Andrew Gachkar

Andrew Gachkar

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Gachkar in 2011
No. 52 Dallas Cowboys
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1988-11-04) November 4, 1988
Place of birth: Overland Park, Kansas
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school: Overland Park (KS) Blue Valley
College: Missouri
NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 7 / Pick: 234
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2015
Total tackles: 133
Sacks: 2.0
Interceptions: 0
Forced fumbles: 1
Defensive touchdowns: 1
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Andrew Gachkar (born November 4, 1988) is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Missouri.

Early life

Gachkar grew up in Overland Park, Kansas, while attending Blue Valley West High School, where he played both running back and linebacker.

College career

Gachkar, rated the number 12 overall prospect in the state of Kansas, chose to play collegiately at the University of Missouri. He was a two-year year starter for the Tigers. In 2009, he started 13 games at strongside linebacker and had 80 tackles (second on the team). The next year he was moved to weakside linebacker to replace All-American Sean Weatherspoon, finishing with 84 tackles.[1]

Professional career

San Diego Chargers

Gachkar was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the seventh round (234th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. On July 28, 2011, he was signed to a four-year deal with the Chargers. As a rookie he played mainly on special teams and posted 12 special teams tackles (second on the team).

He became a valuable special teams player, while also being a solid reserve linebacker. In 2012, he recorded 13 tackles (2 for loss), one sack and eight special teams tackles. The next season he started 3 games, making 25 tackles (one for loss) and 8 special teams tackles.

In 2014, he received more playing time due to injuries and defensive coordinator John Pagano's rotations at linebacker. He registered 5 starts, 46 tackles (6 for loss), 16 special teams tackles and also scored his first NFL touchdown against the St. Louis Rams on a fumble recovery.

Dallas Cowboys

On March 15, 2015, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys for a two-year, $5.5 million contract, reuniting with former Chargers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia.[2] As a reserve linebacker, he showed the ability to play all three positions and made Jasper Brinkley expendable.[3] He played in every game, registering 8 special teams tackles (second on the team) and 13 defensive tackles.[4]

Personal life

Gachkar overcame a life-threatening ailment to even be able to play football. In 2007, after his freshman year at Missouri, he was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. He had developed a blood clot because his collarbone and rib cage were too close together to allow proper blood flow through his veins. As a result, he underwent major surgery to remove one of his ribs, and a second surgery after another clot developed. Gachkar spent more than 20 hours in surgery and nearly a month in the hospital and he lost 30 pounds. The surgeries initially put his football future in doubt, but Gachkar was diligent in his rehabilitation and he made it back for the 2008 season without missing a game.[5]

Gachkar married Lauren Nuckolls, a former Missouri Tiger volleyball player and his high school sweetheart, on March 23, 2013.[6]

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.