans as a

. The Texans converted him from

to fullback. Abbate was placed on season-ending injured reserve on September 1, 2007, with an ankle injury. He was waived after a failed physical on August 29, 2008. However, he was re-signed shortly after on March 1. He was waived again on July 22, 2009. Abbate was re-signed by the Texans again on August 24, 2008 after wide receiver Harry Williams was placed on injured reserve.

Washington Redskins

Abbate was picked up by the Redskins in the 2010 offseason but was then released due to failing his physical.

New Orleans Saints

Abbate spent the remainder of the 2010 off season with the Saints after failing his physical with the Redskins.

Sacramento Mountain Lions

Abbate was on the roster of the

Sacramento Mountain Lions The Sacramento Mountain Lions was a professional American football team based in Sacramento, California that played in the United Football League. The franchise originated as the California Redwoods, and played its home games in San Francisco and ...

(formerly known as the

California Redwoods ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

) for parts of the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

References

External links

Houston Texans bio

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbate, Jon 1985 births Living people Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Players of Canadian football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American football linebackers American football fullbacks Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players Houston Texans players Montreal Alouettes players Sacramento Mountain Lions players