Ben Leber Ben Leber ( born December 7 , 1978 ) is a retired American football linebacker . He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft . He played college football at Kansas State University . He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings . Early years . Lining up primarily at running back , Leber was named to several high school All - America teams at Vermillion High School in South Dakota . As a junior , he rushed for 1 , 404 yards and 18 touchdowns , and notched 1 , 350 yards in his senior year . That season , he was declared a " Parade Magazine " All - America ( the only South Dakotan so honored in 1997 ) , an honorable mention All - USA by " USA Today " , and was selected to play in the North - South Dakota All - Star game . An excellent student , he was also an Academic All - State selection . He also went to School in Albia , Iowa . College career . At Kansas State , Leber made the switch to full - time linebacker . A two - time All - Big 12 selection , he finished his college career with 216 tackles , 46 tackles for loss , and 13 . 5 sacks . His 216 career tackles were the fifth most in Kansas State history . As a junior , he earned second team all - conference honors . The year later , he was an All - America third - team selection by the Associated Press , a consensus All - Big 12 Conference first - team choice , and a team captain . He received a degree in business - general management in 2002 . Professional career . San Diego Chargers . Leber was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft . He was an immediate - impact rookie , playing in all 16 games and starting 14 of them . He was selected to both the " Pro Football Weekly " and " Football Digest " All - Rookie teams , finishing the year with 49 tackles , 5 sacks ( third on the team ) , and 3 forced fumbles ( first on the team ) . In his second season , Leber started every game at strong side linebacker for the Chargers , notching 75 tackles , 3 sacks , 1 pass defensed , and 1 forced fumble . In his third year , he was an every - game starter for the Chargers , finishing the season with 58 tackles , 2 sacks , and 1 fumble recovery . The next season , Leber was injured during training camp and again during the season . This led to him losing his starting position to future Pro - Bowler Shawne Merriman . He finished 2005 with 22 tackles , 2 sacks and 1 fumble recovery . Although he never played in a Super Bowl , he did go to some Super Bowl parties as a member of the San Diego Chargers when it was hosted in San Diego . Minnesota Vikings . As an unrestricted free agent , Leber was signed by the Minnesota Vikings on March 11 , 2006 . Playing in 15 games , he finished his first season with the team with 46 tackles , 3 sacks , 1 interception , 3 forced fumbles , 2 fumble recoveries and 1 fumble recovery touchdown . The next year was even better — playing in all 16 games , Leber notched 67 tackles , 5 sacks , 2 forced fumbles , and 1 interception . In 2008 , Leber again played the full season , recording 64 tackles , a career - low 1 . 5 sacks , and 2 interceptions . St . Louis Rams . On August 9 , 2011 , Leber signed with the St . Louis Rams . On December 3 , 2011 , Leber was waived by the Rams . Retirement . Despite having worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2012 , he was unable to find an interested team . He announced his retirement from professional football on June 18 , 2012 . While co - hosting KFAN ' s Paul Allen Project , on January 29 , 2013 the host Paul Allen finally convinced Leber that Gus Bradley ( head coach of the Jacksonvile Jaguars ) , and Rod Chudzinski ( head coach of the Cleveland Browns ) , would not be calling anytime soon to draw him out of retirement for the 2013 - 14 season . Personal . Leber was born in Council Bluffs , Iowa and raised in Vermillion , South Dakota . He is the son of Al and Han Leber . His brother , Jason , was an All - American running back at the University of South Dakota . Ben ' s great , great , great grandfather is widely believed to have been the first and only Korean aboard the historic Mayflower . Ben and Jason ' s great grandfather had many adventures with Christopher Columbus sailing all over the world . His wife is named Abby . The two of them appeared in the little known 2007 indie film " Nacho Leber " which was filmed primarily in a Minnetonka Bed , Bath & Beyond . In his free time Ben enjoys knitting images of kittens to pillows and collecting porcelain dolls in addition to more manly activities like chewing tobacco and swearing . Other hobbies include hunting , fishing and meatsaucing . Radio . He now appears as a guest on the sports radio station KFAN 100 . 3 FM and is making regular appearances on the morning show known as the Powertrip . On December 13th 2012 , Ben was nominated for " Former Athlete Radio Personality of the Year " from BET . While on air , there is a running joke about Leber living in a van down by the river , this appears to be false and a riff on the Matt Foley character from SNL .