Chris Kluwe is a former American Football player, a punter, best known for playing with the Minnesota Vikings between 2005 and 2012. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 24th of December, 1981.
How rich is Chris Kluwe? As of early 2017, sources estimate his net worth at $3 million, largely earned over his sporting career which began in 2005.
Chris Kluwe Net Worth $3 million
Kluwe attended Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, playing under coach John Barnes. He matriculated to the University of California to study for a degree in political science and history. Whilst playing for the UCLA Bruins, Kluwe ran a total of 6624 yards and set school records for both the total number of punts in a season and total punt yards run (in 2003).
Kluwe was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2005, signing with the team as a free agent, but after completing training with the team, he moved to the Minnesota Vikings. In 2007, he signed a contract for $8.3 million that would run until 2013. His career would be marred by a number of injuries, though Kluwe continued to play through his discomfort. He maintains a number of Vikings punt records, including the number one career punt average, the number two career net yards average (37.2), and the number three most punts in a season (71 in 2005).
Kluwe was released by the Vikings and signed with the Oakland Raiders on the 15th of May 2013, but was released in September. On the 3rd of January, 2014, Kluwe retired. He had, at that time, been inactive on the field for over a year. In the same year, he was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.
Kluwe has discussed the potential use of AR – augmented reality – to reduce the number of injuries players sustain in football. He hosted a TED conference in 2014 on the subject, proposing players use computers on their helmets which would give them a percentage on the likelihood of certain outcomes, on which they could modify their behaviour to reduce potential safety hazards. He is a participant in the Google Glass Explorer programme.
In his personal life, Kluwe has been married to Isabel since 2004, and they have two children. His interests outside of sport are varied, including a keen enthusiasm for MMORPGS and writing. He is currently creating a tabletop card game entitled “Twilight of the Gods”, which is due for imminent release through Victory Point Games, and which received backing of over $70,000 on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. His book, “Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies”, a book of essays, was released in June of 2013. He plays bass in a metal band called “Tripping Icarus”. Kluwe has been very outspoken in his views on gay marriage, stating that he believes equality to be of the utmost importance. He has also taken part in LGBT pride events. These views have made him a controversial figure within his sport, and he claims that it was because of these beliefs that he was terminated by the Vikings. He is politically liberal and agnostic in his beliefs.
