 Unger with the New Orleans Saints in 2015 | |||||||||
| No. 60 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1986-04-14)April 14, 1986 (age 38) Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 305 lb (138 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Hawaii Preparatory Academy (Waimea, Hawaii) | ||||||||
| College: | Oregon (2004–2008) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2009: 2nd round, 49th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Maxwell McCandless Unger (born April 14, 1986) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acenter in theNational Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He playedcollege football for theOregon Ducks and was selected by theSeattle Seahawks in the second round of the2009 NFL draft. Unger was the starting center for the Seahawks inSuper Bowl XLVIII.
Unger was born in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He attendedHawaii Preparatory Academy inKamuela, Hawaii, where he was a 2002 second-team all-state offensive honoree.
Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals.com, Unger was listed as the No. 45 offensive guard.[1] He chose to attend Oregon overOregon State.
Unger's grandfather, Tom E. Unger, wrote a book about his grandfather, Maximillian Joseph August Schlemmer, titledMax Schlemmer, Hawaii's King of Laysan Island.
Unger enrolled in theUniversity of Oregon, where he played for theOregon Ducks football team from 2005 to 2008. While playing for the Ducks, Unger was twice named as a first-teamAll-Pac-10 selection, and also receiving honorable mention and second-team All-Pac-10 honors. He was a first-teamAll-American in 2008 in recognition of his successful season. Unger started on the offensive line in all of his four years with the Ducks.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+5⁄8 in (1.95 m) | 309 lb (140 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 5.35 s | 1.87 s | 3.12 s | 4.50 s | 7.39 s | 24.5 in (0.62 m) | 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) | 22 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[2][3] | ||||||||||||
Projected to be second round selection,[4] Unger was listed as the No. 1 offensive guard available in the2009 NFL draft.[5] He was described as "not a great prospect," yet having "starting potential on the NFL level for years to come."[4]
Unger was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round with the 49th overall pick.[6] He was the highest selected Oregon Ducks offensive lineman sinceTom Drougas went 22nd overall in1972. Unger signed a 4-year contract with the Seahawks worth over $3 million on July 29, 2009. After a pre-season effort in which head coachJim Mora said "We believe he is ready to start and be a productive player in this league immediately," Unger was named starting right guard overMansfield Wrotto.[7] In 2012, Unger signed a four-year extension worth a maximum of $24 million making him one of the top 5 paid centers in the NFL. He was one of only three members to remain on the Seahawks from beforeJohn Schneider's arrival in Seattle in January 2010, along withBrandon Mebane andJon Ryan. Unger won his firstSuper Bowl title with theSeattle Seahawks inSuper Bowl XLVIII, beating theDenver Broncos by a score of 43–8.[8] In 2013, he also made his secondPro Bowl team. In 2014, the Seahawks finished the season with a 12–4 record and made it back to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks failed to repeat as Super Bowl champions after they lost 28–24 to theNew England Patriots inSuper Bowl XLIX.[9]
On March 10, 2015, Unger, along with the Seahawks'first round selection in the2015 NFL draft, were traded to theNew Orleans Saints in exchange fortight endJimmy Graham.[10]
On May 8, 2017, it was reported that Unger suffered a foot injury and was expected to be out for five months and start the2017 season on thePUP list.[11] However the foot healed quicker than expected and was the Saints starting center for the entire 2017 season, starting all 16 games.[12]
Unger was named to his firstPro Bowl with the Saints and his third overall in2018.[13]
On March 16, 2019, Unger announced his retirement from the NFL after ten seasons.[14]
