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Shayne Graham
refer to caption
Graham with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006
No. 17, 11, 5, 16, 12, 7, 3, 6
Position: Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1977-12-09) December 9, 1977 (age 47)
Radford, Virginia, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school: Pulaski County
(Dublin, Virginia)
College: Virginia Tech (1996–1999)
Undrafted: 2000
Career history
As player:
As coach:
  • Central Michigan (2017)
    Special teams coordinator
  • Michigan State (2018–2019)
    Special teams analyst
  • Florida (2020–2021)
    Special teams quality control coach
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Field goals: 277
Field goal attempts: 324
Field goal %: 85.5%
Longest field goal: 54
Touchbacks: 77
Player stats at PFR

Michael Shayne Graham (born December 9, 1977) is a former American football player. He was a placekicker for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). A placekicker is a player who kicks the ball for field goals and extra points.

Shayne Graham played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. He started his professional career in May 2000 with the Richmond Speed. This team was part of a smaller league called AF2.

He first joined the NFL with the New Orleans Saints in 2000. Shayne Graham was known as a "journeyman" player. This means he played for many different teams during his career. He played for 14 different NFL teams over nine seasons. He also spent seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. While with the Bengals, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 2005. Later in his career, teams often signed him when their main kicker was injured.

After retiring from playing, Graham became a special teams coach. In 2018, he started working as a special teams intern at Michigan State University.

Early Life and High School Football

Shayne Graham grew up in Dublin, Virginia. He went to Pulaski County High School. He graduated from high school in 1996.

He set many kicking records for his high school team. He made 28 field goals during his high school career. In 1995, he made 15 field goals in one season. He also kicked his longest field goal, which was 54 yards, in 1995.

College Football Career

Graham played college football at Virginia Tech. He was named to the first-team All-Big East Conference in all four of his college seasons. The Big East Conference was a group of college sports teams.

In 1999, his senior year, Graham was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. He scored 107 points that season, which was a school record. He made 56 out of 57 extra points and 17 out of 22 field goals. During his time at Virginia Tech, he made 68 out of 93 field goals. He also set a record by making 97 extra points in a row.

Shayne Graham left Virginia Tech as the school's all-time leading scorer. He had 371 points. He was later added to the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional Football Journey

Early Career and First NFL Chances

After college, Shayne Graham tried out for the Cleveland Browns. In May 2000, he played one game for the Richmond Speed in the AF2 league. He then signed with the New Orleans Saints in June 2000. He was waived by the Saints before the regular season began.

In 2001, the Seattle Seahawks signed Graham. He played in their preseason games but was released before the season started. Later that year, the Buffalo Bills signed him. He played in the Bills' last six games, making 6 out of 8 field goals.

Graham returned to the Seahawks briefly in 2002 but was released again. He then signed with the Carolina Panthers in September 2002. He played in 11 games for the Panthers. He led the team in scoring with 60 points. He made 13 out of 18 field goals.

Years with the Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals picked up Graham in September 2003. He played in all 16 games for the Bengals that year. He set a team record by making 88% of his field goals.

In 2004, he continued to play well, making 27 out of 31 field goals. The 2005 season was a big year for Graham. He made 28 out of 32 field goals. He also scored a team record 131 points. He was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl for the AFC team. He was the first kicker in Bengals history to be selected for the Pro Bowl.

In 2005, Graham also set an NFL record for kickers with 11 tackles. He continued to be a strong kicker for the Bengals in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2007, he set new Bengals records for most field goals in a season (31) and highest field goal percentage (91.2%). He also made 7 field goals in one game against the Baltimore Ravens, which was a team record.

After the 2009 season, the Bengals did not re-sign him.

Playing for Many Teams

After leaving the Bengals, Graham became a true journeyman. He signed with the Baltimore Ravens in June 2010 but was released before the season. He then played one game for the New York Giants in October 2010.

In November 2010, the New England Patriots signed him. He played eight games for them, making all 12 of his field goal attempts. He also made 35 out of 37 extra points.

In 2011, he had short stints with the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and again with the Baltimore Ravens.

In 2012, the Houston Texans signed Graham. He became their main kicker. On January 13, 2013, he kicked his career-longest field goal, a 55-yarder, against the New England Patriots in a playoff game.

He signed with the Cleveland Browns in April 2013 but was released before the season began. He then briefly joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in September 2013.

Graham returned to the New Orleans Saints in December 2013. He helped the Saints win a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles by kicking a 32-yard field goal as time ran out. He continued with the Saints in 2014. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October 2014.

In 2015, Graham signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a replacement kicker. He was released by the Falcons in September 2016.

On February 6, 2017, Shayne Graham announced his retirement from the NFL. He was 39 years old. He signed a special contract to officially retire as a Bengal.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Shayne Graham moved into coaching.

NFL Career Statistics

Year Team GP Field Goals Extra Points Total Points
FGM FGA FG% <20 20−29 30−39 40−49 50+ Lng XPM XPA XP%
2001 BUF 6 6 8 75.0 0−0 4−4 0−0 2−4 0−0 41 7 7 100.0 25
2002 CAR 11 13 18 72.2 1−1 2−4 2−3 6−8 2−2 50 21 21 100.0 60
2003 CIN 16 22 25 88.0 0−0 5−5 10−10 7−8 0−2 48 40 40 100.0 106
2004 CIN 16 27 31 87.1 0−0 7−7 10−12 7−8 3−4 53 41 41 100.0 122
2005 CIN 16 28 32 87.5 0−0 11−11 10−11 7−9 0−1 49 47 47 100.0 131
2006 CIN 16 25 30 83.3 0−0 9−9 8−9 6−8 2−4 51 40 42 95.2 115
2007 CIN 16 31 34 91.2 1−1 11−12 13−13 6−7 0−1 48 37 37 100.0 130
2008 CIN 14 21 24 87.5 1−1 5−5 6−7 9−11 0−0 45 15 15 100.0 78
2009 CIN 16 23 28 82.1 0−0 11−12 8−10 3−3 2−4 53 28 29 96.6 97
2010 NYG 1 0 0 0.0 0−0 0−0 0−0 0−0 0−0 0 4 4 100.0 4
NE 8 12 12 100.0 1−1 5−5 5−5 1−1 0−0 41 35 37 94.6 71
2011 MIA 2 4 5 80.0 0−0 4−4 0−0 0−1 0−0 28 6 6 100.0 18
BAL 1 2 2 100.0 0−0 0−0 0−0 2−2 0−0 48 2 2 100.0 8
2012 HOU 16 31 38 81.6 1−1 8−8 11−11 7−9 4−9 51 45 45 100.0 138
2013 NO 2 2 2 100.0 0−0 1−1 0−0 1−1 0−0 40 7 7 100.0 13
2014 NO 16 19 22 86.4 0−0 6−9 9−9 3−5 1−2 50 46 47 97.9 103
2015 ATL 5 11 13 84.6 0−0 2−2 4−4 2−4 3−3 54 8 8 100.0 41
Career 178 277 324 85.5 5−5 90−94 96−104 69−89 17−32 54 429 435 99.1 1260

Bengals Team Records

Shayne Graham holds several records for the Cincinnati Bengals:

  • Most field goals in a single season (31)
  • Most field goals in one game (7)
  • Highest field goal percentage in a season (91.2%)
  • Highest field goal percentage during his career with the team (86.8%)
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