Ben Gottschalk (born February 15, 1992) 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 wit ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

who is currently a free agent. He played college football at SMU, and subsequently played in the National Football League (NFL) with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

Early life

Gottschalk is Jewish, and is from

Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

, California. He has two older brothers, Adam and William. He was a three-star Rivals.com and Scout.com prospect out of

Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, California) Notre Dame High School (NDHS) in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California, is a co-ed Catholic college preparatory high school founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1947. Located in the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Notre Dame was d ...

, Class of 2010. He was ranked as the 94th-best player in California and the 14th-best center in the US by Rivals, was All-CIF Pac-5 Division First-team, was a Serra League Most Valuable Lineman, and was a member of the 2008 GSP Super All-State Underclass Team. He also threw the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

in the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

College career

Gottschalk played college football at SMU, playing in 47 games, with 24 starts (starting all the team's games his junior and senior years), on the offensive line He was a member of the 2012 ''

Jewish Sports Review ''Jewish Sports Review (JSR)'' is a bi-monthly magazine that was established in 1997. Its editors are Ephraim Moxson and Shel Wallman. The magazine identifies which star and professional athletes are Jewish. It also covers and has all-time lists ...

'' college football All-American team.

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

Gottschalk was signed as an undrafted free agent by the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

on May 19, 2014. On August 27, 2014, he was waived. On August 31, 2014, he was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad. On September 9, 2014, he was waived.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Gottschalk signed with the

on April 9, 2015. On May 28, 2015, he was waived.

San Francisco 49ers

On June 6, 2015, he was signed by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

to a two-year contract. On August 6, 2015, while injured he was waived a few days after undergoing foot surgery. On August 7, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve. On August 13, 2015, he was waived from injured reserve. The 49ers paid him an injury settlement worth $56,118.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)

On November 25, 2015, Gottschalk was signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad. On January 5, 2016, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers. On September 3, 2016, Gottschalk was released by the Buccaneers as part of final roster cuts. The next day, he was signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad. On November 12, Gottschalk was promoted to the Buccaneers active roster. He suffered a knee injury in Week 11 and was placed on injured reserve on November 22, 2016. On May 1, 2017, he was waived by the Buccaneers.

References

External links

Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gottschalk, Ben 1992 births Living people Jewish American sportspeople American football centers SMU Mustangs football players Kansas City Chiefs players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Los Angeles People from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles Notre Dame High School (Sherman Oaks, California) alumni 21st-century American Jews