J.J. Watt

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Lore & Background

Watt was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, to parents Connie, a building operations vice president, and John, a firefighter. Both of his younger brothers also went on to play in the NFL. Derek Watt was a fullback and T. J. Watt plays outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watt played ice hockey from age four to 13 and played for travel or competitive teams that traveled to Canada and Germany. He gave up hockey when weekly games started to conflict with his schedule and for financial reasons. Watt also played football throughout his childhood and became passionate about the sport while he was in the fifth grade. Watt attended Pewaukee High School, where he was a four-year letter-winner in football and also lettered in basketball, baseball, and track and field. Watt earned the Woodland Conference Player of the Year Award as a senior, and first-team All-State, All-County, All-Area, and All-Conference selections as tight end and defensive end. He was also named the team's MVP. During his senior year, Watt recorded 26 receptions for 399 yards and five touchdowns. Watt followed in his father's footsteps and competed in the shot put during his senior season, earning first-team All-state selection. Watt captured the state title in the shot put at the 2007 WIAA Division II Championship, setting a new school record with a throw of 59 ft, 11.5 in (18.28 meters). Regarded as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Watt was ranked among neither the top tight end nor the top defensive end prospects in his class. After official visits to Central Michigan, Colorado, and Minnesota, Watt chose to play at Central Michigan under coach Butch Jones. Watt received a scholarship offer from Central Michigan University. He has stated that he was led to believe by Butch Jones that, as a tight end, he would have the opportunity to score touchdowns. He played 14 games with the Chippewas, compiling 77 receiving yards and 8 receptions. Watt's coaches, led by Jones, suggested that he move to offensive tackle, but Watt decided to forgo his starting spot and scholarship to walk-on the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he played as a defensive end. At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Watt redshirted the 2008 season and was named Wisconsin's Scout Team Player of the Year. In 2009, he played in 13 games as a defensive end for the Badgers. In a game against the Hawaii W

In Their Own Story

The 2012 season saw Watt deliver what is considered one of the best seasons for a defensive player in NFL history. He finished with 69 solo tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 passes defended, and four forced fumbles. On November 22, 2012, against the Detroit Lions, Watt recorded three sacks, breaking the Texans' single-season sack record previously held by Mario Williams. He finished the season 2.5 sacks shy of Michael Strahan's single-season record. Watt received 49 out of 50 votes for the AP Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the first Texans player to receive an NFL Player of the Year award. He was the 17th defensive lineman and only the eighth defensive end to receive the award since 1971.

Reader's Guide

J.J. Watt is a former NFL defensive end who played for the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals. He is a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and holds Texans franchise records for sacks and forced fumbles. After retiring in 2022, he joined CBS Sports as a studio analyst and later as a game announcer.

Did You Know?

• Watt was a two-star recruit in high school and chose Central Michigan over Colorado and Minnesota.
• He walked on at Wisconsin after being asked to switch to offensive tackle at Central Michigan.
• Watt scored a touchdown on a one-yard catch as a tight end in 2014, the first defensive player in Texans history to score from scrimmage.
• He is the older brother of NFL players Derek Watt and T. J. Watt.