Albert Joseph "A. J." Trapasso (born February 6, 1986) is a former American football punter. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Ohio State.
| No. 4, 15 | |
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| Position: | Punter |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 6, 1986 Pickerington, Ohio, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) |
| College: | Ohio State |
| Undrafted: | 2009 |
| Career history | |
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
In addition to the Titans, Trapasso was a member of the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, and Hartford Colonials.
College career edit
Trapasso played college football at Ohio State. He was recruited from Pickerington High School Central after graduating in 2004. In 2006, Trapasso was awarded the Mosi Tatupu Award for best Special Teams Player in 2006. He finished his college career totaling 203 punt attempts for 8,317 yards in 51 games, 27 kickoffs with 10 touchbacks.
Professional career edit
Tennessee Titans edit
After going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft, Trapasso was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on April 30.
In his first professional appearance during the Hall of Fame Game on August 9, 2009, Trapasso ran a fake punt 40 yards for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills.[1] Later in the same game, he purposely ran backwards into the endzone resulting in a safety, running the clock out to win the game.
On August 21, 2009, during the third quarter of a preseason game with the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium (the first Cowboys game in the new facility), Trapasso punted a ball that struck the bottom portion of the high definition "jumbotron" scoreboard. (He had also struck the jumbotron multiple times during pregame warmups). Officials ruled a replay of the down, but Trapasso's punt created an issue of first impression with future kicks and whether raising the scoreboard would be cost prohibitive.[2] The NFL defined a re-kick rule after Trapasso's punt, but it was never enforced until a pre-season game on August 24, 2013, when Chris Jones hit the digital board again.
Trapasso was waived by the Titans during final cuts on September 4.
New York Jets edit
Trapasso was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on September 6, 2009, replacing Reggie Hodges as the only punter on the roster.[3] However, the team waived Trapasso just one day later and signed punter Steve Weatherford.[4]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers edit
Trapasso was signed to the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 10, 2009.[5] He was released by the team on September 14.
Tennessee Titans (second stint) edit
Trapasso was re-signed to the Tennessee Titans' practice squad on September 23, 2009, after Titans punter Craig Hentrich suffered a calf injury. He was released by the team on November 4.
Denver Broncos edit
Trapasso signed a future contract with the Denver Broncos on January 5, 2010. On June 15, 2010, Trapasso was cut by the Broncos.[6]
References edit
- ^ "Video: Titans Punter A.J. Trapasso Scores Touchdown on Fake Punt". Larry Brown Sports. August 10, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- ^ Paul Kuharsky; Matt Mosley (August 22, 2009). "Punter kicks into HD screen over field". ESPN. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- ^ Hutchinson, Dave (September 6, 2009). "NY Jets claim punter A.J. Trapasso, tight end Matthew Mulligan, fullback Jason Davis off waivers". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- ^ Hutchinson, Dave (September 7, 2009). "NY Jets sign punter Steve Weatherford; release punter A.J. Trapasso". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign P A.J. Trapasso to practice squad". Tampa Bay Times. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
- ^ "Broncos cut punter Trapasso, leaving only Colquitt on the roster". The Denver Post. June 15, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2012.