Justin Hartwig

Infobox NFLactive


name=Justin Hartwig
currentteam= Pittsburgh Steelers
currentnumber=62
currentpositionplain=Center
birthdate=birth date and age|1978|11|21
birthplace=Mankato, Minnesota
heightft=6
heightin=4
weight=312
debutyear=2002
debutteam=Tennessee Titans
college=Kansas
draftyear=2002
draftround=6
draftpick=187
pastteams=
* Tennessee Titans (2002-2005)
* Carolina Panthers (2006-2007)
* Pittsburgh Steelers (2008-present)
status=Active
nfl=HAR756037

Justin Hartwig (born November 21, 1978 in Mankato, Minnesota) is an American football center for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas.

Hartwig has also played for the Carolina Panthers in his career.

Early years

Hartwig earned All-Conference and second-team All-State honors as a senior offensive tackle at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. [ [http://www.nflhs.com/news/playersspotlight/justinhartwig_03082006_lcb.asp "Player Spotlight: Justin Hartwig, Tennessee Titans"] , NFLHS.com. Accessed August 15, 2008. "Following an all-conference and second-team all-state career at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, Hartwig was a three-year starter at right tackle for the Kansas Jayhawks."] He earned honorable mention All-Conference after leading his high school basketball team in rebounding. In track and field, he won the conference discus title in two consecutive years.

College career

He then played college football for the University of Kansas where he was a three-year starter at right tackle who appeared in 38 games with 34 starts. He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 as a junior and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior captain. He was a communication studies major.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Hartwig was drafted in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. In his rookie season, he played in the final three regular season games, primarily on special teams. He was inactive for the previous 13 games. In 2003, he started every game at center for Titans and helped Steve McNair lead the league in passing while Eddie George recorded his seventh 1,000-yard rushing season. He was a member of offensive line ranked tied for sixth in the league in fewest sacks allowed with 25. The offense ranked fourth overall in the AFC (eighth in NFL). Hartwig won starting center job with four preseason starts after never playing center prior to training camp. He started 47 games in 3 years.

Carolina Panthers

Hartwig signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2006, starting one game before being placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. Hartwig entered the 2007 season as the starting center for the Panthers. However, he was released after the season to make room for second-year player Ryan Kalil.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On March 18, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Hartwig to a two-year contract, worth approximately US$4 million. [cite news |first= Ed|last= Bouchette|title= Steelers reach agreement with center|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08078/866132-100.stm|publisher= Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date= 2008-03-18|accessdate=2008-08-26] Hartwig earned the starting spot at center for the 2008 season. [cite news |first= Ray|last= Fittipaldo|title= Steelers name Hartwig starting center, make first cuts|url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08238/906879-66.stm?cmpid=sports.xml|publisher= Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|date= 2008-08-25|accessdate=2008-08-25]

References

External links

* [http://www.panthers.com/Team/PlayerBio.aspx?id=7532 Carolina Panthers bio]
* [http://news.steelers.com/team/player/87885 Pittsburgh Steelers bio]