| No. 66, 62 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1956-12-02)December 2, 1956 (age 68) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 256 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Fairview (Boulder, Colorado) | ||||||||
| College | USC | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1980: 6th round, 144th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Christopher D. Foote (born December 2, 1956) is an American former professionalfootballcenter who played for eleven years in theNational Football League (NFL) and theUnited States Football League (USFL). Foote was primarily along snapper on punt teams during his NFL career.
The starting center for theUniversity of Southern California Trojans during their1980 Rose Bowl championship season, Foote found his niche in professional football as along snapper andspecial teams member.
In the NFL Foote spent two years each with theBaltimore Colts andNew York Giants, finishing up with five years playing for theMinnesota Vikings. He retired from football in 1991.
Chris Foote was born December 2, 1956, inLouisville, Kentucky. His family relocated toBoulder, Colorado, where he attendedFairview High School.[2]
Awrestler andtrack and field participant in the power disciplines ofshot put anddiscus during his high school years, it was as a football player that Foote excelled.[2] He was named to the 50-memberParade Magazine High School All-American Team,[3] listed at theoffensive tackle andnose guard positions.[2]
Foote enrolled at theUniversity of Southern California (USC), where he majored in Speech Communications.[4] His time there was injury-wracked and he underwent no fewer than three operations to repair damage to his knees during his time at USC.[2]
Foote finally got healthy during his senior year and started every game atcenter for the Trojans during the1979 season — a year which culminated with a victory at the1980 Rose Bowl.[2]
After the 17–16 Rose Bowl win overOhio State, Foote was effusive in praising his mates. "It was like so many other games this year, it was like atLSU, atCal, atWashington — there's just that confidence we'll do it, no matter the situation," he told theLos Angeles Times. "Our offense is good at wearing people down. You can actually feel it over the course of a game. The linebacker's not stepping up as hard, or the lineman's not charging as hard.... We just wear them down."[5]
Foote wasdrafted in the sixth round (144th overall) of the1980 NFL draft by theBaltimore Colts.
He played for the Colts during the 1980 and 1981 seasons, finding a spot on the roster as the team'slong snapper on punts.[2] He played in all 16 of the Colts' games in the1980 season without making a single errant snap, making 2 tackles and contributing 7 assists in punt coverage.[2] He also made a fumble recovery in a late November game against theBuffalo Bills, setting up a scoring drive as part of a 28–24 victory.[2]
Foote similarly saw action in every Colts game of the1981 Colts season, making 2 tackles and 4 assists on coverage and downing two punts inside the 10-yard line.[4] Foote was listed as a reserve center and guard on the team's depth chart during these years.[4]
Foote was a member of theNew York Giants in 1982 and 1983. In the 1982 season he played in 12 games for the Giants as long snapper, making 5 tackles and contributing 2 assists in punt coverage.[6]
Foote moved to theUnited States Football League (USFL) in 1984, playing for theLos Angeles Express[7] before moving to theTampa Bay Bandits for the 1985 season.[8]
He returned to the NFL to play for theMinnesota Vikings from 1987 to 1990.[9] He saw action in 6 games during his first year with the team and played the full 16-game schedule in the1988,1989, and1990 seasons.[9] This includes 5 games in which he started at center in 1988 and 3 games in 1990, when he was impressed into duty by injuries.[9]
Foote retired from professional football after the 1990 season, at the age of 34.
During his playing career, Foote made his home inLaguna Hills, California, where he enjoyed playing golf, driving sports cars, and showing dogs.[4]