Ben Leber

Ben Leber (born December 7, 1978) is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft and later played for the Minnesota Vikings.

Ben Leber
No. 51, 59
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1978-12-07) December 7, 1978
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:244 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:Vermillion (SD)
College:Kansas State
NFL Draft:2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 71
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:496
Sacks:24.0
Interceptions:5
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Lining up primarily at running back, Leber was named to several high school All-America teams at Vermillion High School in Vermillion, South Dakota. As a junior, he rushed for 1,404 yards and 18 touchdowns, and notched 1,350 yards in his senior year. That season, he was declared a Parade Magazine All-America (the only South Dakotan so honored in 1997), an honorable mention All-USA by USA Today, and was selected to play in the North-South Dakota All-Star game. An excellent student, he was also an Academic All-State selection.

College career

At Kansas State, Leber made the switch to full-time linebacker. A two-time All-Big 12 selection, he finished his college career with 216 tackles, 46 tackles for loss, and 13.5 sacks. His 216 career tackles were the fifth most in Kansas State history. As a junior, he earned second team all-conference honors. The year later, he was an All-America third-team selection by the Associated Press, a consensus All-Big 12 Conference first-team choice, and a team captain. He received a degree in business-general management in 2002.

Professional career

Pre-draft
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)		 244 lb
(111 kg)		 4.62 s 1.62 s 2.70 s 4.25 s 6.75 s 32 1⁄2 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 20 reps x
All values from NFL Combine[1]

San Diego Chargers

Leber was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He was an immediate-impact rookie, playing in all 16 games and starting 14 of them. He was selected to both the Pro Football Weekly and Football Digest All-Rookie teams, finishing the year with 49 tackles, 5 sacks (third on the team), and 3 forced fumbles (first on the team).

In his second season, Leber started every game at strong side linebacker for the Chargers, notching 75 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 pass defensed, and 1 forced fumble. In his third year, he was an every-game starter for the Chargers, finishing the season with 58 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery. The next season, Leber was injured during training camp and again during the season. This led to him losing his starting position to future Pro-Bowler Shawne Merriman. He finished 2005 with 22 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.

Minnesota Vikings

As an unrestricted free agent, Leber was signed by the Minnesota Vikings on March 11, 2006. Playing in 15 games, he finished his first season with the team with 46 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 fumble recovery touchdown. The next year was even better—playing in all 16 games, Leber notched 67 tackles, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. In 2008, Leber again played the full season, recording 64 tackles, a career-low 1.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions.

St. Louis Rams

On August 9, 2011, Leber signed with the St. Louis Rams. On December 3, 2011, Leber was waived by the Rams.

Retirement

Despite having worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2012,[2] he was unable to find an interested team.

He announced his retirement from professional football on June 18, 2012.[3]

In October 2019, Leber signed a partnership agreement with Fargo-based Bell Bank, to become a Bell Bank "Champion."[4] Part of his role includes doing charitable work in connection with the bank—such as the Ben Leber Bell Bank Challenge, a 2019 effort to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[5]

Career statistics
   
Season Team GP Total Ast Comb SCK INT INT TD PD FF Fum Rec Fum TD
1998 Kansas State 10 19.0 11 30 2.0 0 0 2 1 0 0
1999 Kansas State 11 35.0 23 58 2.0 0 0 3 2 1 0
2000 Kansas State 13 38.0 17 55 3.5 1 0 2 0 0 0
2001 Kansas State 11 55.0 18 73 6.0 0 0 4 0 0 0
Totals 45 147.0 69 216 13.0 1 0 11 3 1 0
   
Season Team GP Total Ast Comb SCK INT INT TD PD FF Fum Rec Fum TD
2002 San Diego Chargers 16 41.0 9 50 5.0 0 0 1 3 0 0
2003 San Diego Chargers 16 69.0 11 80 3.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2004 San Diego Chargers 16 49.0 11 60 2.0 0 0 1 0 1 0
2005 San Diego Chargers 9 18.0 4 22 2.0 0 0 1 0 1 0
2006 Minnesota Vikings 15 34.0 12 46 3.0 1 0 4 3 2 1
2007 Minnesota Vikings 16 52.0 15 67 5.0 1 0 4 2 0 0
2008 Minnesota Vikings 16 47.0 17 64 1.5 2 0 7 1 0 0
2009 Minnesota Vikings 16 38 8 46 2.5 0 0 5 1 0 0
2010 Minnesota Vikings 16 35 11 46 0.0 1 0 4 2 0 0
2011 St. Louis Rams 7 11.0 4 15 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 143 393 103 496 24.0 5 0 28 12 4 1

Career Playoff statistics
   
Season Team GP Tckl Ast Total SCK INT INT TD PD FF Fum Rec Fum TD
2004 San Diego Chargers 1 5.0 2 7 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009 Minnesota Vikings 1 4.0 0 4 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 2 9.0 2 11 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal

Leber was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa and raised in Vermillion, South Dakota. He is the son of Al and Han Leber. His brother, Jason, was an All-American running back at the University of South Dakota.[6]

His Mother, Han, is Korean.[7]

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References
  1. Dagger (February 28, 2010). "2010 NFL Combine Results". postgameheroes.com. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  2. Adam Caplan (March 1, 2012). "Eagles Work Out Veteran LB". thesidelineview.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  3. "Linebacker Ben Leber announces retirement after 10 seasons with Chargers, Vikings, Rams". thesidelineview.com. Associated Press. June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  4. Pioneer Press (October 6, 2019). "Business People". Pioneer Press. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  5. "Ben Leber Bell Bank Challenge". fundraising.stjude.org. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  6. "Linebacker Ben Leber Announces Retirement". minnesota.cbslocal.com. CBS Local Media. June 8, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  7. "Interview with Ben Leber". halfkorean.com/.
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