Danny Vitale
Dan Michael Vitale III (born October 26, 1993) is a former American football fullback. He played college football at Northwestern and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots.
.jpg.webp) Vitale with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | October 26, 1993 Wheaton, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 239 lb (108 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Wheaton Warrenville South (Wheaton, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Northwestern | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 6 / Pick: 197 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com | |||||||||||||
Early life and high school career
Vitale was born one of two sons to Lisa and Dan Vitale. His brother Tommy played as a linebacker while at Northwestern University. Vitale attended high school in Wheaton, Illinois, the same as former football player Red Grange, actor John Belushi and astronomer Edwin Hubble.[1]
While attending Wheaton high school, Vitale earned distinctions including places on the honor roll and National Honor Society. He played high school football as both a wide receiver and running back. During the 2011 season, Vitale earned All-Area and All-State awards. He earned a letter in wrestling where he competed at 152 lbs, lettered two years in football and earned letters three years in track.[1]
College career
Vitale played for Northwestern University beginning his freshman season in 2012. He was named to the Academic All-Big Ten three times, during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. While at Northwestern, Vitale majored in economics,[1] with minors in Business Institutions and Integrated Marketing Communications.[2]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
239 lb (108 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.60 s | 4.12 s | 7.12 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 30 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[3] | ||||||||||||
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vitale was selected by the Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 197th overall pick.[4] He was released by the Buccaneers as part of final roster cuts on September 3, 2016.[5]
Buffalo Bills
Vitale was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills the next day,[6] but failed his physical examination, voiding the contract.[7]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)
On September 10, 2016, he re-joined the Buccaneers as a member of their practice squad.[8]
Cleveland Browns
Vitale was signed off the Buccaneers' practice squad by the Cleveland Browns on October 14, 2016.[9]
On September 1, 2018, Vitale suffered a calf injury and was placed on injured reserve.[10] He was released on October 12, 2018.
Green Bay Packers
Vitale was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on October 22, 2018.[11] He was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2018.[12] He appeared in five games in the 2018 season.[13]
In the 2019 season, Vitale saw some increased usage in the receiving game with seven receptions for 97 yards. He started in four of the 15 games he appeared in.[14]
New England Patriots
On March 21, 2020, Vitale signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots.[15] On July 28, 2020, Vitale announced he was opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] He was released after the season on May 27, 2021.[17]
On June 6, 2021, Vitale announced his retirement from professional football.[18]
NFL career statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2016 | CLE | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | CLE | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | GB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | GB | 15 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 97 | 13.9 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | NE | Did not play due to COVID-19 opt-out | |||||||||||||
| Total | 44 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 145 | 9.7 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Source: NFL.com | |||||||||||||||
Post-NFL career
Beginning in November 2021, Vitale founded the health and fitness company VITALETY, LLC. In January 2022, Vitale became Financial Advisor and Financial Planning Specialist for the financial services company Morgan Stanley in New York, New York.[2]
References
- Danny Vitale College Football Profile NU Sports.com Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- Dan Vitale III Profile on Linkedin.com Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- "Dan Vitale Combine Profile". National Football League. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- Baker, Matt. "NFL draft: Bucs take Northwestern fullback Dan Vitale". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- Smith, Scott (September 3, 2016). "Bucs Trim Roster to 53". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
- "Bills claim FB Dan Vitale". BuffaloBills.com. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017.
- "Bills sign four to practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. September 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018.
- Smith, Scott (September 10, 2016). "Josh Keyes Promoted, Danny Vitale Returns". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
- "Browns sign FB Dan Vitale; place OL Joel Bitonio on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 14, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018.
- Gribble, Andrew (September 1, 2018). "Browns announce 53-man roster". ClevelandBrowns.com.
- "Packers sign FB Vitale to practice squad". Packers.com. October 22, 2018.
- "Packers activate Jake Kumerow to 53-man roster". Packers.com. December 1, 2018.
- "Danny Vitale 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Danny Vitale 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- "Report: Patriots sign fullback Dan Vitale". National Football League. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- "Patriots re-sign wide receiver Will Hastings". Patriots.com. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- "Patriots Sign TE Troy Fumagalli; Release LB LaRoy Reynolds and FB Danny Vitale". Patriots.com. May 27, 2021.
- Bengel, Chris (June 8, 2021). "Danny Vitale, former NFL fullback, announces retirement from league on LinkedIn". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.