Shayne Graham
Encyclopedia
Michael Shayne Graham is an American football
placekicker
. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints
as an undrafted free agent in 2000, and most recently played with the New England Patriots
. He played college football
at Virginia Tech
.
Graham has also played for the Seattle Seahawks
, Buffalo Bills
, Carolina Panthers
, Cincinnati Bengals
, Baltimore Ravens
, New York Giants
, Washington Redskins
, and Dallas Cowboys
.
in Dublin, Virginia
, graduating in 1996. He holds many of the school's kicking records including most field goals in career (28, from 1992-1995), most field goals in a game (15, 1995), and longest field goal, a 54-yarder against Anacostia
in 1995.
at Virginia Tech
and was named to the first-team All-Big East Conference
in all four seasons. In 1999, as a senior, Graham earned Big East Special Teams Player of the Year honors after leading the conference and breaking the school's single-season scoring record with 107 points on 56-of-57 extra points and 17-of-22 field goals. He was 68-of-93 (73.1%) in field goals for his Virginia Tech career and set a Virginia Tech and Big East record with 97 consecutive successful extra points. He left Virginia Tech as the all-time scoring leader in school history and Big East history with 371 points.
, Graham signed with the New Orleans Saints
on June 30, 2000. After going 1-for-1 on extra points and not attempting a field goal in the preseason, he was waived on August 22, 2000.
on April 27, 2001. He was 6-for-6 on extra points in the preseason but had his only field goal attempt blocked. He was waived on September 2, 2001.
signed Graham on November 27, 2001 to replace rookie kicker Jake Arians after Arians missed an extra point. Graham played in the Bills' final six games, going 6-for-8 on field goals.
on September 28, 2002, after an injury to veteran John Kasay
. He played in 11 of the Panthers' final 13 games, leading the team in scoring with 60 points. He was 13-of-18 on field goals and averaged 66 yards on his five kickoffs. After spending the 2003 preseason with Carolina, Graham was waived on August 31.
claimed Graham off waivers on September 1, 2003. With the Bengals in 2003
, Graham played in all 16 games and set a franchise record by making 88% (22-of-25) of his field goals.
In the following offseason, Graham was tendered a restricted free agent
offer sheet by the Jacksonville Jaguars
, but the offer was matched by the Bengals. In 2004
, Graham narrowly missed matching his previous season's accuracy mark, finishing the year 27-of-31 (87.1%) on field goals. In 2005
, Graham made 28-of-32 field goals (87.5%), scored a franchise record 131 points, was selected to be the kicker for the AFC
Pro Bowl
squad, and helped the Bengals record their first winning season since 1990. Graham was the first kicker in franchise history ever to be selected to play in a Pro Bowl.
In 2006
, Graham finished fourth in the AFC with 115 points and was 25-of-30 (83.3%) on field goals on the season. In 2007
, Graham missed his first field goal attempt of the season (a 53-yard attempt). But after that, he set set a Bengals record by kicking 21 consecutive field goals without a miss over the season's first 10 games. This included a game against the Baltimore Ravens
where he set a franchise record by kicking 7 field goals (the second highest total in NFL history). His streak came to an end when he missed a 26-yard attempt in Week 12. By the end of the season, Graham set new franchise records for field goals in a season (31) and field goal percentage (91.2).
Graham finished the 2008
season with an 87.5 field goal percentage, going 21-of-24. In 2009
, Graham went 23-of-28 in the regular season, his lowest percentage — 82.1 — in his Bengals career. In the Wild Card playoffs
on January 9, 2010, Graham missed two field goals in the Bengals' 24–14 loss to the New York Jets
, including a 28-yard attempt that would have cut the score to 24–17 late in the fourth quarter. After the game, Marvin Lewis
commented on Graham's missed field goals stating "It is a shame, and it killed us. Unfortunately kicking is mostly a one-man operation. I know Shayne feels worse about it than anyone. Those points obviously make a big difference."
