Greg Engel is an American former professional football center who played four NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions. He also played for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe and was a four-year letterman and 1993 team captain at the University of Illinois.
Background
Gregory Allen Engel was born on January 18, 1971, in Davenport, Iowa, and grew up in Bloomington, Illinois, where he attended Bloomington High School. He was an all-state two-way lineman and team captain as a senior, and his high-school team won the Big 12 Conference title and was ranked second in Illinois in 1988.
Engel later remained connected to football through his family. His son Preston Engel played football at the University of Illinois, where the younger Engel was a member of the Fighting Illini from 2018 through 2022.
Education
Engel attended Bloomington High School in Bloomington, Illinois, where he played football as a two-way lineman and served as team captain. He continued at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, playing center for the Fighting Illini from 1989 through 1993 and majoring in history. The university's intercollegiate program competes in the Big Ten Conference, one of the major athletic conferences in American college sports.
Engel lettered from 1990 through 1993, became a three-year starter, and served as captain of the 1993 team. He was recognized as an academic all-conference selection in 1991 and 1992, and as a senior received second-team All-Big Ten recognition and honorable-mention All-America honors.
Engel entered professional football after going undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft and signed with the San Diego Chargers as a rookie free agent on April 28, 1994. He spent his first season on the inactive list while learning the Chargers' blocking system, then appeared in 10 games in 1995, 12 games with nine starts in 1996, and nine games in 1997. The Chargers re-signed him in February 1998 and released him in July.
He signed with the Oakland Raiders in July 1998 but was released during training camp. In 1999 he joined the Florida Bobcats and later played for the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe, where he was listed as an offensive guard. The Detroit Lions signed him in August 1999; he appeared in one regular-season game before his release in October. His NFL career comprised 32 regular-season games and nine starts.
The San Diego Chargers were an NFL franchise based in Southern California, while the Detroit Lions were an established National Football League club based in Detroit. NFL Europe provided a developmental setting for American football players and was operated as an international league during the period in which Engel played for Berlin.
Achievements
Started the final 32 games of his University of Illinois football career and served as captain of the 1993 Fighting Illini team.
Played in 32 NFL regular-season games and made nine starts during four seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions.
Personality
Physical Characteristics:
Engel was listed at 6 feet 3 inches tall and 285 pounds during his professional football career.
Interests
Sport & Clubs
American football
Connections
Engel's son Preston Engel played football at the University of Illinois. Preston Engel was a long snapper and tight end for the Fighting Illini and was recognized as an Academic All-Big Ten student-athlete.
Son:
Preston Engel
Played football at the University of Illinois as a long snapper and tight end and was named Academic All-Big Ten.
Pro-Football-Reference, Greg Engel
Provides biographical details, career statistics, team history, position, birth date, birthplace, and college information.
San Diego Chargers Media Guide
Documents Engel's Chargers signing, position, physical measurements, college honors, high-school football background, and 1994 inactive status.
