Sean McHugh
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: |
May 27, 1982 Springfield, Massachusetts | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Chagrin Falls (OH) | ||||||||
| College: | Penn State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 7 / Pick: 241 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Sean McHugh (born May 27, 1982) is a former American football tight end. He last played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League, winning Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals.
Early years
McHugh played running back and linebacker from 1996-1999 at Chagrin Falls High School in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, where he was a four-year letterman.[1] Upon his graduation in 2000, McHugh had set single season (2,260 yards) and career (5,855 yards) rushing records that still stand at Chagrin Falls.[1]
He also lettered in wrestling his freshman and sophomore years.
College career
McHugh was a four-year letterman at Penn State from 2000–2003, starting at fullback his junior and senior seasons. During his career, McHugh ran 82 times for 322 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also made 44 catches for 297 yards and one touchdown.
Professional career
Tennessee Titans
McHugh was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2004, in the seventh round (241st overall). He was cut at the end of training camp.
Green Bay Packers
McHugh would then sign with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent. He made his NFL debut in the Packers' September 13, 2004 game at Carolina.
Detroit Lions
The next season, McHugh signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Lions. He saw action in 3 games that season. The Lions allocated him to the Frankfurt Galaxy for NFL Europa's 2006 season. He would play in Frankfurt's World Bowl XIV victory over the Amsterdam Admirals.
McHugh returned to Detroit for the 2006 NFL season. He was momentarily elevated to the #1 tight end slot due to a wrist injury to Casey FitzSimmons in the preseason, but found himself on the team's practice squad at the start of the season. A week 7 injury to fullback Cory Schlesinger moved McHugh back onto the active roster as a fullback on October 22, 2006. McHugh saw action at fullback on that week versus the New York Jets. His first career reception came against the Atlanta Falcons on November 5, 2006 for seven yards. He would appear in 6 games in 2006, starting 3, and finishing with 3 receptions for 25 yards.
McHugh saw increased playing time in 2007, mostly back at tight end. He played in 15 games and finished the season with 252 yards on 17 receptions. He was released by the Lions on August 31, 2008 at the end of training camp.[2]
Pittsburgh Steelers
McHugh signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 3, 2008.[3] He would dress for the Steelers' week 2 game versus Cleveland.[4] An ankle injury to Carey Davis prompted McHugh's move to fullback, where he would be the starter for the Steelers' week 7 game versus Cincinnati. He would be used primarily as a fullback for the remainder of the season and throughout the playoffs, making 3 receptions, totaling 24 yards. In his first season at Pittsburgh, McHugh won the AFC Championship and ultimately Super Bowl XLIII, earning McHugh his first Super Bowl ring.[5]
During the two-week period leading up to the Super Bowl, McHugh gained notoriety for having been cut by the Lions, deemed not good enough to play on a team that ultimately went 0-16 for the season, but good enough to play on a Super Bowl team such as Pittsburgh and make major contributions as a blocker for Willie Parker and Ben Roethlisberger.[5][6] McHugh himself had mixed feelings about the situation, feeling bad for his former Lions teammates for the imperfect season (the NFL's first since the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers) but also feeling it's a little payback for the Lions for releasing him in the first place.
Personal life
McHugh and his wife Ashlee reside in the suburbs of Detroit. with their son Jack and daughter Emma.[5] McHugh is now an assistant football coach at South Lyon East High School in South Lyon, where he is the offensive line and defensive line coach and also serves as special teams coordinator.[7] He currently works as an Account Executive in the mortgage industry, at United Shore Financial Services located in Troy, MI. He has been awarded "Largest Hands in the Office" for 18 consecutive months, and finished 4th in the company cornhole tournament.
References
- 1 2 Lubinger, Bill (2009-01-24). "Ohio's Roethlisberger, Harrison and McHugh helped forge the Steelers' Super Bowl mettle". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ↑ http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080901/SPORTS01/809010337
- ↑ "Steelers Sign Tight End Sean McHugh". steelers.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ↑ Dulac, Gerry (2008-09-12). "Tight end dives in". Steelers Notebook: Roethlisberger limited in practice, should play. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- 1 2 3 My Super Bowl Journey: Sean Mchugh Archived 2012-02-26 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Steelers’ McHugh catches break Yahoo! Sports
- ↑ http://novifootball.org/varsity/coaches-a-staff