Tyler Varga
John Tyler Varga (born September 24, 1993) is a dual Finnish-Canadian[1][2][3] former professional American football fullback. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2015.[4] Varga played college football at University of Western Ontario (2011), where he was named the OUA Rookie of the Year,[5] and Yale (2012–2014).
No. 38 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Fullback | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Stockholm, Sweden | September 24, 1993||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 222 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Kitchener (ON) Cameron Heights | ||||||||||||
College: | Yale | ||||||||||||
University: | Western Ontario | ||||||||||||
CFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 3 / Pick: 19 | ||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2015 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com |
Early life
Varga was born in Stockholm, Sweden. His mother Hannele Sundberg is originally from Vantaa, Finland, and his father John Varga is of Croatian descent.[6]
College career
Varga attended the University of Western Ontario for one season in 2011 where he was named team MVP, conference player of the year and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Freshman of the Year.
Before the 2012 season, Varga transferred to Yale University and played there for the rest of his college career. He finished at Yale as a three-time All-Ivy honoree with 529 rushing attempts (ranked 5th in Yale history), 2,985 rushing yards (ranked 4th), 5.6 yards per carry (ranked 2nd), and 31 rushing touchdowns (ranked 3rd). Following Varga's senior performance, he was awarded the Bushnell Cup, which honours the Ivy League Player of the Year. He graduated in 2015 with a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology.
Professional career
Varga signed as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts, he made the 53-man roster and was active for the Colts first game of the year against the Buffalo Bills. Varga suffered a concussion in the Colts win against the Tennessee Titans on September 27, 2015, and was placed season-ending injury reserve on October 14, 2015.[7] On July 26, 2016, Varga retired from the NFL.[8]
Statistics
Season | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
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GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FUM | Lost | ||
2015 | Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 18 | 0 | – | – |
Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
References
- "Combine Chronicles: For Tyler Varga, 'Not Enough Hours in the Day'". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- "Varga's homecoming: Kitchener native better than ever on the gridiron". Waterloo Region Record.
- "Tyler Varga's International Roots Have Carried Him To the NFL". 16 September 2015.
- "Indianapolis Colts: Tyler Varga". Indianapolis Colts. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- "Tyler Varga named OUA Rookie of the Year". westernmustangs.com. November 11, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
- Holopainen, Pekka (September 7, 2015). "Tekeekö tämä tuntematon mies suomalaista urheiluhistoriaa – unelmasopimus miljardiliigaan!". IS.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- "Colts sign Ahmad Bradshaw". 14 October 2015.
- Florio, Mike (July 26, 2016). "Tyler Varga retires". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved July 26, 2016.