He was not re-signed as an unrestricted free agent following the 2009 season.
signed Graham to a one-year deal on June 3, 2010, but he was released by the team at the end of the preseason on September 4, 2010.
following an injury to kicker Lawrence Tynes
. He was released on October 18, after going 4-for-4 on extra points and not attempting a field goal in the Giants' Week 6 win over the Detroit Lions
.
signed Graham after an injury to kicker Stephen Gostkowski
. In his first game, in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers
, Graham was 2-for-2 on field goals but missed one of four extra point attempts on the night. In eight games, Graham finished the 2010 season 12-for-12 on field goals, and 35-for-37 on extra points.
In the playoffs, Graham was 2-for-2 in the Patriots loss to the Jets.
and was expected to compete with incumbent Graham Gano
for the starting job. He was released on August 14 after missing two field goals in the first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
on August 23, 2011. He was released on September 3.
signed Graham on November 19, 2011, after an injury to Dan Carpenter
. Graham was waived November 30.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
as an undrafted free agent in 2000, and most recently played with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
.
Graham has also played for the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, and Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.
Early years
Graham attended Pulaski County High SchoolPulaski County High School (Virginia)
Pulaski County High School is located at 5414 Cougar Trail Road in Dublin, Virginia about 45 miles southwest of Roanoke, Virginia. It is the sole public high school in Pulaski County, Virginia.-History:...
in Dublin, Virginia
Dublin, Virginia
Dublin is a town in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,534 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Blacksburg–Christiansburg–Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, graduating in 1996. He holds many of the school's kicking records including most field goals in career (28, from 1992-1995), most field goals in a game (15, 1995), and longest field goal, a 54-yarder against Anacostia
Anacostia High School
Anacostia High School is a public high school located in the Southeast quadrant of the District of Columbia.-Formation:In August 2009, Friendship Public Charter School became a partner with DC Public Schools to manage the high school. As a result, the school became known as the Academies at...
in 1995.
College career
Graham played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Virginia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
and was named to the first-team All-Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
in all four seasons. In 1999, as a senior, Graham earned Big East Special Teams Player of the Year honors after leading the conference and breaking the school's single-season scoring record with 107 points on 56-of-57 extra points and 17-of-22 field goals. He was 68-of-93 (73.1%) in field goals for his Virginia Tech career and set a Virginia Tech and Big East record with 97 consecutive successful extra points. He left Virginia Tech as the all-time scoring leader in school history and Big East history with 371 points.
New Orleans Saints
After going undrafted in the 2000 NFL Draft2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
, Graham signed with the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
on June 30, 2000. After going 1-for-1 on extra points and not attempting a field goal in the preseason, he was waived on August 22, 2000.
Seattle Seahawks
Graham was signed by the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
on April 27, 2001. He was 6-for-6 on extra points in the preseason but had his only field goal attempt blocked. He was waived on September 2, 2001.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
signed Graham on November 27, 2001 to replace rookie kicker Jake Arians after Arians missed an extra point. Graham played in the Bills' final six games, going 6-for-8 on field goals.
Return to Seattle
Graham was re-signed by the Seahawks on May 13, 2002. He began training camp with Seattle before being waived on August 13, 2002.Carolina Panthers
Graham signed with the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
on September 28, 2002, after an injury to veteran John Kasay
John Kasay
John David Kasay is an American football kicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
. He played in 11 of the Panthers' final 13 games, leading the team in scoring with 60 points. He was 13-of-18 on field goals and averaged 66 yards on his five kickoffs. After spending the 2003 preseason with Carolina, Graham was waived on August 31.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
claimed Graham off waivers on September 1, 2003. With the Bengals in 2003
2003 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2003 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 36th year in professional football and its 34th with the National Football League. The Bengals are now under first year Head Coach Marvin Lewis, who replaced Dick LeBeau who was fired following the 2002 season for the worst season in Bengals history...
, Graham played in all 16 games and set a franchise record by making 88% (22-of-25) of his field goals.
In the following offseason, Graham was tendered a restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
offer sheet by the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but the offer was matched by the Bengals. In 2004
2004 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2004 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 37th year in professional football and its 35th with the National Football League.-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-References:* * *...
, Graham narrowly missed matching his previous season's accuracy mark, finishing the year 27-of-31 (87.1%) on field goals. In 2005
2005 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2005 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 38th year in professional football and its 36th with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Postseason:...
