Ben Utecht is a former NFL tight end and Super Bowl champion with the Indianapolis Colts. Utecht was forced to retire from football in 2009 after suffering a fifth diagnosed concussion during a pre-season practice with the Cincinatti Bengals. Since that time, in addition to pursuing a career as a recording artist and motivational speaker, Utecht has been a passionate and outspoken advocate for raising awareness about sports-related concussions and the need to support research about concussion and traumatic brain injury.  In June 2014, he testified about his experience as a brain trauma victim before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. 

 

In April 2014, Utecht received the Public Leadership in Neurology Award from the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation, joining past esteemed recipients such as Michael J. Fox, Julie Andrews, and other celebrities dedicated to helping the world understand the crucial need to support brain research.  He now serves as a national spokesperson for the AAN.

 

A native Minnesotan and four-year starter at the University of Minnesota, Utecht continues to live in Minnesota with his wife, Karyn, and their three daughters.