Andrew Whitworth

Andrew James Whitworth (born December 12, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a tackle for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

He spent 11 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and five with the Los Angeles Rams.

Noted for the longevity of his career, he retired as the oldest tackle in NFL history and was the oldest offensive lineman to win a Super Bowl.

Whitworth played college football for the LSU Tigers, twice receiving first-team All-SEC honors.

He was a part of three Louisiana Class 5A State Championship teams in 1997, 1998, and 2000 when the school was listed by the National High School Football Tony Poll as national champions for the last two.

He was also part of four straight district championship teams in one of the toughest districts in the state.

Whitworth was rated by CNNSI.com as the sixth-best offensive line prospect in the nation.

He was a tennis champion in Louisiana, and was also an excellent golfer.

He participated in the first-ever U.S. Army All-American Bowl game on December 30, 2000, along with other future LSU players Marcus Spears, Marquise Hill, and Ben Wilkerson.

A native of Monroe, Louisiana, Whitworth attended West Monroe High School in West Monroe, Louisiana, where he played high school football for the Rebels under coach Don Shows and graduated in 2001.

Whitworth attended LSU from 2001 to 2005.

Whitworth did not play in the 2001 season as he was redshirted.

In 2002, he started as a redshirt freshman every game, and was recognized as a first-team Freshman All-American by The Sporting News and Football Writers Association.

His 52 career starts from 2002 to 2005 rank second in NCAA Division I history behind Derrick Strait of Oklahoma (53 starts, 2000–2003).

He earned All-Southeastern Conference first-team honors in each of his last two seasons, including a consensus nod as a senior.

As a sophomore in 2003, he started in all fourteen games.

The team went 13–1 en route to a BCS national title with a Sugar Bowl defeat of Oklahoma.

He led the team with 1,008 snaps and credited with 105 key blocks, including 82 knockdowns.

In 2004, Whitworth led the team with 799 snaps from scrimmage as the Tigers went 9–3 with a Citrus Bowl berth against Iowa.

His play was key for an offense that scored 39 TDs and averaged 395.6 yards per game.

He was credited with 96 key blocks, including 66 knockdowns, and played every offensive snap during a four-game stretch against Georgia, Florida, Troy, and Vanderbilt.

Helping LSU to an 11–2 record, he played left tackle in 2005.

That season was capped by a 40–3 Peach Bowl win over Miami (Fla.).

He played every offensive snap in nine of the thirteen contests, for an offense that averaged 374.1 yards per game.

By not allowing a sack all season, he finished his career with 22 straight games of no sacks allowed.

He was credited with 104 key blocks/knockdowns.

He was selected by the Bengals in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

During his Cincinnati tenure, he was named to three Pro Bowls and one first-team All-Pro.

With the Rams, Whitworth extended his Pro Bowl selections to four and his first-team All-Pro honors to two.

He was also a member of the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI against his former team, his final NFL game.

Whitworth played in the East–West Shrine Game on January 21, 2006, in San Antonio, Texas.

Whitworth was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round (55th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft.

He made his NFL debut on special teams on September 10 against Kansas City.

He started at left guard in the following week against the Cleveland Browns, as part of a line shuffle where left guard Eric Steinbach replaced injured Levi Jones at left tackle.

Whitworth helped the Bengals pile up 481 yards against Browns, including 145 rushing yards by Rudi Johnson.

He was in the starting lineup for Carson Palmer.

He also had a key block on Rudi Johnson's seven-yard touchdown run in first quarter.

On July 25, 2008, Whitworth agreed in principle to a four-year extension worth a reported $30 million that would keep him in Cincinnati through 2013.

He was ejected from a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars after getting into a fight with Jaguars defensive end John Henderson.

In 2009, head coach Marvin Lewis decided to move Whitworth from guard to left tackle and saw immediate impact.