Shayne Graham facts for kids
Graham with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006
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| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | December 9, 1977 Radford, Virginia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Pulaski County (Dublin, Virginia) |
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| College: | Virginia Tech (1996–1999) | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2000 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| 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). Before turning pro, he played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Shayne Graham started his professional journey in May 2000. He first played for the Richmond Speed in a league called AF2. Later that year, he signed his first NFL contract with the New Orleans Saints.
Throughout his career, Shayne played for many different NFL teams. He spent seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. During his time with the Bengals, he was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 2005. After retiring from playing, he became a special teams coach.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Shayne Graham grew up in Dublin, Virginia. He went to Pulaski County High School and graduated in 1996.
He was an amazing kicker even in high school! He holds many school records, including:
- Most field goals in his career (28, from 1992 to 1995)
- Most field goals in one season (15, in 1995)
- His longest field goal, an impressive 54-yard kick, was against Anacostia in 1995.
College Career at Virginia Tech
After high school, Shayne played college football at Virginia Tech. He was so good that he was named to the first-team All-Big East Conference for all four years he played.
In 1999, during his senior year, Shayne was named the Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. He led the conference in scoring that year. He also broke Virginia Tech's record for most points in a single season with 107 points. He made 56 out of 57 extra points and 17 out of 22 field goals.
Over his college career, he made 68 out of 93 field goals (73.1%). He also set a Virginia Tech and Big East record by making 97 extra points in a row without missing! Shayne left Virginia Tech as the all-time leading scorer in both school history and Big East history, with a total of 371 points. Because of his great contributions, he was later added to the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional Football Journey
Shayne Graham had a long career in the NFL, playing for many teams.
Early Teams
After college, Shayne 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, but was later released.
He also had short times with the Seattle Seahawks (2001, 2002), Buffalo Bills (2001), and Carolina Panthers (2002). With the Panthers, he scored 60 points in 11 games.
Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2009)
Shayne found a home with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003. This was where he played for the longest time, seven seasons.
- In 2003, he set a Bengals record by making 88% of his field goals (22 out of 25).
- In 2005, he made 28 out of 32 field goals (87.5%). He scored a team record of 131 points.
- He was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 2005, becoming the first kicker in Bengals history to do so!
- In 2007, he set another Bengals record by kicking 21 field goals in a row without missing. He also kicked 7 field goals in one game against the Baltimore Ravens, which was a franchise record.
- By the end of 2007, he set new team records for most field goals in a season (31) and highest field goal percentage (91.2%).
Later NFL Teams
After his time with the Bengals, Shayne continued to play for several other teams:
- Baltimore Ravens (2010, 2011)
- New York Giants (2010)
- New England Patriots (2010): He was perfect on field goals, making all 12 attempts.
- Washington Redskins (2011)
- Dallas Cowboys (2011)
- Miami Dolphins (2011)
- Houston Texans (2012): He kicked his longest career field goal, a 55-yarder, in a playoff game.
- Cleveland Browns (2013)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (2013)
- New Orleans Saints (2013–2014): He kicked a 32-yard game-winning field goal in a playoff game in 2014. He was also named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in October 2014.
- Atlanta Falcons (2015)
On February 6, 2017, Shayne Graham announced he was retiring from the NFL at age 39. He signed a special contract to officially retire as a Bengal.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Shayne Graham started coaching:
- In March 2017, he became a special teams coach at Central Michigan University.
- In June 2018, he joined Michigan State University as a special teams intern.
- From 2020 to 2021, he worked at the University of Florida as a special teams quality control coach.
Bengals Franchise Records
Shayne Graham holds several important records for the Cincinnati Bengals:
- Most field goals in a season (31)
- Most field goals in a game (7)
- Highest field goal percentage in a season (91.2%)
- Highest field goal percentage in a career (86.8%)
