By IRA KAUFMAN

ikaufman@tampatrib.com

TAMPA - Chris Hovan's career started in Minnesota. His life began in Tampa.

When the Vikings arrive at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, Hovan will reminisce with some old friends before putting on his game face.

That face used to be painted in a colorful homage to former Minnesota defensive lineman John Randle, who inspired Hovan when he was a first-round pick in the 2000 draft out of Boston College.

"I was a little intimidated at first by Chris because his face was all painted up and he was this warrior," said running back Michael Bennett, who played with Hovan at Minnesota and then at Tampa. "Things were going great for him, but then it all fell apart and it was tough on Chris. He loves the game, and the Vikings were taking it away from him ? you could see it in his eyes."

After four effective seasons, Hovan's final year with the Vikings proved humiliating.

He was shifted from under tackle to the nose, and when his production plunged, then-coach Mike Tice benched him down the stretch.

At the age of 26, when he should have been entering his NFL prime, a healthy Hovan found himself inactive for both of Minnesota's playoff games.

"That's not exactly the kind of r?sum? you want to give a new boss when you're going to be a free agent," Hovan said this week from the patio of the sprawling house he shares with his adoring wife, Jaimi, three precocious babies and two dogs. "It was a slow drift. My work habits slipped, and that's not who I am."

In his fourth season with the Bucs, Hovan still gets up at 4:45 a.m., even on supposed off days, to work out at the team facility.

He's back to 300 pounds, the weight he carried so effectively at Minnesota before the scale started soaring and the plaudits began dwindling.

"I am very happy to see Chris playing well and smiling and enjoying himself," said Tice, now an assistant coach with the Jaguars. "He created a lot of havoc for offenses when he played for me."

The smiles returned shortly after Hovan arrived at Tampa International in the spring of 2005 to visit as an unrestricted free agent.

He was blown away when the Bucs dispatched personnel executive Doug Williams to pick him up at the airport instead of a public relations intern.

"I got chills and I said, 'Mr. Williams, can I shake your hand?'" Hovan recalled.

The Giants also pursued Hovan, but he thought Tampa Bay's defensive scheme was a better fit. Shortly after signing with the Bucs, Hovan heard that the 2005 NFL schedule had been released.

Week 1: Tampa Bay at Minnesota.

"How ironic was that?" said Hovan, who had three tackles and a fumble recovery as the Bucs won 24-13 at the Metrodome to trigger an 11-5 season.

And when the 2005 Bucs opened the playoffs at home against Washington, Chris Hovan was not inactive.

"This dude's a hard worker," said fellow defensive lineman Jimmy Wilkerson. "Chris is here before any of us, and he's one of the last to leave. As a nose tackle, he has one of the best techniques out there."

After that nightmarish end to his stint in Minnesota, Hovan resurrected his career in Tampa and found the woman of his dreams.

"I was brash and I was arrogant back then," he admitted. "I'm a family man now, with a great wife. Back then, I didn't really have anything."

When Hovan packed for the Bay area, he gave his parents his two bulldogs. Then he made sure he steered clear of Coach Jon Gruden's doghouse.

By tying up multiple blockers inside, Hovan has shown an eagerness to excel at the dirty work in the trenches, freeing up others to make the stop.

"He's an intense player," said Bucs guard Sean Mahan, "and he always gives 100 percent. Chris Hovan doesn't know anything but full speed. He's very active with his hands, and it's great for me to go against him in practice because he makes you raise your game."

When they're not occupied with raising Christopher James and the twin girls, Jaimi and Chris are active in several charitable endeavors.

They met in a country bar in Tampa, and it didn't take long for Hovan to realize his life was never going to be the same.

"I was loud and out there in Minnesota, and the fans loved it," he said. "I kept building up my Football persona because that's all I had. When I met Jaimi, I knew I finally found a girl who understood me."

Jaimi looked behind the harsh face paint and found softer colors.

"Chris is who he is - I fell for him right from the start," she said.

Now entrenched as a valuable contributor in pewter, Hovan finds himself gearing up for the Vikings again.

Same opponent, different mind-set.

"Playing against the Vikings in that 2005 opener was something I needed to go through, and it was an adrenaline rush for sure," Hovan said. "But now I'm so proud to be a Buccaneer. If I could do it all again, I wish I had been drafted by Tampa, because it's been such a good fit. When I left Minnesota, I did a lot of soul-searching and then I found my soulmate. I guess life throws you curveballs once in a while."

Reporter Ira Kaufman can be reached at (813) 259-7833.

Photo credit: Carmen Wilson Photography

Photo: Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan, with wife Jaimi and their three children, has settled into a more family-oriented life since moving to Tampa in 2005.

Photo: Chris Hovan was known for his creative face paint during his days with the Vikings.

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