Patrick Stephen Hape 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 ...

fullback and

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 ...

for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

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) South division. The cl ...

, and Houston Texans of the NFL. Patrick Hape played four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a tight end, and five seasons with the Denver Broncos, although he did not play in 2005. His career high in receptions came in 2001 when he had 15 catches for 96 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first year with the Broncos. In eight seasons, Hape grabbed 51 receptions for 287 yards and 11 touchdowns. 22% of his career receptions were touchdowns. He also scored the first regular-season touchdown at Invesco Field at Mile High. In December 2000, Hape was fined $5,000 by the NFL for excessive end zone celebration with teammates Keyshawn Johnson and Dave Moore. He was known for his versatility, outstanding blocking, durability in remaining rather injury-free, reliability near the goal line, ability to play the H-Back position (a position developed by coach

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and ...

), and a colorful personality in the locker room. He signed a three-year, $1.7 million contract with the Broncos in April 2004, only to be cut by Denver on August 30, 2005. In late May 2006, free agent Patrick Hape was briefly reunited with his former offensive coordinator,

Gary Kubiak Gary Wayne Kubiak (born August 15, 1961) is a former American football coach and quarterback. He served as head coach for the NFL's Houston Texans from 2006 to 2013 and the Denver Broncos from 2015 to 2016 before stepping down from the position ...

, signing a contract with the Houston Texans after being out of the league in 2005. He was released by the Texans less than three months later, essentially ending his active NFL career. He is no longer listed as an active NFL player, nor has he explicitly retired. Hape is also friends with former-Buccaneer teammate

Mike Alstott Michael Joseph Alstott (born December 21, 1973), is a former American football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nicknamed "A-Train", he played college football at Purdue an ...

. As a Buccaneer, he wore jersey number 82. As a Bronco, he switched to number 86. In his brief stint as a Texan in 2006, he wore number 45. He is an avid golfer, winning the Town of Castle Rock Celebrity Golf Tournament in 2004, playing with other Denver Bronco teammates. He went on bowling excursions to bolster team chemistry while in Denver with then-Bronco teammates including Matt Lepsis,

Tom Nalen Thomas Andrew Nalen (born May 13, 1971) is a former American football center who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Boston and raised in Foxborough, Massachusetts. College career Nalen was a th ...

, and Jeb Putzier. The future NFLer earned all-state accolades while playing tight end, linebacker and running back at Brooks High School in Alabama. Hape rushed for 660 yards and scored seven touchdowns as a prep. At the University of Alabama, Hape majored in Business Management. Patrick is currently a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch.https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-hape-05188912

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hape, Patrick American football tight ends American football fullbacks Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Denver Broncos players Houston Texans players Alabama Crimson Tide football players People from Killen, Alabama Living people 1974 births