Kurt Kittner (born January 23, 1980) 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 ...
player for the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. He was a quarterback for the
University of Illinois
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...
during their 2001
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
Championship.
Biography
High school career
Kittner was quarterback for
Schaumburg High School
Schaumburg High School, also known as SHS, is a public four-year high school located in Schaumburg, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, United States. The school is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes William Fremd ...
under then-coach Tom Cerasani.
College career
Becoming a starter near the end of his freshman year at Illinois under head coach
Ron Turner, Kittner became one of the most prolific passers in Illinois history. He ended his tenure at Illinois as the school's all-time leader in career passing attempts (1,264), career passing
touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
s (70), passing touchdowns in a single season (27), and victories as a quarterback (24). Kittner wrapped up his collegiate career only 3 yards shy of Jack Trudeau's Illini record for all time passing yards. Entering his senior year, Kurt was considered a possible
Heisman
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
candidate. Kittner and receiver
Brandon Lloyd
Brandon Matthew Lloyd (born July 5, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Illinois, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth r ...
led Illinois' offense as the Fighting Illini finished with a 7–1 record in the Big Ten and won their first Big Ten championship in 11 years on their way to a berth in the
2002 Sugar Bowl. Kittner's last collegiate game ended in a 47–34 loss against the
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a ...
.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons
Kittner was drafted in the 5th round of the
2002 NFL Draft by the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. He saw no action in his rookie year, being third-string quarterback behind
Doug Johnson and
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
first overall pick,
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. Regarded as having transformed the quarterback position with his rushing abilities, he is the NFL leader in quarterback rushing yards and was the league's firs ...
. In
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, after a preseason injury sidelined Vick and ineffective play caused second-string quarterback
Doug Johnson to be benched, Kittner saw his first regular season action. Playing in seven games (four of which he started), he threw for 391 yards, scoring 2 touchdowns and throwing 6
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
s. The highlight was a 27–7 win over the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
at
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium (sometimes referred to as Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands or The Swamp) was a stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. The venue was open from 1976 to 2010, and it primarily hosted sp ...
where Kittner threw for a touchdown. The Falcons ended the season however with a 5–11 record.
Turbulent times
Since then, Kittner has not seen any further playing time in the NFL, having been released from 5 different teams (the Falcons,
Bengals, Giants,
Patriots, and
Steelers) in a 7-month span during the 2004 offseason. He did manage to make headlines in 2005, leading the
Amsterdam Admirals
The Amsterdam Admirals were a professional American football team based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, playing in the NFL Europe.
History
The Admirals were formed in 1995 as part of the NFL's plan to restart the World League of American Football, to ...
to an
NFL Europe
NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...
World Bowl
The World Bowl was the annual American football championship game of the World League of American Football/NFL Europe. The World Bowl was played each year from 1991 to 2007 (except 1993 and 1994).
The game was conceived as the final of the NFL-r ...
Championship. His 239 passing yards and two touchdowns in
World Bowl XIII
World Bowl XIII, officially known as Yello Strom World Bowl XIII, was NFL Europe's 2005 championship game. It was played at the LTU arena in Düsseldorf, Germany on June 11, 2005. In this match-up, the 6–4 Amsterdam Admirals got back to the ...
earned him
Most Valuable Player
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 ...
honors for the game. He is the second graduate of
Schaumburg High School
Schaumburg High School, also known as SHS, is a public four-year high school located in Schaumburg, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, United States. The school is part of Township High School District 211, which also includes William Fremd ...
to earn the honor;
Paul Justin
Paul Donald Justin (born May 19, 1968) is a former quarterback in the National Football League for the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals and the St. Louis Rams. Prior to his time in the NFL, he was the starting quarterback for the Arizona R ...
won the award 10 years earlier for the
Frankfurt Galaxy.
Chicago Bears
In
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, Kittner was invited to training camp with the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
and coach Turner, then
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
for Chicago. He earned a roster spot as the third-string quarterback. After starter
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman III (born August 23, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Florida, where he rece ...
was injured in camp, journeyman
Jeff Blake
Jeffrey Bertrand Blake (born December 4, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Blake was a member of seven teams during his career, playing his longest stint with the Cin ...
was brought in to back up rookie starter
Kyle Orton
Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Dr ...
, leaving Kittner at third string. When Grossman returned from injury on November 23, 2005, Kittner was released without playing a regular season down for the Bears.
Life after football
Kittner currently resides in Chicago with his wife Leila Cehajic, a former University of Illinois tennis player. He works for Jones Lang LaSalle in Chicago doing commercial real estate. In July 2007, Kittner was named the color analyst for University of Illinois football radio broadcasts, replacing long-time analyst
Jim Grabowski
James Grabowski (born September 9, 1944) is a former American football player and broadcaster. He played college football at the University of Illinois and professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers and the Ch ...
.
References
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External links
Kittnerat
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Pro-Football-Reference.com is a website providing a variety of statistics for American football. It is one of the few sites that provides information on both active and retired players. The site provides statistics for teams dating back to 1920. ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kittner, Kurt
1980 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Atlanta Falcons players
Amsterdam Admirals players
Illinois Fighting Illini football players
People from Schaumburg, Illinois
Players of American football from Illinois
Sportspeople from Cook County, Illinois
World Bowl MVPs