Steve Konopka
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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Steve Konopka (born May 12, 1976) is a former tight end/defensive tackle in the Arena Football League. He played most recently for the Utah Blaze.
High school years
Konopka attended Conard High School in West Hartford, Connecticut, where he was a two-time All-State selection. He recorded 25 sacks and 189 tackles in 28 games in his career, including 12 sacks and 63 tackles as a senior.[1][2] Konopka was offered a scholarship to UConn, but it was withdrawn due to academic reasons.[1]
College career
Konopka played college football at Central Connecticut State University, where he was a three-time All-Northeast Conference (NEC) selection.[3] As a senior, he was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Year after recording a conference-leading 12 sacks, despite missing three games.[1] He also broke the school record for sacks in a game, recording five in a win over Saint Francis.[1] In another win over St. John's, he tallied four sacks, an interception, and a blocked field goal.[1] However, an ankle injury prevented him from playing in any senior all-star games.[4]
Professional career
Konopka was projected to be a third- or fourth-round draft pick.[5] After going undrafted in the 1999 NFL draft, he signed a three-year deal with the New York Giants, a team he had worked out with multiple times.[4] However, Konopka was cut that August after sustaining a hamstring injury.[2][6]
Konopka was invited to join the New England Sea Wolves of the Arena Football League in 2000 during the second week of their training camp, transitioning to the fullback position.[2] He recorded one sack, one pass deflection, and one reception in the final preseason game against the Carolina Cobras and earned a spot on the final 30-man roster.[7] However, Konopka suffered an injury in the preseason which he aggravated in the season opener, forcing him to miss nine games after undergoing rotator cuff surgery.[3][8]
Konopka later played with the Las Vegas Gladiators from 2003 to 2006.
On October 3, 2006, he signed with the Utah Blaze.[9]
References
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External links
- Steve Konopka at ArenaFan.com
- Pages with script errors
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from West Hartford, Connecticut
- Players of American football from Hartford County, Connecticut
- American football tight ends
- American football defensive tackles
- Central Connecticut Blue Devils football players
- New England Sea Wolves players
- Toronto Phantoms players
- Las Vegas Gladiators players
- Utah Blaze players
- 20th-century American sportsmen