Danny Vitale

For the comedian, see Dan Vitale (comedian).

Danny Vitale
refer to caption
Vitale with the Cleveland Browns in 2018
No. 40, 45
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1993-10-26) October 26, 1993 (age 31)
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
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing attempts:1
Rushing yards:3
Receptions:15
Receiving yards:145
Stats at Pro Football Reference

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 Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, and New England Patriots.

Early life

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 Warrenville South 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 with his freshman season in 2012. He was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Conference 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

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 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 1.59 s 2.69 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][4]
Vitale during 2019 training camp.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (first stint)

Vitale was selected by the Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft with the 197th overall pick.[5] He was released by the Buccaneers as part of final roster cuts on September 3, 2016.[6]

Buffalo Bills

Vitale was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills the next day,[7] but failed his physical examination, voiding the contract.[8]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)

On September 10, 2016, he re-joined the Buccaneers as a member of their practice squad.[9]

Cleveland Browns

Vitale was signed off the Buccaneers' practice squad by the Cleveland Browns on October 14, 2016.[10]

On September 1, 2018, Vitale suffered a calf injury and was placed on injured reserve.[11] He was released on October 12, 2018.

Green Bay Packers

Vitale was signed to the Green Bay Packers practice squad on October 22, 2018.[12] He was promoted to the active roster on December 1, 2018.[13] He appeared in five games in the 2018 season.[14]

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.[15]

New England Patriots

On March 21, 2020, Vitale signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots.[16] On July 28, 2020, Vitale announced he was opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] He was released after the season on May 27, 2021.[18]

On June 6, 2021, Vitale announced his retirement from professional football.[19]

NFL career statistics

Regular season 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

  1. ^ a b c Danny Vitale College Football Profile NU Sports.com Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Dan Vitale III Profile on Linkedin.com Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  3. ^ "Danny Vitale Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Scout Danny Vitale College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Smith, Scott (September 3, 2016). "Bucs Trim Roster to 53". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "Bills claim FB Dan Vitale". BuffaloBills.com. September 4, 2016. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "Bills sign four to practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. September 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018.
  9. ^ Smith, Scott (September 10, 2016). "Josh Keyes Promoted, Danny Vitale Returns". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017.
  10. ^ "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.
  11. ^ Gribble, Andrew (September 1, 2018). "Browns announce 53-man roster". ClevelandBrowns.com.
  12. ^ "Packers sign FB Vitale to practice squad". Packers.com. October 22, 2018. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  13. ^ "Packers activate Jake Kumerow to 53-man roster". Packers.com. December 1, 2018.
  14. ^ "Danny Vitale 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Danny Vitale 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Report: Patriots sign fullback Dan Vitale". National Football League. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Patriots re-sign wide receiver Will Hastings". Patriots.com. July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  18. ^ "Patriots Sign TE Troy Fumagalli; Release LB LaRoy Reynolds and FB Danny Vitale". Patriots.com. May 27, 2021.
  19. ^ Bengel, Chris (June 8, 2021). "Danny Vitale, former NFL fullback, announces retirement from league on LinkedIn". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Danny Vitale.