Team

6’2” • 245 lbs. • Born: 5.18.77 • Exp. (NFL/Titans): 7/7 • FA – 2003 • Montana State

2008 GP/GS: 16/0 (Playoffs 1/0) • Career GP/GS: 77/0 (Playoffs 3/0) • Miami, Fla.

PRO: Ken Amato serves as a long snapper for both field goals and punts and is a valued core member of special teams coverage units. His steady snaps have helped Craig Hentrich ascend to the top of the team’s all-time leader board in career punting and have made an impact in Rob Bironas’ emergence as a Pro Bowl kicker. Amato also has experience in extra-linebacker defensive packages. In his first six NFL seasons (2003-08), he played in 77 games and totaled 35 special teams tackles, including four stops on special teams in 2008. As a situational linebacker, he has seven career tackles. Amato was signed by the Titans as a free agent on Aug. 12, 2003 after serving a second stint with the Carolina Panthers from Feb. 11 – June 11, 2003. He was originally signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent on May 28, 2002 and was waived during training camp.

TITANS TIDBITS:

• Amato played in his first NFL game nearly five years after playing his final college game. After his college eligibility expired at the end of the 1998 season, he spent the next two years finishing his degree and assisting Montana State’s coaching staff with video work and a wide variety of other tasks. After graduation, with the exception of a brief stint with the Carolina Panthers in May 2002, he worked two years as a full-time juvenile service specialist in Miami until re-signing to attend his second camp with Carolina in February 2003.

• While Amato’s father, Paul, is Italian-Irish, his mother, Isora Gotay, is from Puerto Rico. As a result, he speaks fluent Spanish and still communicates with his mother’s side of the family in her native tongue.

• Amato learned to long snap in his last year playing Pop Warner football, but he did not do it again until college. During his time at Moorpark (Calif.) Junior College, he suffered an injury to his MCL and was unable to play linebacker for a short period. Because the team needed a long snapper, he volunteered for the duty because he wanted to stay involved while allowing his injury to heal.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

2008 (16/0, 1/0): Served as long snapper in all 16 games and contributed to Rob Bironas’ 87.9 field goal percentage (tied for 10^th in NFL). Registered four special teams tackles.

• Collected a special teams tackle in games against Houston (9/21), at Baltimore (10/5), against Cleveland (12/7) and at Indianapolis (12/28).

2007 (7/0, 0/0): Played in seven games and totaled three special teams tackles before being placed on injured reserve on Oct. 31, 2007 with a knee injury.

• Collected one special teams tackle at Jacksonville (9/9), against Atlanta (10/7) and at Tampa Bay (10/14).

• At Houston (10/21), served as long snapper for Rob Bironas’ single-game NFL record eight field goals.

• Against Oakland (10/28), tore his right ACL and spent the remainder of season on injured reserve.

2006 (15/0): Played in 15 games and totaled five special teams tackles and three tackles at linebacker, including one tackle for loss. Helped kicker Rob Bironas go 22 of 28 on field goal attempts and 32 of 32 on PAT attempts. Snapped for three of the team’s four game-winning field goals (11/26 vs. N.Y. Giants, 12/3 vs. Indianapolis and 12/24 at Buffalo). Helped punter Craig Hentrich rank 15th in NFL with a 37.3 net average. He was inactive in one game (10/15 at Washington) with a quad injury.

• In season opener against N.Y. Jets (9/10), led team with season-high two special teams tackles.

• Following week against Indianapolis (12/3), snapped for Bironas’ game-winning 60-yard field goal, the sixth field goal in NFL history from 60 yards or longer.

2005 (7/0): Played in seven games as a long snapper until breaking his left fibula at Arizona (10/23). He was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 26.

• In win against Baltimore (9/18), tied his career high with three special teams tackles.

2004 (16/0): Served as team’s long snapper and contributed 10 special teams tackles. Also received occasional playing time in a four-linebacker package, where he posted four stops.

• In Monday Night Football victory at Green Bay (10/11), recorded season-high two tackles in first career action at linebacker.

• Against Kansas City (12/13), played in four-linebacker set and also executed fake punt in which he direct snapped to running back Troy Fleming, who was positioned outside right hash and gained 13 yards for first down.

2003 (16/0, 2/0): In his first season, played in every regular season game and both postseason games. Served as punting unit’s long snapper and contributed nine special teams tackles during regular season.

• Against Oakland (9/7), played on special teams in professional debut.

COLLEGE:

• Played in 22 games with nine starts in two seasons at Montana State.

• In addition to action at long snapper, collected 41 tackles, three sacks and one fumble recovery at linebacker as senior in 1998.

• Contributed 48 tackles and 2.5 sacks at defensive end and linebacker as a junior (1997).

• Prior to attending Montana State, spent two seasons at Moorpark (Calif.) Junior College, earning all-state and all-conference honors as sophomore.

• Earned degree in justice studies.

PERSONAL:

• Married to Sandi (July 2004), couple resides in Brentwood, Tenn., with daughter, Jazlyn (2).

• Named to Dade County All-Star team at Braddock High School in Miami, Fla., where he also played volleyball and participated in the high jump in track and field.

• Returned to Braddock HS in 2006 to speak at the school’s football banquet.

• Participated in youth football clinic in Puerto Rico in 2006.

• List of favorites: (movie) “The Matrix”; (TV show) “Two and a Half Men”; (actress) Reese Witherspoon; (music group) El Gran Combo; (food) Mexican; (school subject) history; and (sports hero) Dale Murphy.

• Born Kenneth Carlos Amato on May 18, 1977 in Puerto Rico.