Moving along in our all-time jersey number countdown until the Chiefs’ season-opening rematch with the Houston Texans on September 10, we move down to number 96 and look back at a linebacker who won’t come up very often in any NFL conversations, but was a beloved fan-favorite in Kansas City during his tenure as a Chief.
With 96 days until the start of the 2020 NFL season, we look back at the career of former Chiefs outside linebacker Andy Studebaker, who played 8 seasons in the National Football League and 5 in Kansas City from 2008 to 2012.
Andy Studebaker 2008 – 2012
Andy Studebaker was a sixth-round draft choice by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Wheaton college in 2008. It wasn’t too long before he was eventually waived by Philly and got picked up by Kansas City the same year.
Studebaker didn’t receive much, if any, playing time in ’08 as the Chiefs sputtered to a franchise-worst 2-14 record. It wasn’t until 2009 during the franchise’s youth-movement under GM Scott Pioli and rookie head coach Todd Haley that Studebaker made his way onto the field as a sub-package pass rusher behind starting outside linebacker Mike Vrabel.
Even still, Studebaker didn’t make much of a name for himself mid-way through the 2009 campaign, he was just another nobody on a rebuilding Chiefs defense.
That is, until Week 10 against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on November 22, 2009. Late in the third quarter, Studebaker picked off a Ben Roethlisberger pass that intended for Hines Ward in the endzone and returned it 94 yards to the Pittsburgh 8-yard line. It was an electric play that left Voice of the Chiefs Mitch Holthus screaming into the mic, “WHERE DID KANSAS CITY FIND THIS KID!?!?”
The play resulted in the Chiefs settling for a Ryan Succop field goal to tie the game 17 points apiece going into the fourth quarter. Kansas City would go on to send the game into overtime and enviably collect the 27-24 upset victory over the reigning champions.
Studebaker finished the game with five tackles and two interceptions for 96 yards in one of the biggest games of his career.
That is, until a Monday Night matchup with the San Diego Chargers on Halloween night in 2011.
A minute left in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 20, the Chargers were on the KC 15-yard line and trying to get into closer range to kick the game-winning field goal to avoid overtime.
All seemed lost until quarterback Phillip Rivers fumbled the snap exchange resulting in a scrappy dog pile for the football that ended with Studebaker rolling out of the pile with the ball in his hands. One of his finest moments as a Chief.
The game would go into overtime and the back-and-forth dramatic battle would extend for another quarter until the Chiefs finally got in field goal range for Ryan Succop to nail the game-winner down the middle and seal the 23-20 victory.
In 2013, Studebaker was not retained by the Chiefs and began a three-year stint with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring in 2016.
In five seasons with the Chiefs, Studebaker accounted for 84 tackles (62 solo), 22 assists, 2 tackles for loss, 5 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions for 96 yards.
You won’t find Studebaker on many highlight reels but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a beloved member of the Chiefs franchise that made it into the hearts of many Chief fans inside the Kingdom.
