Mitch Berger

Mitchell Shannon Berger (born June 24, 1972) is a Canadian former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado Buffaloes and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 1994 NFL draft.

Berger has also been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. He won Super Bowl XLIII with the Steelers.

Early life Berger attended North Delta Senior Secondary School in Delta, British Columbia and was a letterman in football and basketball. In football, as a senior, he won All-Provincial honours as both, a kicker and as a punter, and was also the team's starting quarterback. In basketball, he won All-Provincial honours. Mitch Berger graduated from North Delta Secondary School in 1990.

College career Berger attended Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas and won honorable mention All-American honors as a sophomore. He finished his college career by transferring to the University of Colorado.

Professional career Philadelphia Eagles Berger was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round of the 1994 NFL draft. He was also drafted in the first round of the 1994 CFL draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Minnesota Vikings Perhaps Berger's best seasons came as a member of the Minnesota Vikings in the late 1990s. He was most noted for his booming kickoffs, which often sailed into the end zone for touchbacks; afterwards, he would take a bite of a Snickers bar that he would keep in his spare shoe on the sideline.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Berger was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers after an injury to punter Daniel Sepulveda to compete with signing Paul Ernster. Berger won the job as Ernster was released on August 30 during final cuts. After experiencing hamstring problems, Berger was released by the Steelers on November 5 and the team re-signed Ernster. Following three poor performances by Ernster, Berger was re-signed by the Steelers on November 24. Berger developed into a great tackling punter, as evidenced by his five tackles in the 2008 season. He had two key touchdown-saving tackles.

Berger won his first Super Bowl with the Steelers at Super Bowl XLIII in which he had three punts for a 46.3 yard average and one inside the 20 yard-line.

Denver Broncos Berger signed with the Denver Broncos on October 26, 2009, after they waived Brett Kern. He was released after the 2009 season.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Led the league Bold Career high

Year Team Punting Punts 1994 PHI 5 25 951 783 57 38.0 31.3 0 8 2 1996 MIN 16 88 3,616 2,919 63 41.1 32.4 2 26 6 1997 MIN 14 73 3,133 2,488 65 42.9 34.1 0 22 5 1998 MIN 16 55 2,458 2,033 67 44.7 37.0 0 17 5 1999 MIN 16 61 2,769 2,343 75 45.4 38.4 0 18 9 2000 MIN 16 62 2,773 2,243 60 44.7 36.2 0 16 11 2001 MIN 12 47 2,046 1,544 67 43.5 32.9 0 10 10 2002 STL 16 72 3,020 2,357 64 41.9 32.7 0 26 10 2003 NOR 16 71 3,144 2,750 59 44.3 38.2 1 28 5 2004 NOR 16 85 3,704 3,314 63 43.6 39.0 0 28 4 2005 NOR 16 71 3,066 2,746 69 43.2 38.7 0 28 3 2007 ARI 5 20 813 661 56 40.7 33.1 0 6 2 2008 PIT 13 66 2,728 2,405 61 41.3 36.4 0 19 4 2009 DEN 10 51 2,142 1,933 65 42.0 37.9 0 13 2 Career 187 847 36,363 30,519 75 42.9 35.9 3 265 78

Personal life Berger owns a set of nightclubs and restaurants in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia.