Mitch Berger

Punts	847
Punt yards	36,363
Punting yard average	42.9
	Stats at Pro Football Reference

Mitch Berger
	Berger with the Denver Broncos in 2009
No. 17
Position	Punter
Personal information
Born	June 24, 1972 (age 54); Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school	North Delta (Delta, British Columbia)
College	Tyler Junior College (1990–1991); Colorado (1992–1993)
NFL draft	1994: 6th round, 193rd overall pick
CFL draft	1994: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Career history
	Philadelphia Eagles (1994); Cincinnati Bengals (1994); Chicago Bears (1995); Indianapolis Colts (1995); Green Bay Packers (1995); Chicago Bears (1995); Minnesota Vikings (1996–2001); St. Louis Rams (2002); New Orleans Saints (2003–2006); Arizona Cardinals (2007); Pittsburgh Steelers (2008); Denver Broncos (2009);
	* Offseason or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
	Super Bowl champion (XLIII); First-team All-Pro (2004); Second-team All-Pro (1999); 2× Pro Bowl (1999, 2004); 2× First-team All-American (1992, 1993);
Career NFL statistics
Punts
Punts	847
Punt yards	36,363
Punting yard average	42.9
	Stats at Pro Football Reference

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
Year	Team	GP	Punts	Yds	Net Yds	Lng	Avg	Net Avg	Blk	Ins20	TB
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.

References

↑ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
↑ "New Punter Has Hold On Job". Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
↑ Brown, Scott (August 10, 2008). "Steelers' Hampton practicing". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on August 12, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2008.
↑ "The Sports Network - National Football League". www.sportsnetwork.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.
↑ NFL Journeyman Berger Eyes Super Bowl, Winter Olympics Yahoo Sports, January 29, 2009

External links

Arizona Cardinals bio Archived February 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
Pittsburgh Steelers bio

[1] "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.

[2] "New Punter Has Hold On Job". Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2008.

[3] Brown, Scott (August 10, 2008). "Steelers' Hampton practicing". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on August 12, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2008.

[4] "The Sports Network - National Football League". www.sportsnetwork.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011.

[5] NFL Journeyman Berger Eyes Super Bowl, Winter Olympics Yahoo Sports, January 29, 2009

v t e Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XLIII champions
2 Dennis Dixon 3 Jeff Reed 4 Byron Leftwich 7 Ben Roethlisberger 9 Daniel Sepulveda 10 Santonio Holmes (MVP) 13 Marvin Allen 14 Limas Sweed 15 Martin Nance 16 Charlie Batch 17 Mitch Berger 20 Bryant McFadden 21 Mewelde Moore 22 William Gay 23 Tyrone Carter 24 Ike Taylor 25 Ryan Clark 26 Deshea Townsend 27 Anthony Smith 28 Justin Vincent 29 Ryan Mundy 30 Roy Lewis 31 Fernando Bryant 33 Gary Russell 34 Rashard Mendenhall 37 Anthony Madison 38 Carey Davis 39 Willie Parker 43 Troy Polamalu 49 Sean McHugh 50 Larry Foote 51 James Farrior 53 Bruce Davis 54 Andre Frazier 55 Patrick Bailey 55 Mike Humpal 56 LaMarr Woodley 57 Keyaron Fox 60 Greg Warren 61 Jared Retkofsky 62 Justin Hartwig 64 Doug Legursky 65 Jeremy Parquet 66 Tony Hills 67 Kyle Clement 68 Chris Kemoeatu 69 Jason Capizzi 71 Scott Paxson 72 Darnell Stapleton 73 Kendall Simmons 74 Willie Colon 76 Chris Hoke 77 Marvel Smith 78 Max Starks 79 Trai Essex 81 Dallas Baker 83 Heath Miller 84 Dezmond Sherrod 85 Nate Washington 86 Hines Ward 88 Jonathan Dekker 89 Matt Spaeth 90 Travis Kirschke 91 Aaron Smith 92 James Harrison 93 Nick Eason 94 Lawrence Timmons 95 Donovan Woods 96 Orpheus Roye 97 Arnold Harrison 98 Casey Hampton 99 Brett Keisel
Head coach: Mike Tomlin
Coaches: Ken Anderson Bruce Arians Keith Butler James Daniel Randy Fichtner Garrett Giemont Harold Goodwin Ray Horton Amos Jones Dick LeBeau Bob Ligashesky John Mitchell Lou Spanos Kirby Wilson Larry Zierlein