Andrew Szczerba
 Andrew Szczerba in 2013 | |||
| No. -- Free agent | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth: | July 16, 1988 | ||
| Place of birth: | Wilmington, Delaware | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||
| Weight: | 256 lb (116 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Salesianum School | ||
| College: | Penn State | ||
| Undrafted: | 2012 | ||
| Career history | |||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
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Andrew Joseph Szczerba (born July 16, 1988) is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was a member of the Penn State Nittany Lions college football team for five seasons, but only played in three due to injury. After a senior college football season in which he faced adversity with the killing of his uncle, Szczerba signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2012 NFL Draft. After the Cowboys released him, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons and was a member of the Falcons' practice squad during the second half of the 2012 NFL season.
Early life
Szczerba was born on July 16, 1988 in Wilmington, Delaware to parents Edward and Florence (McCorkle) Szczerba. He and his fraternal twin, Julianna, are the youngest of five children. He attended Salesianum School and played football there leading his team to two state championships in 2005 and 2006 and playing both tight end and defensive end. Szczerba was selected the 2006 Gatorade Player-of-the-Year in Delaware and earned first team all state honors both offensively and defensively.[1]
Szczerba comes from a football family background. Ed, his father, was a first team All-State tight end on Salesianum’s 1972 state championship team. His late uncle, Joe Szczerba, played football at Sallies and West Chester University and also has another uncle who played Division I-AA college football.[2]
College career
Recruiting
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Szczerba TE |
Wilmington, Delaware | Salesianum School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | 4.8 | Aug 13, 2006 |
Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A
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| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
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Penn State linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden was Szczerba's primary recruiter. He also received offers from eventual Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien while O'Brien was an assistant at Duke, as well as from Maryland, Virginia Tech, and University of Virginia. He committed to play for the Nittany Lions on August 13, 2006.[3]
Penn State
Szczerba attended Penn State University and played football under head coaches Joe Paterno and Tom Bradley during his five seasons with the program. After redshirting his freshman season, he appeared in every game during Penn State's 2008 and 2009 seasons.[1] He was primarily a contributor on special teams. After missing his junior season due to a back injury, there were expectations that Szczerba would have a successful senior season.[4] During his senior season, however, he faced adversity. On September 16, 2011, Szczerba's uncle, a New Castle County police officer, was killed in the line of duty while trying to apprehend a suspect in New Castle, Delaware. Even so, Szczerba did not miss any playing time, but commented that he was "taking it day by day".[5][6]
Professional career
Szczerba went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft, and signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys. Despite a solid training camp,[7] the Cowboys cut Szczerba on August 31, 2012 during final roster cuts.[8] The Atlanta Falcons signed him to their practice squad on November 13, 2012,[9] and he re-signed with the Falcons to a reserve/future contract on January 21, 2013.[10] He was waived on June 11, 2014.[11]
References
- 1 2 "Andrew Szczerba Profile". Penn State Official Athletic Site. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Ireland, Jack (10 Feb 2012). "Szczerba still hoping for NFL dream". jackirelandblog.
- ↑ "Andrew Szczerba". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Snyder, Audrey (30 August 2011). "Tight end's return could boost offense". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. via HighBeam Research (subscription required). Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Kaplan, Jake (12 October 2011). "Andrew Szczerba "taking it day by day" after recent family tragedy". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Snyder, Audrey (19 September 2011). "Penn State defense finds footing in win". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. via HighBeam Research (subscription required). Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Auping, Jonathan (16 August 2012). "Rookie TE Szczerba proves to be more than just a blocker". News & Blogs. Dallas Cowboys. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Archer, Todd (31 August 2012). "Cowboys make roster moves, still two to go". Dallas Cowboys Blog - ESPN Dallas. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Yasinskas, Pat (13 November 2012). "Falcons tinker with roster". NFL Nation Blog - ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Choate, Dave (21 January 2013). "Falcons sign eight players to reserve/future contracts". The Falcoholic - SBNation.com. Vox Media. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
- ↑ Wilkening, Mike. "Falcons waive two players". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved 12 June 2014.