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Dig The Connections
by Doug Miller, NewOrleansSaints.com
Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 12:52 PM
Each week during the football season, the Saints produce notes for the media in the days leading up to the game. One of the more popular elements of the weekly notebook is a segment entitled “connections,” which focuses on players, coaches or officials with ties to either the upcoming opponent or to the city/region that the Saints are playing.
Few players fit the bill this week, (or any week, for that matter), more so than Saints first year reserve center Digger Bujnoch (pronounced BOOJ-knock).
Bujnoch mentioned after practice on Tuesday that he does feel a life-long connection to the Bengals, but admits that all those thoughts will be shutout from his mind come Friday night when the “Who Dats” host the “Who Deys” at 7:00 in the Superdome (CST/FOX 8/Saints Radio Network, 870 WWL is the flagship). “It’s a bit weird having an association with a team and then getting an opportunity to face that team in your first game with your new team,” the former collegiate right tackle admitted.
The 6-5, 300-pound interior offensive lineman has many ties to the Bengals and Cincinnati, in general, and the connections don’t just touch on the fact that he spent time on the Bengals practice squad late last season, nor do they stop at the fact that he played his collegiate football for the Big East conference’s University of Cincinnati.
Bujnoch’s connections go much further back than that, as he’s the son of former Bengals offensive lineman Glenn Bujnoch. The elder Bujnoch was a guard for the Kenny Anderson Era Bengals and played alongside such notable former Bengals such as Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, WR Cris Collinsworth, WR Isaac Curtis and RB Pete Johnson, during his career that spanned from 1976-1982 with the Bengals and then another three seasons with Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1983-1985). Compounding the connections even more so, Bujnoch’s mother, Sue, is a former cheerleader with the Bengals’ cheerleading squad, the Ben-Gals.
“I grew up learning about all of those people and hearing about it from people because I grew up and attended high school (Elder High School) in Cincinnati,” he said. “My parents didn’t really harp or talk too much about it growing up, but other people would so obviously I was interested to learn more about my dad’s career, which I have a lot of admiration for.”
Digger, who was born the same year his father retired from professional football, actually shares the same name as his father, but was nicknamed “Digger” at an early age in large part due to the fact that he’s always had huge feet (currently a size 18). Besides owning a nickname that is perfectly suited for the yeoman-line work associated with interior offensive linemen, (as well as for an undertaker or gravedigger), Bujnoch is working tirelessly at forging his own legacy as a professional football player.
“Each day I’m working on going out and trying to hold my own and make a name for myself,” Bujnoch said. “It’s about getting the mental and physical parts down and executing and not letting there be a drop-off in productivity from the first team to the third team.”
After going undrafted in 2008, Bujnoch signed as a rookie free agent with the New York Giants but was injured and then waived late in training camp. He spent early portions of the regular season rehabbing an injury and then latched on with the Bengals’ practice squad midway through November, where he spent the final six weeks of the season.
The Saints came calling in mid-June with an offer and he gladly accepted and has been working with the team’s third-string offensive unit during camp. “It’s been a great experience so far and I have learned a lot,” he conceded. “I am looking forward to trying to get on the field on Friday night and hopefully helping the team perform well.”
Bujnoch admits that the game will be special for one other major reason than the aforementioned connections. “My mom and dad are coming in for the game, so it’ll be nice to see them and play in front of them,” he said. “I’m sure my parents are looking forward to it and will get a kick out of it as well.”
THIS WEEK’S CONNECTIONS: Head coach Sean Payton, strength and conditioning coach Dan Dalrymple, running backs coach Bret Ingalls and offensive line coach/running game Aaron Kromer have all served on the coaching staff at Miami (Ohio) University. Dalrymple played on the Redhawks offensive line from 1983-86, oversaw their strength program for 17 years and is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, while Kromer played tackle from 1987-89. Dalrymple, Kromer and Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese served on the Miami coaching staff from 1996-97...Quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi served as defensive line coach at the University of Dayton from 1996-98...Defensive assistant/linebackers Adam Zimmer is the son of Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Payton served on the same staff with Mike Zimmer in Dallas from 2003-05. Mike Zimmer tutored LBs Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle with the Cowboys. Fujita, WR Lynell Hamilton/Skyler Green.aspx">Skyler Green and Shanle played with Cincinnati S Roy Williams in Dallas. Green played for the Bengals from 2006-07, splitting time between their active roster and practice squad...Bengals QB J.T. O’Sullivan was a sixth round pick of New Orleans in 2002 and played for the Saints from 2002-04. TE Dan Campbell played with O’Sullivan and Cincinnati CB Jamar Fletcher in Detroit. QB Drew Brees and Fletcher were teammates in San Diego from 2004-05...LB Troy Evans prepped Lakota (Cincinnati) HS and played at the University of Cincinnati...Evans and Bengals WR Antonio Chatman were teammates for the Bearcats….S Darren Sharper and Chatman were teammates in Green Bay from 2003-04...DE Charles Grant and T Jon Stinchcomb played with Cincinnati DE Robert Geathers at the University of Georgia. Geathers is the nephew of former Saints DE James “Jumpy” Geathers...T Zach Strief prepped at Milford (Ohio) High School...CB Malcolm Jenkins and DE Will Smith played for Ohio State...... RB Reggie Bush, DT Sedrick Ellis, Cincinnati LBs Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers and DE Frostee Rucker were teammates at USC....Bengals RB James Johnson is a Baton Rouge native...S Roman Harper played with Cincinnati G Evan Mathis and DE Antwan Odom at Alabama...DT Lynell Hamilton/Rod Coleman.aspx">Rod Coleman, QB Anthony Hargrove/Joey Harrington.aspx">Joey Harrington and Cincinnati S Chris Crocker were teammates in Atlanta...WR Adrian Arrington and Bengals CB Leon Hall were college teammates at Michigan...CB Danny Gorrer and Cincinnati DE Chris Harrington were college teammates at Texas A&M...Bengals S Kyries Hebert prepped at Eunice HS and played at Louisiana-Lafayette...Cincinnati WR Chris Henry prepped at Belle Chasse HS...G Carl Nicks, Bengals RB Marlon Lucky and WR Maurice Purify were teammates at Nebraska...S Usama Young and Cincinnati CB Rico Murray were teammates at Kent State...DT Remi Ayodele, T Jammal Brown, K Garrett Hartley and FB J.D. Runnels Jr. were teammates at Oklahoma...LB Jonathan Casillas, RB Garrett Hartley/P,-d-,J,-d-, Hill.aspx">P.J. Hill and Cincinnati FB Chris Pressley were teammates at Wisconsin...G Tim Duckworth and Bengals DT Pat Sims were teammates at Auburn...C Digger Bujnoch is a Cincinnati native who prepped at Elder HS, played at the University of Cincinnati from 2003-06 and spent the final six weeks of the season on the Bengals practice squad in 2008. His father Glenn was an a lineman for the Bengals from 1976-1982...C Heath Evans/Nick Leckey.aspx">Nick Leckey and Cincinnati RB Brian Leonard were teammates in St. Louis from 2007-08...Tight ends coach Terry Malone and Bengals defensive backs coach Kevin Coyle served on the same staff at Holy Cross in 1985...LS Jason Kyle was tutored by Cincinnati special teams coach Darrin Simmons in Carolina from 2001-02...WR Jeremy Shockey/Paris Warren.aspx">Paris Warren and Bengals DE Jonathan Fanene were teammates at the University of Utah...Cincinnati T Augustus Parrish spent part of the 2009 off-season with the Saints.
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