Patrick Mannelly

Patrick Mannelly (born April 18, 1975) is an American football long snapper and special teams captain for the Chicago Bears of the NFL. He was originally selected with the 36th pick of the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft out of Duke University.

High school years
Mannelly attended Marist High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was a good student and a letterman in football and basketball. In football, he was invited to the Georgia-Florida All-Star game after his senior season. Mannelly graduated from Marist High School in 1993.

College career
Mannelly attended Duke University and was a four-year starter at longsnapper and a two-year starter on the offensive line. He missed a majority of senior year due to a mysterious hip injury.

Professional career
The Bears drafted Mannelly in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Currently, Mannelly is the longest tenured player on the team's current roster, and on September 27, 2010, Mannelly broke Steve McMichael's Chicago Bears record for most games played as a Bear, with 192. In 2006, kicker Robbie Gould claimed that Mannelly played a pivotal part of his productive season, and praised him in his Pro Bowl acceptance speech. Additionally, many of Mannelly's teammates consider him one of the NFL's unsung heroes. In a 2011 game against the San Diego Chargers, Mannelly ruptured his ACL, and was placed on injured reserve. In 2012, Mannelly broke the record for most seasons with the Bears with 15. On December 24, 2012, Mannelly signed a one-year deal with the Bears.

Personal life
Mannelly was born to Jay and Patty Mannelly. His brother, Bernard, played college football for Notre Dame. He and Tamara John, the daughter of former Major League Baseball pitcher Tommy John, were married in 1998. The couple has one daughter who was born on Christmas Eve 2005. Mannelly is also a spokesperson for the American Lung Association's Athletes and Asthma program.