Chris Hovan

Chris Hovan

Hovan with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006
No. 99, 95
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1978-05-12) May 12, 1978 Rocky River, Ohio, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	296 lb (134 kg)
Career information
High school:	St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)
College:	Boston College
NFL draft:	2000 / round: 1 / pick: 25
Career history
As a player:
Minnesota Vikings (2000–2004) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2005–2009) St. Louis Rams (2010)
As a coach:
South Florida (S&C) (2011–2012) Tampa Bay Storm (DL) (2013–2015)
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Pro (2002) PFWA All-Rookie Team (2000) First-team All-American (1999) 3× All-Big East (1997, 1998, 1999)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 408 Sacks: 22.0 Forced fumbles: 2 Fumble recoveries: 8 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Christopher James Hovan (born May 12, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft and played for that team from 2000 to 2004.

Hovan then played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005 to 2009. He was also a member of the St. Louis Rams in 2010 but spent the entire season on injured reserve.

Early life

Hovan grew up in Rocky River, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He is the youngest of three children.

He played high school football at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. During his career, he earned many honors and awards, including an honorable mention All-American by USA Today and All-City and All-State by The Plain Dealer. He finished his high school career with a school record 28 career sacks. He also played lacrosse, earning All-State recognition.

College career

Hovan played college football at Boston College. As a senior, he was an All-American and a semi-finalist for the Lombardi Award. He also became the first player in Boston College history to be named All-Big East three times. He finished his career starting 43 of 45 games, recording 20.5 sacks.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Hovan was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 25th overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. He would go on to play five years for the Vikings, playing in 77 games, recording 192 tackles and 17 sacks.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On April 1, 2005, Hovan signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had a good first season with the Bucs, helping them win the NFC South and finish as the number one ranked defense. Hovan was released on April 26, 2010.

St. Louis Rams

On June 9, 2010, Hovan signed with the St. Louis Rams. On August 6, 2010, Hovan was placed on injured reserve due to a back injury, ending his 2010 season.

NFL statistics

Year	Team	GP	Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
			Comb	Solo	Ast	Sack	FF	FR	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	PD
2000	MIN	16	46	41	5	2.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2001	MIN	16	43	29	14	6.0	2	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2002	MIN	16	52	38	14	5.5	0	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	4
2003	MIN	16	27	19	8	2.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	4
2004	MIN	13	20	11	9	1.5	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2005	TB	16	45	35	10	0.0	0	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2006	TB	16	51	40	11	2.0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2007	TB	16	48	31	17	1.5	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2008	TB	15	43	36	7	1.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2009	TB	16	33	26	7	0.5	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0
Career		156	408	306	102	22.0	2	8	0	0	0.0	0	0	15

Coaching career

Hovan was named assistant strength & conditioning coach for the South Florida Bulls in 2011.

Hovan was signed by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League as their defensive line coach on January 9, 2013. He was the defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Storm of the AFL for the 2013 season.

Hovan coached in the AFL with the Tampa Bay Storm for three seasons.

From 2017 to 2018, Hovan was the co-defensive coordinator for the Warriors football team at Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Florida.

Legal issues

On April 28, 2015, Hovan was charged with fleeing the scene of a crash. A month later he was charged with a DUI in Hillsborough County. In December 2018 Hovan was charged with domestic abuse against his wife. This charge led to him being court ordered to stay away from his family, house, and any of his children's sports events. On November 31st, 2020 Hovan was arrested and booked for another DUI this time with his son in the passenger seat. He reportedly had a BAC of .31 which is almost four times higher than Florida's .08 limit. Additionally, in 2021 Hovan received a Risk Protection Order, which he was initially not compliant with.

External links

• NFL.com stats
• St. Louis Rams' bio
• ESPN stats
• Pro-Football-Reference stats