Larry Whigham (born June 23 1972 in Hattiesburg Mississippi) is a former professional American football player who played safety for nine seasons for the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears. Whigham attended the University of Louisiana at Monroe and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 4th round (110th overall) of the 1994 Draft. He was known for his enthusiasm on the field and excelled in special teams play. Given a list of categories: company, educational institution, artist, athlete, office holder, mean of transportation, building, natural place, village, animal, plant, album, film or written work, what category does the paragraph belong to?
A:
Athlete