Bradford Banta
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Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
| Personal information | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | December 14, 1970 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 253 lb (115 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | LSU Lab (Baton Rouge, LA) | ||||||||
| College | USC (1989–1993) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994: 4th round, 106th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| CFP national champion (2023) | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Bradford Banta (born December 14, 1970) is an American former professional football player and coach. He played tight end and long snapper in the National Football League (NFL) from 1994 to 2004. Banta also coached in the NFL from 2008 to 2018. He was an assistant coach for the Michigan Wolverines from 2019 to 2023, winning a national championship in his final season. Banta played college football for the USC Trojans.
At the University of Southern California, Banta was a two-year starter at tight end for Trojans (1989–93), as well as a four-time letter-winner. He earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 Conference honors as a junior and senior and received his bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in sociology in 1993.
Professional career
Banta was selected in the fourth round of the 1994 NFL draft, 106 overall, by the Indianapolis Colts.[1] He went on and played from 1994 to 2004 for the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Jets, the Detroit Lions, and the Buffalo Bills. He is noted for committing two unnecessary roughness penalties in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Miami Dolphins in 2000.
Banta served as a long snapper for a majority of his career, and played exclusively on special teams with the Lions. He had previously played tight end in offensive situations for the Colts.
After his playing days, Banta worked with as a supervisor for George Wright Construction for a year and in Chase's Home Financial Division for nearly two years in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
