Sam Aiken facts for kids
Aiken with the New England Patriots in 2009
|
|||||||||
| No. 89, 88, 85 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 14, 1980 Clinton, North Carolina, U.S. |
||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | James Kenan (NC) | ||||||||
| College: | North Carolina | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2003 / Round: 4 / Pick: 127 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Samuel Aiken (born December 14, 1980) is a former American professional football player. He played the wide receiver position, which means his main job was to catch passes from the quarterback.
Aiken was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the 2003 NFL draft. During his career, he also played for the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns. Before turning pro, he played college football for the University of North Carolina.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Sam Aiken grew up in Warsaw, North Carolina, where he went to James Kenan High School. He was a talented athlete who was excellent in three sports: football, basketball, and track and field.
In track and field, he was so good at the high jump that he finished second in the entire state of North Carolina.
College Football Career
After high school, Aiken went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He started playing for their football team, the Tar Heels, right away as a freshman in 1999. He was named the team's co-Most Outstanding Freshman along with Julius Peppers, who also became a famous NFL player.
Over his four years in college, Aiken became a star player.
- Freshman (1999): Played in all 11 games, catching passes and returning kickoffs and punts.
- Sophomore (2000): He caught 29 passes for 410 yards and scored three touchdowns.
- Junior (2001): He led the team with 46 catches for 789 yards and scored an impressive eight touchdowns.
- Senior (2002): He had his best year, setting school records with 68 catches and 990 receiving yards.
Professional NFL Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
209 lb (95 kg) |
31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.65 s | 1.62 s | 2.71 s | 7.22 s | 39+1⁄2 in (1.00 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
|||
| All values from NFL Combine. | ||||||||||||
Buffalo Bills (2003–2007)
In the 2003 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills selected Sam Aiken in the fourth round. For most of his five years with the Bills, he was a key player on special teams. Special teams are the players on the field during kicking plays, like kickoffs and punts. Aiken was known for being great at tackling players on the other team during these plays.
His first season in 2003 was cut short by an injury. Over the next few years, he played in almost every game. In 2005, he had his best season on special teams, making 24 tackles, which was the second-highest on the team.
New England Patriots (2008–2009)
In 2008, Aiken signed with the New England Patriots. He continued to be a valuable special teams player, but he also got more chances to play as a wide receiver.
In 2009, he was even named a special teams captain, showing how much his team respected his leadership. That year, he had his best season as a receiver, catching 20 passes for 326 yards. He also scored his first two NFL touchdowns. One of them was an exciting 81-yard catch from quarterback Tom Brady.
Even though he signed a contract to stay with the Patriots until 2011, he was released by the team in September 2010.
Cleveland Browns (2010)
Aiken's time in the NFL ended with a short stay on the Cleveland Browns. He signed with the team in September 2010 but was released just a few weeks later in October.
Life After Playing
In 2012, Aiken returned to the place where his football journey took off: the University of North Carolina. He became a graduate assistant coach for the Tar Heels, helping to teach and guide the team's new players.
Today, Aiken lives in North Carolina. He has a daughter named Ava.
