Chad Mustard

Chad Anthony Mustard (born October 8, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end and offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football and basketball for the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Originally from Columbus, Nebraska, Mustard was an all-state basketball and football player at Scotus Central Catholic High School. At the University of North Dakota, Mustard began his college athletics career in basketball. In his senior year, Mustard earned All-American honors in a season where the North Dakota Fighting Sioux made the NCAA Division II Tournament. After his college basketball career, Mustard played at tight end for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team for two seasons, concluding his college football career with the 2001 NCAA Division II national championship.

Undrafted in the 2002 NFL draft, Mustard began his professional football career with the Omaha Beef of the National Indoor Football League before signing with the NFL's Cleveland Browns later in 2002. After one season with the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe, Mustard made his NFL debut with the Browns in 2003. A foot injury prematurely ended his season in 2004, after which the Browns cut him in early 2005. After being signed with the Carolina Panthers in the 2005 preseason, Mustard played for the Denver Broncos from 2006 to 2008 before retiring from football. Since then, Mustard returned to Nebraska to work as a high school teacher, basketball coach, and real estate agent.

Early life and college career Born in Central City, Nebraska, and raised in Columbus, Nebraska, Mustard graduated from Scotus Central Catholic High School in Columbus in 1996. As a senior in 1999–2000, Mustard was part of a team that made the NCAA Division II Tournament and made the NABC All-American third-team.

After his basketball career, in 2000 and 2001, Mustard played at tight end on the North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team. Mustard had eight receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown in 2000. Then in 2001, Mustard helped North Dakota win the 2001 NCAA Division II national championship.

On December 3, 2002, Mustard signed with the Cleveland Browns practice squad, then signed a futures contract with the Browns on January 8, 2003. In a 2008 interview, Mustard recalled his ever-changing employment status in Cleveland: "My career was so iffy, I lived in a hotel there for almost two years." Playing in 12 games with two starts, Mustard had a career high 62 receiving yards on five catches in 2007. In 2008, his final pro football season, Mustard played in eight games off the bench, his only statistic being a 17-yard kickoff return.

Having begun investing in real estate in 2007, Mustard obtained his real estate license in 2014 and joined Liberty Core Real Estate in Omaha.

Personal life Mustard's father Don worked as a truck driver. Mustard says that his family "didn't have a lot of money" when he was growing up. They live in Omaha, Nebraska with their two children.