Vanden Bosch went to high school at West Lyon High School of rural Larchwood, Iowa. He earned All-America honors at West Lyon Community High School. Vanden Bosch was named the 1997 Des Moines Register High School Male Athlete of the Year and the USA Today/Gatorade Player of the Year for Iowa and Midwest Region. He started three years at fullback and four at linebacker at West Lyon. As senior, rushed 136 times for 812 yards and 18 touchdowns while recording 83 tackles, 14 sacks, and one interception. Vanden Bosch set school’s scoring record with 264 career points. In addition he earned 4.0 grade-point average and was two-time National Honor Society member.
College career
Vanden Bosch attended the University of Nebraska, where he played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. He started final 23 games at Nebraska, closing career with 142 total tackles, 13 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, and 46 quarterback pressures. As a senior, he was First-team All-Big 12 Conference. He also was Academic All-Big 12 for the third consecutive year. He set Nebraska single-season record with three blocked kicks—two field-goal attempts and one point-after-touchdown try—as a sophomore. He was also a three-time Nebraska lifter-of-the-year after adding 40 pounds to his frame upon arriving on the Lincoln campus as freshman. He graduated with 3.82 grade-point average and bachelor's degree in finance in December 2000. Vanden Bosch was also a member of the Society of Innocents and awarded the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award, for academic excellence.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Arizona Cardinals
Vanden Bosch was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. In his injury-abbreviated rookie season he finished with 12 tackles, one quarterback sack, one hurry, one pass defended and one fumble return for touchdown. In 2002, he returned from reconstructive knee surgery to lead Arizona with four quarterback sacks, nine hurries and eight tackles for loss in 16 starts. He also totaled 66 tackles and one fumble recovery. Kyle was on injured reserve for the entire 2003 season after suffering a torn ACL in left knee. In 2004, he saw action in every game for Cardinals, including one start and totaled 15 tackles.
Tennessee Titans
In his first season with the Tennessee Titans in 2005, Vanden Bosch started all 16 games and made his first Pro Bowl after finishing second in the AFC and fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks. He recorded 100 total tackles as well. Vanden Bosch replaced Miami Dolphins player Jason Taylor in the 2006 Pro Bowl. On February 17, 2006 it was announced that Vanden Bosch had agreed to terms with the Tennessee Titans. The contract tied him to the Titans for four years. The deal gave him $14.5 million in guaranteed money. In 2006, Vanden Bosch started all 16 games at left defensive end. His season totals included 6.5 sacks, 118 tackles, 30 quarterback pressures, four tackles for loss and one forced fumble. The next season, 2007, he started all 16 games at defensive end for the third consecutive season and was named as a starter for the Pro Bowl. He led the team and finished sixth in the AFC with 12 sacks. He finished second on the team with 115 tackles and 24 quarterback pressures. Tied for the team lead with four forced fumbles. He was Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after registering 12 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble against New York Jets. In 2008 Vanden Bosch was voted a team captain for the 2008 season by his teammates. He played and started in 10 games and made 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks and finished fourth on the team with 18 quarterback pressures.
Detroit Lions
On March 5, 2010, Vanden Bosch was signed to a four-year, $26 million deal with the Detroit Lions. The move reunited him with Jim Schwartz, his old defensive coordinator from Tennessee who at the time was head coach of the Detroit Lions. On February 5, 2013, Vanden Bosch was released from the Detroit Lions.