, Graham made 28-of-32 field goals (87.5%), scored a franchise record 131 points, was selected to be the kicker for the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
Pro Bowl
2006 Pro Bowl
The 2006 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was played on February 12, 2006 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It marked the 27th consecutive time that the National Football League's all-star game was held in Honolulu...
squad, and helped the Bengals record their first winning season since 1990. Graham was the first kicker in franchise history ever to be selected to play in a Pro Bowl.
In 2006
2006 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2006 Cincinnati Bengals season began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 2005, defending their AFC North Division Championship title, and progress further through the playoffs than they made in the 2005 season having lost to Pittsburgh in the 1st round after losing star...
, Graham finished fourth in the AFC with 115 points and was 25-of-30 (83.3%) on field goals on the season. In 2007
2007 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2007 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and their 40th overall season. The team attempted to improve upon their 8–8 record in 2006 and were looking to return to the playoffs after narrowly missing them...
, Graham missed his first field goal attempt of the season (a 53-yard attempt). But after that, he set set a Bengals record by kicking 21 consecutive field goals without a miss over the season's first 10 games. This included a game against the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
where he set a franchise record by kicking 7 field goals (the second highest total in NFL history). His streak came to an end when he missed a 26-yard attempt in Week 12. By the end of the season, Graham set new franchise records for field goals in a season (31) and field goal percentage (91.2).
Graham finished the 2008
2008 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2008 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and their 41st overall season. The team finished the season with 4 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie, and did not qualify for the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year.-Coaching changes:This season marked...
season with an 87.5 field goal percentage, going 21-of-24. In 2009
2009 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2009 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and their 42nd overall. They finished the season at 10–6–0, and sweeping the entire AFC North division, they improved on their 2008 record of 4–11–1, winning the AFC North Division and making the...
, Graham went 23-of-28 in the regular season, his lowest percentage — 82.1 — in his Bengals career. In the Wild Card playoffs
2009–10 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 2009 season began on January 9, 2010 and led up to Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
on January 9, 2010, Graham missed two field goals in the Bengals' 24–14 loss to the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, including a 28-yard attempt that would have cut the score to 24–17 late in the fourth quarter. After the game, Marvin Lewis
Marvin Lewis
Marvin Ronald Lewis is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, a position he has held since January 14, 2003...
commented on Graham's missed field goals stating "It is a shame, and it killed us. Unfortunately kicking is mostly a one-man operation. I know Shayne feels worse about it than anyone. Those points obviously make a big difference."
He was not re-signed as an unrestricted free agent following the 2009 season.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore RavensBaltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
signed Graham to a one-year deal on June 3, 2010, but he was released by the team at the end of the preseason on September 4, 2010.
New York Giants
On October 16, 2010, Graham signed with the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
following an injury to kicker Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence Tynes
Lawrence James Henry Tynes is an American football placekicker for the New York Giants. He was originally signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2001.-Early years:...
. He was released on October 18, after going 4-for-4 on extra points and not attempting a field goal in the Giants' Week 6 win over the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
.
New England Patriots
On November 10, 2010, the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
signed Graham after an injury to kicker Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Carroll Gostkowski is a placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
. In his first game, in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, Graham was 2-for-2 on field goals but missed one of four extra point attempts on the night. In eight games, Graham finished the 2010 season 12-for-12 on field goals, and 35-for-37 on extra points.
In the playoffs, Graham was 2-for-2 in the Patriots loss to the Jets.
Washington Redskins
On August 1, 2011, Graham signed a deal with the Washington RedskinsWashington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
and was expected to compete with incumbent Graham Gano
Graham Gano
Graham Gano is an American football placekicker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Florida State...
for the starting job. He was released on August 14 after missing two field goals in the first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dallas Cowboys
Graham signed with the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
on August 23, 2011. He was released on September 3.
Miami Dolphins
The Miami DolphinsMiami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
signed Graham on November 19, 2011, after an injury to Dan Carpenter
Dan Carpenter
Daniel Roy Carpenter is an American football placekicker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League...
. Graham was waived November 30.