Shayne Graham

Michael Shayne Graham (born December 9, 1977) is an American football coach and former placekicker. Graham played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. He made his professional debut in May 2000 with the Richmond Speed of the Arena Football League's now-defunct developmental league, AF2.^[1]

Shayne Graham

Graham with the Bengals in 2006
No. 17, 11, 5, 16, 12, 7, 3, 6
Position:	Placekicker
Personal information
Born:	(1977-12-09) December 9, 1977 (age 46) 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 a player:
Richmond Speed (2000) New Orleans Saints (2000)* Seattle Seahawks (2001)* Buffalo Bills (2001) Seattle Seahawks (2002)* Carolina Panthers (2002) Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2009) Baltimore Ravens (2010)* New York Giants (2010) New England Patriots (2010) Washington Redskins (2011)* Dallas Cowboys (2011)* Miami Dolphins (2011) Baltimore Ravens (2011) Houston Texans (2012) Cleveland Browns (2013)* Pittsburgh Steelers (2013) New Orleans Saints (2013–2015) Atlanta Falcons (2015)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a 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
Second-team All-Pro (2005) Pro Bowl (2005)
Career NFL statistics
Field goals: 277 Field goal attempts: 324 Field goal %: 85.5% Longest field goal: 54 Touchbacks: 77
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

His first NFL contract was with the New Orleans Saints where he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000. A journeyman most of his career, he played for 14 different NFL franchises over 9 seasons, excluding the 7 seasons he spent with the Cincinnati Bengals. With the Bengals, he made the Pro Bowl in 2005. In the latter part of his career, he was signed as an injury replacement or to provide competition during training camps for a number of teams.

In 2018, Graham was hired as a special teams intern at Michigan State University.

Early years

Graham attended Pulaski County High School in Dublin, Virginia, graduating in 1996. He holds many of the school's kicking records including most field goals in career (28, from 1992 to 1995), most field goals in a season (15, 1995), and longest field goal, a 54-yarder against Anacostia in 1995.

College career

Graham played college football 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. His contributions at Tech led to his induction in the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Richmond Speed

Following a tryout with the Cleveland Browns, it was announced in May 2000, that Graham would play in two games for the Richmond Speed of the AF2, and that he would use the time to practice for a future NFL tryout with the Tennessee Titans.^[2] As it turned out Graham played in only one game for the Speed, a 60 - 21 loss against the Arkansas Twisters on May 26, 2000.^[3] During the game, he missed two field goals, from 36 and 44-yards, and two of three extra points.^[4] After the game, Graham told the Roanoke Times: "It was a big adjustment. In the arena game, the holder puts the ball down, then the kicker starts forward. I've always been accustomed to starting with the snap. My rhythm was all messed up."^[4] Graham left the team and was replaced by special teams coach Dave DeArmas, who unretired and played in the following week's game against the Jacksonville Tomcats.^[4]

New Orleans Saints

After going undrafted in the 2000 NFL draft, Graham signed with the New Orleans Saints on June 30, 2000.^[5] Graham was 1-for-1 on extra points and did not attempt a field goal during the preseason. He was waived on August 22, 2000.^[6]

Seattle Seahawks

Graham was signed by the Seattle Seahawks on April 27, 2001.^[7] He was 6-for-6 on extra points in the preseason but had his only field goal attempt blocked.^[8] He was waived on September 2, 2001.^[9] On October 30, 2001, Graham was invited back for a tryout after kicker Rian Lindell missed two field goals in a 24–20 loss to the Miami Dolphins. Graham did not get a contract and Lindell was retained as the Seahawks' kicker for the remainder of the 2001 season.^[8]

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills signed Graham on November 27, 2001, to replace rookie kicker Jake Arians; Arians had missed several key field goals and a crucial extra point over the course of the season.^[10] Graham played in the Bills' final six games, going 6-for-8 on field goals. He was released on April 23, 2002, and replaced by Mike Hollis.^[11]

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

Graham was re-signed by the Seahawks on May 13, 2002.^[12] He began training camp with Seattle before being waived on August 13, 2002.^[13]

Carolina Panthers

Graham signed with the Carolina Panthers on September 28, 2002, after an injury to veteran John Kasay. Originally, Jon Hilbert replaced Kasay; however, after missing two field goals during the Week 3 game versus the Minnesota Vikings, Hilbert was replaced by Graham.^[14] The following week, in a game against the Green Bay Packers and after being on the team for only two days, Graham missed a 24-yard field goal inches to the right with 13 seconds remaining that would have tied the score.^[14] The Panthers ended up losing the game 17–14.^[14] In total he played in 11 of the Panthers' final 13 games, leading the team in scoring with 60 points.^[15] He was 13-of-18 on field goals and averaged 66 yards on his five kickoffs.^[15]

After spending the 2003 preseason with Carolina, Graham was waived on August 31, right before the season began.^[16]

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals 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.^[17] 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 2005, Graham set the NFL record for tackles by a kicker with 11 combined (7 plus 4 assists.)

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 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).^[18] 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."^[19]

He was not re-signed as an unrestricted free agent following the 2009 season.

