Justin Hartwig
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Pittsburgh Steelers — No. 62 | |
| Center | |
| Date of birth: November 21, 1978 | |
| Place of birth: Mankato, Minnesota | |
| Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | Weight: 312 lb (142 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2002 for the Tennessee Titans | |
| Career history | |
| College: Kansas | |
| NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 6 / Pick: 187 | |
Teams:
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| Current status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Justin Hartwig (born November 21, 1978 in Mankato, Minnesota) is an American football center for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas.
Hartwig has also played for the Carolina Panthers in his career.
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[edit] Early years
Hartwig earned All-Conference and second-team All-State honors as a senior offensive tackle at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. He earned honorable mention All-Conference after leading his high school basketball team in rebounding. In track and field, he won the conference discus title in two consecutive years.
[edit] College career
He then played college football for the University of Kansas where he was a three-year starter at right tackle who appeared in 38 games with 34 starts. He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 as a junior and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior captain.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Tennessee Titans
Hartwig was drafted in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. In his rookie season, he played in the final three regular season games, primarily on special teams. He was inactive for the previous 13 games. In 2003, he started every game at center for Titans and helped Steve McNair lead the league in passing while Eddie George recorded his seventh 1,000-yard rushing season. He was a member of offensive line ranked tied for sixth in the league in fewest sacks allowed with 25. The offense ranked fourth overall in the AFC (eighth in NFL). Hartwig won starting center job with four preseason starts after never playing center prior to training camp. He started 47 games in 3 years.
[edit] Carolina Panthers
Hartwig signed a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2006, starting one game before being placed on injured reserve with a groin injury. Hartwig entered the 2007 season as the starting center for the Panthers. However, he was released after the season to make room for second-year player Ryan Kalil.
[edit] Pittsburgh Steelers
On March 18, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Hartwig to a two-year, $3,725,000 contract with a $975,000 signing bonus. After an disappointing season by current starter Sean Mahan, it is speculated that Hartwig will earn the starting position at center for the 2008-09 season or they may try to put him as a guard.
