Mark William Chmura (born February 22, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles, earning first-team All-American honors in 1991. He was selected by Green Bay in the sixth round (157th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft. He played his entire career with the Packers. During his playing career, his nickname was "Chewy".[1] He won Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers against his hometown team, the New England Patriots.

Mark Chmura
No. 89
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1969-02-22) February 22, 1969 (age 55)
Deerfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school:Frontier Regional (South Deerfield, Massachusetts)
College:Boston College
NFL draft:1992 / Round: 6 / Pick: 157
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:188
Receiving yards:2,253
Touchdowns:17
Player stats at PFR

College career edit

Before his NFL career, Chmura began (and eventually ended) his career at Frontier Regional High School. Chmura then played for Boston College, where he set a school record with 164 receptions.[2] The record has since been broken, but his mark is still 4th in school history. His 2,046 yards is also sixth in school history.

College statistics edit

Mark Chmura Receiving
Year Team GP Rec Yards TD
1988 Boston College 11 27 377 0
1989 Boston College 11 47 522 2
1990 Boston College 11 47 560 3
1991 Boston College 11 43 587 6
Total 44 164 2,046 11

Professional career edit

Chmura was drafted in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL draft, and selected to the Pro Bowl in 1995, 1997, and 1998.[3] He played for the Packers from 1992 to 1999,[4] whom he assisted to Super Bowl XXXI and Super Bowl XXXII. He scored the final points of Super Bowl XXXI with a 2-point conversion catch, and he finished Super Bowl XXXII with 4 catches for 43 yards and a touchdown.

In 1997, Chmura chose not to meet with United States President Bill Clinton at the White House following the Packers Super Bowl XXXI win. While many claimed that this was because Chmura was a staunch Republican, the meeting fell on the same day as the annual Mike Utley golf tournament. The tournament is something that Chmura had played in every year since 1992 to honor former Detroit Lion player Mike Utley who had been paralyzed on the field.[5]

Chmura suffered a career-ending herniation of his C5 and C6 discs in his cervical spine. Chmura was released by the Packers in 2000. After his release, he attempted a comeback, with the Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints showing interest, but suffered a relapse of the injury while working out in his weight room and retired.[5] In 8 seasons[4] with the Packers, Chmura finished his career in third place all-time in franchise history among tight ends with 188 receptions 2,253 yards, and 17 touchdowns in 89 games.[6] In 2010, he was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.[5][7]

Personal life edit

Legal trouble edit

On April 8, 2000, Chmura was accused of sexually assaulting the 17-year-old babysitter of his children. Chmura was tried but found not guilty of all charges.[8] Two days after being acquitted of child enticement and third-degree sexual assault, Chmura acknowledged that his behavior at a post-prom party "wasn't something a married man should do."[9]

Post-football career edit

In 2004, Chmura began hosting a Sunday morning Packers pregame show on ESPN 540 in Milwaukee and is still presently hosting the show each week.[10] In 2019, he began hosting the Gabe & Chewy Show with Gabe Neitzel during weekday mornings on WAUK.[11] In 2020 the station moved to 94.5 WKTI in a format switch and they added sportscaster and Marquette University alum Jen Lada to create the Jen, Gabe, & Chewy show which still airs as of 2023. [12]

From 2005 to 2009, Chmura worked as a research assistant for the Boyle Law Group.[13] He was also an assistant football coach at Waukesha West High School, where his son, Dylan, played tight end, and son Dyson also played at Waukesha West.[14] Dylan also played for Michigan State University.[14][15] In 2017, Chmura was hired as the offensive coordinator of Greenfield High School under head coach Keith Ringelberg.

In 2010, Mark Chmura was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame.[15]

In 2011, Chmura married his wife.[16] He resides in Wisconsin with his family. Along with his wife, he owned a chain of auto collision repair businesses. In 2020, these businesses were sold.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ "2010 Hall of Famer: Mark Chmura". 247Sports.com.
  2. ^ PACKERS SIGN TIGHT END MARK CHMURA TO FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION Archived February 5, 2005, at the Wayback Machine Packers.com.
  3. ^ "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Memories Of A Packers Hall Of Famer: Mark Chmura". packers.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c "A state of reflection: Ex-Packer Chmura has learned from past". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. January 30, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  6. ^ Packers release veteran Mark Chmura Archived October 28, 2005, at the Wayback Machine Packers.com.
  7. ^ Christl, Cliff. "Mark Chmura". Packers.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Adam Pitluk (February 3, 2001). "Jury of seven men and five women acquit Mark Chmura". CourtTV News. Archived from the original on November 6, 2004.
  9. ^ "Chmura wants to write book about ordeal". www2.jsonline.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "ESPN Wisconsin - Craig Karmazin & Mark Chmura". espnwisconsin.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  11. ^ "Former Packer Mark Chmura, Marquette's Tony Smith get radio shows in shuffle on ESPN Milwaukee".
  12. ^ "Sports reporter Jen Lada is joining Mark Chmura and Gabe Neitzel on ESPN Milwaukee radio".
  13. ^ The Boyle Law Group: Mark Chmura, Research Assistant. Retrieved on April 23, 2008, from http://www.boylelaw.com/mc.htm.
  14. ^ a b "Dylan Chmura Bio - Michigan State Official Athletic Site". msuspartans.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  15. ^ a b "2012 Prep Football Preview - Chmura sons making their own name on the gridiron". jsonline.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  16. ^ "Image: mjs-wissports19_15wood-wiss.jpg, (2048 × 1736 px) – Former Green Bay Packer Mark Chmura and his wife Angela have a picture taken at the second Wisconsin Sports Awards were held at the Harley-Davidson Museum, Thursday, April 18, 2013 Journal Sentinel photo by RICK WOOD". media.jsonline.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  17. ^ "Goff Auto Body". goffsautobody.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.

External links edit