Athletes - Kurt Kittner

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	Athletes - Kurt Kittner

Kurt Kittner (born January 23, 1980 in Schaumburg, Illinois) is an American football player who most recently played quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. Prior to playing professional football, he was a record-setting quarterback for the University of Illinois, leading them to the 2001 Big Ten Championship.

Biography

Becoming a starter near the end of his freshman year at Illinois under head coach Ron Turner, Kittner became one of the most prolific passers in Illinois history. He ended his tenure at Illinois as the school's all-time leader in career passing attempts (1,264), career passing touchdowns (70), and passing touchdowns in a single season (27) – the latter besting the previous record set by fellow Illini quarterback-turned-NFL journeyman Jeff George. Entering his senior year, Kurt was briefly floated as a possible Heisman candidate. Kittner and receiver Brandon Lloyd led Illinois' offense as the Fighting Illini won their first Big Ten championship in 11 years on their way to a berth in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. Kittner's last collegiate game ended in a 47-34 defeat at the hands of the LSU Tigers and an offense led by future NFL players Domanick Davis and Josh Reed.

Kittner was drafted in the 5th round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He saw no action in his rookie year, warming the bench behind 2001 first overall pick, Michael Vick. In 2003, after a preseason injury sidelined Vick and ineffective play caused second-string quarterback Doug Johnson to be benched, Kittner saw his first regular season action. Playing in seven games (four of which he started), he threw for 391 yards, scoring 2 touchdowns and throwing 6 interceptions. The Falcons ended the season with a paltry 5-11 record.

Since then, Kittner has not seen any further playing time in the NFL, having been released from 5 different teams (the Falcons, Bengals, Giants, Patriots, and Steelers) in a 7-month span during the 2004 offseason. He did manage to make headlines in 2005, leading the Amsterdam Admirals to an NFL Europe World Bowl title. His 239 passing yards and two touchdowns earned him most valuable player honors for the game. Interestingly enough, he is the second graduate of Schaumburg High School to earn the honor; Paul Justin won the award 10 years earlier for the Frankfurt Galaxy.

In 2005, Kittner went to training camp with the Chicago Bears, who have Kittner's former head coach at Illinois, Ron Turner, as offensive coordinator, and earned a roster spot as the third-string, emergency quarterback. After starter Rex Grossman was injured in camp, journeyman Jeff Blake was brought in to back up rookie starter Kyle Orton, leaving Kittner at third string. When Grossman returned from injury, Kittner was released on November 23, 2005, without playing a regular season down for the Bears.

Kittner is currently out of football.

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