Chad Brinker joins the Packers as a scouting assistant for his first full season with the team, having spent the summer of 2009 as an intern in the team’s pro personnel department. He was named to his new position on Jan. 31, 2010.
In his role, Brinker assists player personnel in various areas, including scouting and evaluating college and professional players. His other duties include assisting with college pro-day scouting, advance scouting, and team tryouts.
The 30-year old Brinker originally entered the NFL as a non-drafted free agent out of Ohio University with the New York Jets. He scored two touchdowns in preseason play before being waived in the team’s final roster reduction. Brinker was re-signed by the Jets following the 2003 season and was allocated to NFL Europe. He lined up at running back and was a teammate of Packers defensive end Cullen Jenkins with the Cologne Centurions during the 2004 season, averaging 5.7 yards per carry, before suffering a concussion in his third contest. He was placed on injured reserve and was later released by the Jets. Former Jets general manager Terry Bradway would later be the person to help open the door for Brinker, introducing him to Packers assistant director of college scouting Shaun Herock, which ultimately enabled him to pursue his lifelong dream of working in an NFL front office.
Brinker was a four-year starter and two-time All-MAC selection for the Ohio Bobcats, earning first-team all-conference honors in 2002. As a senior, he ran for a career-best 1,099 yards and remains Ohio’s fifth all-time leading rusher with 2,826 career yards, and his 30 total touchdowns rank second in school history. He also remains among the Bobcats’ all-time top five in nearly every rushing category in school history while missing all but the first four games of his junior season after having an arachnoid cyst removed from his skull. One of his best collegiate performances came against Minnesota in 2000 when he caught a touchdown pass, threw a touchdown pass, and ran for another score in the win against the Golden Gophers.
Brinker also competed in track during the spring at Ohio running the 60-meter indoor and 100-meter outdoor, and recorded a best time of 10.64 in the 100-meter. He received a Bachelor of Specialized Studies degree in Exercise Science from Ohio University and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He also serves on the Advisory Board of the Ohio Bobcat Club within the Ohio University Athletic Department.
Following his football career, Brinker entered the business world working for Merck as a pharmaceutical sales representative and then later as an account manager for Stryker Medical. His passion for football never left him as he remained close to the game by serving as the Ohio Sports Network radio color analyst for Ohio University football from 2006-08. During the 2009 season, he was an assistant football coach at Westerville Central High School in Columbus, Ohio, coaching running backs and defensive backs, as well as assisting with the strength and conditioning program.
A four-year letterman at Martins Ferry (Ohio) High School, Brinker rushed for nearly 4000 yards and 56 touchdowns in 25 games. He ran for 2,074 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior and was a finalist for the Mr. Ohio Football Award and USA Today All-American. The two-time first-team all-state selection also lettered multiple times in basketball, baseball, and track, placing sixth in the state of Ohio 100-meter final his junior year. In over 100 years of football at the historic Martins Ferry High School, the No. 32 worn by Brinker was retired on May 14, 1998.
Born in Wheeling, W.Va., Brinker and his wife, Rachelle, reside in De Pere, Wis. He enjoys strength training, reading and writing, traveling, snowboarding and hiking.
Biography taken from Packers.com
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