Baltimore Ravens

In June 2010, Graham signed a 1-year-deal with the Baltimore Ravens worth up to $2.5 million. Graham was released during final cuts before the season started in favor of Billy Cundiff.^[20]

New York Giants

On October 16, 2010, the New York Giants signed Graham due to an injury to kicker Lawrence Tynes.^[21] Graham only played in one game for the Giants and did not attempt a field goal. He did, however, make all four of his extra point attempts. On October 18, 2010, just two days after being signed, the Giants released Graham.^[22]

New England Patriots

On November 10, 2010, the New England Patriots 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.

Washington Redskins

On August 1, 2011, the Washington Redskins signed Graham to provide training camp competition for Graham Gano.^[23] After missing two field goals in a pre-season game, Graham was released.^[24]

Dallas Cowboys

On August 23, 2011, the Dallas Cowboys signed Graham due to a hip injury to David Buehler, but did not make the roster after being passed on the depth chart by rookie Dan Bailey.^[25]

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins signed Graham on November 19, 2011, after an injury to Dan Carpenter.^[26] Graham was waived November 30.^[27]

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

The Baltimore Ravens signed Graham on December 21, 2011, to back up Billy Cundiff, who had a calf injury throughout most of December.^[28] He made both field goal attempts and both extra point attempts in his short stint with the team. Graham was released on January 3.

Houston Texans

The Texans signed Graham on May 7, 2012, to battle rookie Randy Bullock for the position.^[29] In August, Graham was named the team's kicker after Bullock went on injured reserve.^[30] On January 13, 2013, Graham set his career longest field goal after he made a 55-yard field goal against the New England Patriots in the divisional round of the playoffs.^[31]

Cleveland Browns

On April 15, 2013, the Cleveland Browns signed Graham to replace Phil Dawson who left as a free agent.^[32] On August 31, 2013, he was surprisingly released, even after making all of his pre-season attempts, leaving the Browns with no kicker on the roster days before the season began.^[33]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On September 9, 2013, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Graham due to a hamstring injury to Shaun Suisham.^[34] Graham was on the roster for one game, but was inactive due to Suisham's ability to play through his injury. Since he was not needed, Graham was released by the Steelers on September 17.^[35]

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

Graham was re-signed by the Saints on December 17, 2013, to replace Garrett Hartley. Hartley had been cut from the Saints after he had struggled in the 2012 and 2013 seasons and the final straw came when he missed two close range field goals in a game against the St. Louis Rams. On January 4, 2014, Graham went 4 for 4 including a 32-yard game winner as time expired to propel the Saints past the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the 2014 playoffs.^[36] However, the following week during the divisional round game he missed two field goals versus the Seattle Seahawks.^[37] On his first miss, from 45-yards, holder (and backup quarterback) Luke McCown had the laces facing the wrong way.^[38] Strong winds also contributed to his poor performance.^[38]

On February 14, 2014, the Saints re-signed Graham to a new one-year contract with a base salary of $955,000.^[39] In a surprise move, Graham along with kicker Derek Dimke were released as part of the final roster cuts on August 30, 2014, leaving the Saints with no kickers on their roster after the reduction to 53-players.^[40] A few days later on September 2, 2014, it was announced that the Saints had waived quarterback Ryan Griffin to make room for the re-signing of Graham to their 53-man roster.^[41]

Graham was selected as NFC special teams player of the month for October 2014, for making all nine field goals and all nine extra points he tried during the month.^[42] He also scored 14 points during the October 26, 2014 victory over the Packers.^[42]

After Graham missed a 42-yard field goal during the Saints' loss to the Carolina Panthers on December 7, 2014, the Saints tried out kickers Garrett Hartley, Derek Dimke and Zach Hocker on December 10, 2014.^[43] However, in the end the Saints decided to stick with Graham as their kicker.^[43]

On February 12, 2015, Graham was re-signed to a one-year deal with the Saints.^[44] He was released on May 19, 2015.^[45]

Atlanta Falcons

On November 26, 2015, Graham signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a replacement kicker, after Matt Bryant injured his leg.^[46] On August 20, 2016, Graham was re-signed by the Falcons.^[47] On September 3, 2016, Graham was released by the Falcons.^[48]

Retirement

On February 6, 2017, Graham announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 39 to pursue jobs as a special teams coach. Graham signed an unofficial ceremonial contract on February 21, 2017, to retire as a Bengal.^[49]

Coaching career

Central Michigan

In March 2017, Graham was hired as a special teams coach at Central Michigan University^[50]

Michigan State

In June 2018, Graham was hired at Michigan State University as a special teams intern.^[51]

Florida

Graham was hired at the University of Florida in 2020 as a special teams quality control coach.^[52]

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 franchise records

• 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)^[53]

