Hingle McCringleberry (1991- ) is an American football tight end who currently plays for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pennsylvania State University, where he earned All-American honors in 2012.
Collegiate Career
McCringleberry starred as a tight end for three years at Penn State, where his performance in his 2012 junior season earned him an appearance in the annual East/West Bowl.
Professional Career
In January 2012, McCringleberry announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2012 NFL Draft. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Rhinos. The third tight end on the depth chart coming out of camp, he played sparingly until injuries allowed him to crack the starting lineup. McCringleberry had a breakout performance on November 7, 2013 when he caught three touchdown passes in a victory against the Cougars.
McCringleberry quickly gained notoriety for his "three pumps" touchdown celebration, which was criticized by some commentators as sexually suggestive and earned McCringleberry numerous fines and penalty flags. However, the celebration caught on and was later imitated by NFL stars such as Lance Moore, Von Miller, Michael Bennett, and Antonio Brown.
Thereafter, McCringleberry cemented himself in the starting lineup for the Rhinos, with outstanding seasons in 2014 and 2015, marred only by a growing number of penalties for his increasingly bizarre touchdown celebrations. However, salary cap concerns and McCringleberry's pending free agency forced the Rhinos to trade him to the Tigers prior to the 2016 season.
McCringleberry had a career year in 2016, setting a career high with 13 touchdown catches and forming a devastating 1-2 punch with star running back Kimble Mathias. In the final game of the season, McCringleberry produced one of the greatest individual performances in NFL history, setting an NFL record by catching 6 touchdown passes and rushing for one more touchdown in a 70-6 victory over the Spartans. McCringleberry's achievements that year were recognized when he was awarded the Chad Ochocinco Memorial Award for Excessive Celebration at the NFL Honors, beating out Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown, and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
McCringleberry briefly retired following the 2016 season, over frustration at the constant penalization of his touchdown celebrations, before unretiring ahead of the 2017 NFL season following rule changes that allowed players more leeway for celebration. However, an obscure rule forced him to reenter the NFL draft where he was expected to be picked by the Los Angeles Rams. However, on the eve of draft day, the Rams consummated a deal with the Cleveland Browns, who traded up in the draft to select McCringleberry with the No. 1 overall pick.