Kyle Brady

Kyle Brady
refer to caption
Brady with the Patriots during training camp in 2007
No. 80, 81, 88
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1972-01-14) January 14, 1972 (age 52)
Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school:Cedar Cliff (Camp Hill)
College:Penn State
NFL draft:1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:343
Yards:3,519
Touchdowns:25
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Kyle James Brady (born January 14, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team All-American honors in 1994. He was the Jets' first round draft choice in the 1995 NFL Draft.

Early years[edit]

Brady attended Highland Elementary School, Lemoyne Middle School, and Cedar Cliff High School, all in the West Shore School District. While attending Cedar Cliff in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, Brady lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. In football, he was a first-team USA Today All-USA selection, a Parade Magazine All-America selection and, as a senior, was the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year, and the recipient of the Bobby Dodd Award (which is given to the nation's top offensive lineman) given by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta. In Brady’s Junior season at Cedar Cliff he scored the lone touchdown in a 14-7 loss to Pittsburgh Central Catholic in the 1988 Pennsylvania State AAAA Championship game played at Penn State University.

College career[edit]

At Penn State, Brady was a two-time All-Big Ten selection, and a consensus All-America choice as a senior, catching 27 passes for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns. During his senior year in 1994, he helped his team to an undefeated record, a conference championship, and the school's first Rose Bowl victory. Although Paterno continued to push for back up TE Chiefa, he was ranked seventh in the all-time reception list for the school. Brady finished his four seasons with 76 receptions for 940 yards and 9 touchdowns.[1][2] He graduated with a degree in exercise and sports science in 1995.

Professional career[edit]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 6+3⁄8 in
(1.99 m) 		258 lb
(117 kg) 		33+1⁄2 in
(0.85 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.84 s 1.70 s 2.81 s 4.21 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 18 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3]

New York Jets[edit]

Brady was selected by the New York Jets in the first round (9th overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft, much to the chagrin of the Jets fans in attendance.[4] The fans wanted the team to draft future Hall of Famer Warren Sapp and showed it by chanting "We want Sapp! We want Sapp!". After Brady was announced, Joe Theismann said "It just doesn't seem to make sense", speculating that Rich Kotite wanted two tight ends on the field. Jets fans booed Brady and his mother when they appeared on the stage. Although Brady became what NFL Films later described as a "solid player", fans did not forget the team not choosing Sapp.[5][6]

Jacksonville Jaguars[edit]

Brady went on to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1999 and had his best year in the NFL with the Jaguars. In the 2000 season, he set career highs with 64 receptions and 729 receiving yards. He was the Jaguars' Man of the Year in 2003. Brady had a reputation with the Jags as a very durable player, having only missed nine games in his twelve seasons in the NFL, and was also known as an outstanding blocker.

New England Patriots[edit]

His reputation as a durable blocker helped him to land a two-year contract on March 3, 2007 with the New England Patriots to replace departing free agent Daniel Graham at tight end.[7] Bill Belichick had wanted to draft Brady in 1995 as head coach of the Cleveland Browns with the 10th pick.[5] When Brady was selected, Belichick traded down to the 30th pick.[8] One website went as far as to label Brady "Belichick's white whale."[9]

Despite nagging injuries, Brady played in 14 games for the Patriots in 2007, catching nine passes for 70 yards and two touchdowns,[10] culminating with Super Bowl XLII. He was released by New England on February 29, 2008,[10] and retired shortly thereafter.[11]

NFL career statistics[edit]

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season[edit]

Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1995 NYJ 15 11 53 26 252 9.7 29 2
1996 NYJ 16 16 31 15 144 9.6 25 1
1997 NYJ 16 14 35 22 238 10.8 24 2
1998 NYJ 16 15 50 30 315 10.5 35 5
1999 JAX 13 12 46 32 346 10.8 30 1
2000 JAX 16 15 94 64 729 11.4 36 3
2001 JAX 16 16 63 36 386 10.7 20 2
2002 JAX 16 16 67 43 461 10.7 42 4
2003 JAX 16 15 46 29 281 9.7 26 1
2004 JAX 11 8 23 14 103 7.4 21 1
2005 JAX 16 14 26 18 157 8.7 33 1
2006 JAX 16 14 8 5 37 7.4 13 0
2007 NWE 14 9 16 9 70 7.8 20 2
197 175 558 343 3,519 10.3 42 25

