Joe Klopfenstein (born November 9, 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 wi ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...

. 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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

Early years

He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

at Grandview High School in

Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States Census with 336,035 residing in Arapahoe County, 47,720 residing in ...

. Klopfenstein received First-team All-State and All-Grand Peaks League honors as a defensive end. He was a Second-team All-GPL linebacker as a junior and honorable mention during his sophomore campaign. He was a slotback during his senior year, rushing 16 times for 103 yards and catching 10 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. He had Added 53 tackles on defense (21 solos), with 14 stops for losses including eight quarterback sacks, seven pressures and three passes broken up. He had 50 tackles as a junior (12 TFL, seven sacks), five pressures and a forced fumble. As a sophomore, he had 45 tackles with four sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery. An all-around player, he played offensive guard as sophomore and junior, and quarterback as a freshman and handled place-kicks on occasion and kicked off as well. He lettered once in baseball (first baseman) and in track (ran the 200 meters and relays as a senior) and was an Honor Roll student.

College career

He played

for the

Buffaloes, where he recorded 1,076 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. Klopfenstein appeared in seven games as a true freshman in 2002 at Colorado, but did not catch any passes. The following year, Klopfenstein earned All-

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

Conference (honorable mention), as he started 10 games. He finished with 190 yards and four touchdowns on 20 receptions (9.5 avg) as a sophomore. In 2004, he was a Second-team All-Big 12 pick, starting 12 times for the Buffs. Klopfenstein ranked third on the team with 33 catches for 418 yards (12.7 avg) and five touchdowns. Klopfenstein was First-team All-Big 12 status as a senior. He caught 33 passes for 468 yards (14.5 avg) and four scores. He majored in Sociology.

Professional career

Pre-draft

St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams selected Klopfenstein in the second round (46th overall) in the

. On July 26, 2006, he signed a 4-year $2.91 million contract with the Rams. In his rookie year, he made 20 receptions for 226 yards and one touchdown versus the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

on October 1, 2006. In his second season with the Rams, Klopfenstein started in 11 games catching two passes for 37 yards. He caught a career-long 36-yard touchdown pass at 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 th ...

on December 30, 2007. The Rams waived Klopfenstein on September 1, 2009.

Buffalo Bills

Klopfenstein was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

on November 17. He was waived on November 28 and later re-signed on December 8. He was waived again on December 16 when the team claimed

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Richie Incognito Richard Dominik Incognito Jr. (born July 5, 1983) is a former American football guard. He played college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played f ...

. On December 18, Klopenstein was re-signed again after

Kendall Simmons Henry Alexander Kendall Simmons (born March 11, 1979) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn. He was also a member of the ...

was placed on Injured Reserve. On October 6, 2010, Klopfenstein was cut from injured reserve by the Buffalo Bills.

Career records

In 4 NFL seasons, Joe Klopfenstein has 34 receptions for 397 yards (11.7 average) and 2 touchdowns.

Family relations

Joe Klopfenstein is cousins with former Reel Big Fish member

Scott Klopfenstein Scott Allen "Scotty" Klopfenstein is an American musician and a former member of the band Reel Big Fish. He sings and plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard. Before joining Reel Big Fish, Klopfenstein played trumpet in Nuckle Brothers and trum ...

References

External links

Buffalo Bills bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klopfenstein, Joe 1983 births Living people American football tight ends Buffalo Bills players Colorado Buffaloes football players Players of American football from Denver Players of American football from Aurora, Colorado St. Louis Rams players