University of North Carolina Athletics
Page Drafted By San Diego
April 30, 2006 | Football
April 30, 2006
Chapel Hill, N.C. ----- University of North Carolina defensive tackle Chase Page was selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by San Diego on Sunday. Carolina has had at least one player selected in the NFL Draft every year since 1971. Several other Tar Heels are expected to sign free agent deals in the next few days.
Page, a 6-5, 280-pound native of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., came to Carolina as a tight end, switched to offensive guard as a true freshman, then moved to the defensive line as a sophomore where he started 35 consecutive games.
"I'm excited to be selected and I'm fired up about going to San Diego," Page said. "I had a workout with the Chargers and immediately bonded with Coach (Wayne) Nunnely, the defensive line coach. San Diego called me just before I was picked and I had a chance to talk to A.J. Smith (GM) and Coach (Marty) Schottenheimer. I'm going to mini-camp on the 13th and I can't wait to get started."
Page, who also played defensive end for three games as a junior and one as a senior, singled out former North Carolina offensive line coach Hal Hunter for assiting in the selection process. Hunter is now the Chargers' assistant offensive line coach.
"Coach Hunter had a lot to do with this," said Page. "He's been around me the last three years and knows what I cand do. He had a lot of positive things to say to the other coaches and the general manager.
In three seasons on the defensive line, Page had 123 tackles, 16 tackles for losses of 71 yards and 6.5 sacks for 42 yards. As a senior, he was second on the team in tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (4).
"I want to thank everyone at Carolina, especially the coaching staff, for helping me reach this goal," said Page. "I'm looking forward to representing North Carolina in the NFL."
