Alan Faneca

At age 15, Faneca began having seizures, which were later diagnosed as epilepsy. ^[1] He started on medication to control it and was able to continue playing football.

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Faneca attended LSU and was redshirted in 1994. He was voted the Southeastern Conference freshman of the year by Knoxville News Sentinel in 1995. In 1996 he was selected as a second-team All-American. He started his last 36 games at LSU and allowed only one sack in his last season. He had 210 pancake blocks in his collegiate career. He returned to school in 1999 and earned a degree in management entrepreneurship.

He was picked by Pittsburgh in the first round (26th overall) in the 1998 NFL Draft. He saw limited playing time at first but injuries to fellow Steelers Will Wolford and Jim Sweeney allowed him to get his first start against the Cincinnati Bengals. He earned the Joe Greene Award as the team's top rookie. In 2000, Faneca helped the Steelers rank fourth in the league in rushing and was named a starter in the 2002 Pro Bowl. In 2003, he switched positions from left guard to left tackle due to injuries. He has helped running backs Jerome Bettis, Duce Staley, and Willie Parker set individual and team rushing records. He helped the Steelers reach Super Bowl XL in Detroit, in which Pittsburgh defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. He helped spring Parker to a 75-yard touchdown run that is currently the longest run in Super Bowl history. Faneca is tied with Hines Ward and Deshea Townsend as the longest-tenured Steelers on the roster. He was named All-Pro in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006. He has been to the Pro Bowl seven times, starting in six of them.

Faneca married Julie Kuchta of Virginia Beach, VA. They met as freshmen at LSU. They have one daughter, named Anabelle.

Trivia

His favorite band is Alice In Chains.

References

1. ^ http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/epilepsyusa/faneca.cfm