Kevin Grady
Encyclopedia
College career
Although football players had been enrolling early at Bowl Championship SeriesBowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS) programs for several years, Grady was the first University of Michigan football player to do so. In subsequent years several other players followed his lead, including Justin Boren
Justin Boren
Justin Matthew Boren is an American football offensive guard for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He has played guard and center during his high school and college football career...
and Carlos Brown
Carlos Brown (American football)
-Freshman year:Brown played in 7 games as a freshman in 2006 and earned his first varsity letter. In limited action, Brown carried 16 times for 41 yards.-Sophomore year:...
the following year. By graduating high school early, he was able to attend the 2005 Rose Bowl
2005 Rose Bowl
The 2005 Rose Bowl Game was the 91st edition of the college football bowl game, held on January 1, 2005 at the self-named stadium in Pasadena, California. The Texas Longhorns, second place finishers of the Big 12 Conference's South Division, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, co-champions of the...
and participate in 2005 Spring football practice.
Freshman year (2005)
As a freshman in 2005, Grady rushed 121 times for 483 yards and five touchdowns as a backup and injury replacement for starter Mike Hart, who only played in eight games due to injuries. Grady also caught 14 passes for 113 yards receiving. One of his touchdowns gave Michigan an 18–12 lead in the third quarter of the Ohio State game. In the end Grady made two starts at tailback, and was one of only six freshman to have played for the 2005 Michigan Wolverines football team2005 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2005 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2005 college football season. The team's head coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium. That year Michigan Wolverines football competed in the Big Ten Conference in...
.
Sophomore year (2006)
Based on his performance during 2006 spring practice, Grady received the John F. MaulbetschJohn Maulbetsch
John F. "Johnny" Maulbetsch was an All-American football halfback at Adrian College in 1911 and for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1914 to 1916...
Award. In 2006, he entered the season as Hart's primary backup, ahead of senior Jerome Jackson
Jerome Jackson
Jerome Alexander Terrell Jackson is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. After Jackson graduated from the University of Michigan, he was not selected in the 2007 NFL draft...
, freshmen Brandon Minor
Brandon Minor
Brandon Ricardo Minor is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010, but after being released during the final cuts, he has been on the New Orleans Saints and...
, and Carlos Brown
Carlos Brown (American football)
-Freshman year:Brown played in 7 games as a freshman in 2006 and earned his first varsity letter. In limited action, Brown carried 16 times for 41 yards.-Sophomore year:...
on the depth chart
Depth chart
In sports, a depth chart is used to show the placements of the starting players and the secondary players. Generally a starting player will be listed first or on top while a back-up will be listed below...
. On opening day, Grady's five carries were second on the team, but some questioned why his total was so low. As the season progressed, he remained second on the depth chart, seeing limited playing time due to injuries as well as starter Mike Hart being healthy and starting all thirteen games. Grady rushed for 187 yards and three touchdowns on 55 carries and added one reception for eight yards. His net rushing yards from scrimmage
Yards from scrimmage
Yards from scrimmage is an American football and Canadian football statistical measure. In the game of football, progress is measured by advancing the football towards the opposing team's goal line. Progress can be made during play by the offensive team by advancing the ball from the its point of...
ranked fourth on the 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team
2006 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2006 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2006 college football season. The team's head football coach was Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines came into the season with lower expectations than many Michigan teams of the previous few seasons, ranked #14...
.
Junior year (2007)
Prior to spring football practice in 2007, Grady switched his jersey number from 3 to 24, his high school number and the day on which he was born. Later that year he was converted to fullback. During a scrimmage in early April, Grady tore his anterior cruciate ligamentAnterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
. On April 16, 2007, he had surgery. He would miss the entire 2007 season
2007 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2007 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2007 college football season. This was Lloyd Carr's final season as Michigan head coach. The 2007 season began with a stunning loss to Appalachian State, but the Wolverines won eight straight games after...
recovering from his injuries; by making use of a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
year, however, he was able to not use up a year of eligibility.
Junior (redshirt) year (2008)
In 2008, Rich RodriguezRich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
replaced Lloyd Carr
Lloyd Carr
Lloyd H. Carr is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Michigan from 1995 through the 2007 season. Under Carr, the Wolverines compiled a record of 122–40 and won or shared five Big Ten Conference titles...
as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
. During spring football, Grady was still recovering from injuries.
In July 2008, Grady was pulled over while driving in Wyoming, Michigan
Wyoming, Michigan
Wyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 72,125. That makes it the 2nd largest community or city in West Michigan, the 14th largest city in the state of Michigan, and the 18th largest community in the state as well...
with a blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
of .281, more than three times the state's legal limit. He originally pled not guilty. Grady began the 2008 season
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
on suspension from the 2008 Wolverines
2008 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2008 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2008 college football season. The team's head football coach was Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverines played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
, while Brown, Minor and freshmen Michael Shaw
Michael Shaw (American football)
Michael Shaw is an American football running back for the Michigan Wolverines football team.Shaw was raised and played high school football in Trotwood, Ohio. He played high school football with Roy Roundtree at Trotwood-Madison High School where his coach was longtime National Football League...
and Sam McGuffie
Sam McGuffie
Samuel Terrence McGuffie is a college football running back for the Rice Owls. He played his freshman season at Michigan.-High school career:...
fought for time. During the season, Grady pled guilty to misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
drunken driving.
In early August, it appeared that juniors Brown and Minor would vie for the starting job because of Grady's suspension. With both Brown and Minor nursing injuries, Sam McGuffie was tentatively penciled into the starting position on the depth chart. In the end, Grady only accumulated 33 yards rushing for the season.
Senior (redshirt) year (2009)
In the spring of 2009, Grady was accused by court officials of not adhering to his probation reporting requirements and not meeting the 24 hours of community service requirement of his probation, among other violations. As a result, he was jailed for seven days in May 2009.Kevin's brother, Kelvin Grady, was a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
on the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Wolverines play home basketball games at the...
team before transferring to the Michigan football team after the 2008–09 season
2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in competitive college basketball during the 2008–09 NCAA Division I season. The 2008–09 season marked the team's ninety-second consecutive season as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic...
. On October 17, 2009, the two became the first pair of brothers to score a touchdown in the same game for Michigan as far as could be told by the school's record books. Over the course of the season, Kevin started three games at fullback for the 2009 Wolverines
2009 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2009 college football season. They played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competed in the Big Ten Conference...
. He compiled 80 yards rushing on 10 carries bringing his career total to 783 yards on 200 carries and 10 touchdowns. He also made 5 receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
bringing his career total to 20 for 150 yards.
Grady was not selected in the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...
and was not an immediate undrafted free agent. However, only 17% of the top 100 high school football players from 2003–05 were selected in the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
.
Professional career
On November 26, 2010, Grady was arrested and charged again for driving under the influenceDriving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
after recording a .3 blood-alcohol level on a breathalyzer
Breathalyzer
A breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...
test. He is required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
meetings three times a week. On December 31, 2010, the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
announced that the Chicago Slaughter had signed Grady. On May 11, 2011, four days after scoring 6 touchdowns for the Slaughter, Grady was sentenced to twenty days in jail for his November drunk driving offense. The sentence included two years of probation, 80 hours of community service, random drug tests, confinement to the state of Michigan until given leave by the judge, and 180 days of car immobilization. In addition, the sentence resulted in him being dropped from the Slaughter.
External links
- Kevin Grady iCRUNCHTIME Blog
- Official bio at Michigan
- Profile at ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
- Grady at NCAA.org