Igor Olshansky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| San Diego Chargers — No. 99 | |
| Defensive end | |
| Date of birth: May 3, 1982 | |
| Place of birth: Dnipropetrovsk, Soviet Union | |
| Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | Weight: 309 lb (140 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
|---|---|
| 2004 for the San Diego Chargers | |
| Career history | |
| College: Oregon | |
| NFL Draft: 2004 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35 | |
Teams:
|
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Igor Olshansky (pronounced /E-gor ol-SHAN-ski/) (born May 3, 1982 in Dnipropetrovsk, Soviet Union) is a football defensive end for the San Diego Chargers of the NFL.
Contents |
[edit] Early years
He attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory, where he played basketball until his junior year. That year, Igor met Vince Tringali, a former St. Ignatius football coach. Tringali saw Igor's potential and converted him to football. He was first-team all-league, second-team all-metro by the San Francisco Examiner and honorable mention all-area by San Jose Mercury News.
[edit] College career
At the University of Oregon, where he majored in psychology, he was second-team All-Pac-10 as a junior, honorable mention as sophomore, and recipient of the Joe Schaffeld Trophy as the Ducks’ top defensive lineman after his sophomore and junior seasons. At Oregon, he set a team record with a 505-pound bench press. After an outstanding career for the Ducks, Igor left school following his junior season.
[edit] NFL career
[edit] NFL Draft 2004
In the second round (# 35 overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers selected Igor Olshansky out of the University of Oregon. In August, 2004, Igor and the Chargers agreed on a 6-year contract.
| Pre-draft measureables | |||||||||
| Weight | 40 yd | 20 ss | 3-cone | Vert | BP | Wonderlic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 318 lb (144 kg)* | 4.98s* | 4.42s* | 7.64s* | 34.5 in (87.6 cm)* | 43 | 29*[1] | |||
(* represents NFL Combine)
[edit] San Diego Chargers
Olshansky has helped make the Chargers’ defensive line one of the league’s best. His play helped finish the 2005 season atop the league rankings for allowing only 84.3 yards per game. In 2004, when he started as a rookie, the Chargers finished third in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing only 81.7 yards per game. Currently, Igor starts at right defensive end alongside Jamal Williams and Luis Castillo. He is most know for saying that the Patriots were "more worried than we are" before the 2008 AFC Championship Game.
[edit] Olshansky vs. Nalen
Olshansky was ejected from a game against the Denver Broncos November 19, 2006, for punching Broncos center Tom Nalen, after what appeared to be Nalen trying to cut block Olshansky on a clock-stopping spike play. Olshansky had recently had knee surgery when Nalen went after Olshansky's knees. Two days later, the NFL fined Nalen $25,000 for the cut block, more than double the $10,000 fine Olshansky received for the punch.[2]
[edit] Personal
Igor is married to the former Liya Rubinshteyn and currently lives with her in San Diego. His grandfather Abraham Rubashevsky fought for the Red Army in World War II and was wounded 11 times, leaving his left hand disabled. Due in part to the influence of his grandfather, he still studies military history and martial arts. Olshansky is Jewish, and currently is one of the more visible Jewish athletes. He has many tattoos, including two of the Star of David. He is regularly featured in Jewish news publications locally and nationally. For several years Igor attended the Chabad-run Hebrew Academy.[3]
