Chris Hovan
 Hovan with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2006 | |||||||||||
| No. 99, 95 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | May 12, 1978 Rocky River, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
Listed weight | 296 lb (134 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) | ||||||||||
| College | Boston College | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2000: 1st round, 25th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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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 career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| 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. In December 2018, Hovan was court ordered to stay away from his wife and children due to domestic violence allegations. On November 30, 2020, Hovan was arrested and booked for another DUI, this time with his child in the passenger seat. He reportedly had a BAC of .31 which is over three times higher than Florida's .08 limit.
References
- ↑ "Chris Hovan, DT", NFL.com
- ↑ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Tampa Bay releases DT Hovan". ESPN. April 26, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- ↑ "Rams sign veteran DT Hovan". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 10, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- ↑ "Rams place Chris Hovan on injured reserve". NBC Sports. August 6, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
- ↑ "Chris Hovan Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Chris Hovan Bio". Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
- ↑ Sipperley, Keli (February 14, 2013). "God, Family, Football: A Love Story". Patch.com. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Joyce, Dennis (December 28, 2018). "Former Buc Chris Hovan ordered to stay away from home, family in domestic violence case". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- 1 2 Ellenbogen, Romy (December 1, 2020). "Former Bucs player Chris Hovan faces DUI, child neglect charges". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
External links
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
- St. Louis Rams' bio