Phil Costa (American football)

Phil Costa (born July 11, 1987) is former American football center in the National Football League (NFL), and author. In 2018, he graduated from Columbia Business School with an MBA. He played college football at the University of Maryland.

Phil Costa
No. 67
Position:Center, Guard
Personal information
Born: (1987-07-11) July 11, 1987
Moorestown Township, New Jersey
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:302 lb (137 kg)
Career information
High school:Holy Cross (NJ)
College:Maryland
Undrafted:2010
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Games played:26
Games started:20
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Costa played high school football at Holy Cross High School, where he was a starting guard who played in every game during his three seasons on the team.

He accepted a scholarship from the University of Maryland, where he was a two-year starter, playing mostly guard until his senior season when he started at center.

Professional football career

Dallas Cowboys

Costa was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2010 NFL Draft. He began as the fourth string center, with Kyle Kosier and Travis Bright ahead of him, but when Kosier got hurt and Bright struggled, Costa became the primary backup. He impressed the coaching staff and made the opening day 53-man roster. As a rookie, he earned his first career start at left guard in place of the injured Kyle Kosier and Montrae Holland, in the seventh game of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He performed well during the 2011 training camp and preseason, before suffering a strained right posterior cruciate ligament on August 24, 2011.[1] After contract restructuring negotiations fell through, five time Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode was cut before the fourth preseason game and Costa became the starting center for the year.[2] Because of his small size for the position, as the season wore on he was exposed and struggled in his blocking assignments against bigger defenders.

In 2012, the Cowboys signed free agents guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings to help protect Costa against stronger defensive fronts. Ryan Cook replaced him in the season opener after one series, because he was limited by a back injury he carried from training camp. He returned to play against the Baltimore Ravens and arguably had his best game as a pro, with the Ravens yielding a franchise record 227 rushing yards. In the next game against the Carolina Panthers, he suffered a dislocated ankle and was eventually placed on the injured reserve list, after playing only six quarters in the season.

Looking to improve the center position, the Cowboys selected Travis Frederick in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft and moved Costa to a backup role during training camp.[3] He was eventually waived in a salary cap move on March 7, 2014.[4]

Indianapolis Colts

Costa signed a two-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts on March 13, 2014.[5] He retired at the age of 26 on April 21.[6]

Post-Football Career

Costa is the author of The Transition Playbook for ATHLETES: How Elite Athletes WIN After Sports.

After the NFL, Costa worked in medical device sales and actively participated in more than 500 heart surgeries. In 2018, he graduated from Columbia Business School with an MBA. He's traveled to more than 30 countries, including South Africa, Brazil, and Japan. Phil spent time living in Madrid, Spain, where he was enrolled in Spanish language school.

Phil currently lives in Philadelphia, where he is a commercial real estate broker with Wolf Commercial Real Estate and serves on the board of directors for the AthLife Foundation.

References
  1. Clarence Hill, Jr. (2011-08-25). "Knee injury stalls rise for Cowboys center Costa". Retrieved 2016-09-06.
  2. "Cowboys cut center Andre Gurode". ESPN.com. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  3. "Phil Costa healthy, fighting for job". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  4. "Cowboys clear salary cap room". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  5. "Indianapolis signs free agent center Phil Costa". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  6. Wells, Mike (April 21, 2014). "Costa's retirement puts Colts in tough spot". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
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