References

1. The Deuce Scoop www.oursportscentral.com, Retrieved February 10, 2014.
2. Hokie day in af2 www.cnnsi.com, Retrieved February 9, 2014
3. Week 9: Arkansas 60 at Richmond 21 www.arenafan.com, Retrieved February 9, 2014
4. Lindquist, Jerry (June 3, 2000) Graham Leaves Town After One Game. Richmond Times-Dispatch
5. Transactions The Seattle Times, July 1, 2000, Retrieved January 11, 2014
6. Jags waive fumble-recovering end McCook Daily Gazette Retrieved September 30, 2014
7. Seahawks One Signed www.KFFL.com, Retrieved January 11, 2014
8. Three kickers given tryout by SeahawksThe Seattle Times, October 31, 2001, Retrieved January 11, 2014
9. www.KFFL.com, Retrieved January 11, 2014
10. Former Hokie finds a job The Free Lance-Star, November 28, 2001, Retrieved February 8, 2014
11. Seahawks sign kicker Graham to two-year deal www.ESPN.com, Retrieved September 26, 2014
12. Kicker Signed www.KFFL.com, Retrieved January 11, 2014
13. Training camp highlights: Day 17 The Seattle Times, Retrieved January 11, 2014
14. Pro Football – Almost Is Not Good Enough For Panthers www.nytimes.com, Retrieved September 13, 2014.
15. Shayne GrahamGame Logs 2002 www.nfl.com, Retrieved September 14, 2014.
16. 37, is Fox's guy; Kasey retains kicking job www.espn.com, Retrieved September 13, 2014.
17. It's a 'no brainer': Bengals keep kicker www.espn.com, Retrieved September 15, 2014.
18. NFL Single Game Total Field Goals Made Leaders www.pro-football-reference.com, Retrieved October 1, 2014
19. Herrera, Tom (January 9, 2010). "Shayne Graham May Have Played His Last Game as Bengals' Kicker". FanHouse. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
20. . Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
21. Giants sign Shayne Graham with injured kicker Lawrence Tynes' status in doubt for Sunday NY Daily News, October 16, 2010, Retrieved February 8, 2014
22. Gitants Cut Fill-in Kicker The New York Times, October 18, 2010, Retrieved February 8, 2014
23. "Redskins bring in veteran K Shayne Graham". WJLA.com. August 2, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
24. Jones, Mike (August 14, 2011). "Redskins cut kicker Shayne Graham - The Insider". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
25. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. . DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
26. Dolphins sign Shayne Graham with Dan Carpenter out www.phins-spotlight.com, Retrieved February 7, 2014
27. Ryan Baker, Ray Feinga re-signed; Dan Carpenter set to kick Sunday The Palm Beach Post, Retrieved September 26, 2014
28. Ravens sign Shayne Graham www.espn.com, Retrieved February 7, 2014
29. "Texans sign Shayne Graham". ESPN.com. May 8, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
30. "Texans report: Shayne Graham wins kicking job (by default)". Sporting News.com. May 8, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
31. "Patriots head to AFC title game without Gronkowski". Chicago Tribune. January 13, 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
32. "Shayne Graham signs with Cleveland Browns". NFL.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
33. Northeast Ohio (September 2013). "Cleveland Browns cut Shayne Graham, looking for a new kicker a week before the season; waive 13 others". cleveland.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
34. "Steelers sign Shayne Graham". Freak Fan Gear. September 9, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
35. "Steelers cut Shayne Graham, sign some CB depth | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. September 17, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
36. Saints beat Eagles 26-24 on Shayne Graham's 32-yard field goal www.neworleanssaints.com, Retrieved September 13, 2014.
37. Seahawks beat Saints, 23-15, to reach NFC championship cbsnews.com, Retrieved January 17, 2014
38. Saints inexplicably never got one final chance The Seattle Times, Retrieved January 17, 2014
39. New Orleans Saints re-sign kicker Shayne Graham, offensive lineman Bryce Harris www.nola.com, Retrieved February 15, 2014
40. New Orleans Saints trim roster to 53-player limit www.neworleanssaints.com, Retrieved August 30, 2014.
41. Saints re-sign Shayne Graham www.espn.com, Retrieved September 3, 2014.
42. Perfect month nets Shayne Graham NFC special teams honors www.nbcsports.com, Retrieved October 31, 2014.
43. After kicker tryouts, New Orleans Saints sticking with Shayne Graham www.nola.com, Retrieved December 10, 2014
44. Saints, kicker Shayne Graham agree to one-year deal www.nfl.com, Retrieved February 23, 2015
45. "Shayne Graham cut by New Orleans Saints". NFL.com. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
46. "Falcons sign 2nd K Shayne Graham, waive LB Joplo Bartu". USA TODAY. Associated Press. November 26, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
47. . AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017.
48. . AtlantaFalcons.com. September 2, 2016. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016.
49. Hobson, Geoff (February 6, 2017). "Graham, Bengals' most accurate kicker, retires after 15 seasons". Bengals.com. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
50. "Shayne Graham - Football Coach". Central Michigan University Athletics. Retrieved August 12, 2023.
51. Friend, Phil (June 5, 2018). "Former NFL kicker Shayne Graham joins Michigan State football staff as special teams intern". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
52. Goodall, Zach (February 22, 2020). "Source: Gators Add 15-Year NFL Kicker to Coaching Staff". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
53. "Cincinnati Bengals Career Kicking Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 12, 2023.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference
• Elite Rating Index by Shayne Graham
• Elite Winning Solutions by Shayne Graham