Chris Hovan

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 for the Boston College Eagles. 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 selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round, with the 25th-overall pick, of the 2000 NFL draft. He played 77 games in five years for the Vikings, recording 192 tackles and 17 sacks.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers On April 1, 2005, Hovan signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers won the NFC South and finished as the number-one-ranked defense in his first season with the team. Hovan was released on April 26, 2010.

St. Louis Rams On June 9, 2010, Hovan signed with the St. Louis Rams. On August 6, 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.

Personal life Hovan has contributed to the Hemophilia Foundation of Greater Florida and the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

In April 2015, Hovan was charged with leaving the scene of a crash without providing information. A month later he was charged with a DUI with property damage or injury.