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1998 NYJ 2 2 5 3 28 9.3 17 0
1999 JAX 2 1 7 5 44 8.8 17 1
2005 JAX 1 1 2 1 1 1.0 1 0
2007 NWE 3 2 3 2 15 7.5 12 0
8 6 17 11 88 8.0 17 1

Broadcasting[edit]

Brady was a participant in the NFL Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program, a two-week program held at the top American business schools for NFL players preparing for careers after football.[12] Brady attended the workshop at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in February and March 2008.[13] In June 2009, Brady took part in the 2009 NFL/NFLPA "Broadcast Boot Camp," a program designed by the NFL Broadcasting Department and their broadcast partners to prepare players for possible post-playing careers in broadcasting.[14]

Brady was an analyst for NFL Europe[15] before being hired by the Big Ten Network as a football analyst for the 2009 season,[16] where he was partnered with Rick Pizzo on the Big Ten Football Saturday: Pre-Game Show.[17]

Law[edit]

Brady became a licensed financial advisor in 2009 and worked at First Florida Credit Union before enrolling at the Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2010.[15] He graduated in May 2013, interned with Holland & Knight,[15] and passed the bar later that year. He planned to use his combined financial and legal training to advise former NFL players on how to avoid financial pitfalls, along with real estate, securities law and estate planning.[15]

Personal life[edit]

Brady and his wife Kristin have three children.[15][18] They live in Atlantic Beach, Florida.[15]

Brady's father John Brady was born in Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex, UK. He played Minor League Baseball for two seasons.

Brady traced his Irish roots to Ballinagh co. Cavan, Turlough Co. Mayo and Tierneevin and Ballingarry Co. Galway.[19]

His grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather were members of the Royal Irish Constabulary

A 2004 Sports Illustrated article noted Brady is a U.S. Civil War buff.

In 2004 Brady earned his pilot's license.[20]

On March 21, 2009, he threw out the first pitch at opening day ceremonies for the Green Cove Springs Athletic Association Little League Baseball.[21] He served as honorary chairman of the 2009 Big 33 Football Classic.[11]

On June 24, 2014, he was selected as honorary chairman for the Global Ireland Football Tournament[22]

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ "Kyle Brady College Stats".
  2. ^ Kyle Brady - Official New England Patriots Biography Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Kyle Brady, Combine Results, TE - Penn State". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "1995 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  5. ^ a b NFL Films (April 26, 2018). The Pick That Made Jets Fans Lose it - NFL 1995 Draft Story. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  6. ^ Brady's new perspective Archived March 28, 2006, at the Wayback Machine Jaguars.com.
  7. ^ Brady to accept Patriots' offer Ultimate Jaguars.
  8. ^ Ask Vic: Long-term strategy
  9. ^ Four Downs: AFC East
  10. ^ a b "Pats re-sign Bruschi, release TE Brady". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. February 29, 2008. Retrieved March 1, 2008.
  11. ^ a b Gross, Mike (March 8, 2009). "End of Paterno-Bowden duel?". Lancaster Newspapers. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009.
  12. ^ Kirdahy, Matthew (February 29, 2008). "The NFL's MBA". Forbes. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
  13. ^ "NFL Players Enroll in Programs at Harvard, Kellogg, Stanford & Wharton Business Schools". NFL Players Association. February 19, 2008.
  14. ^ "Jones-Drew and Williams To Take Part In "NFL Broadcast Boot Camp" June 22–25". Jacksonville Jaguars. June 9, 2009. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Frenette, Gene (September 11, 2013). "Law & Order: Former Jaguar Kyle Brady ready for life after football". The Florida Times-Union.
  16. ^ "Jaguars still tinkering with plans". The Florida Times-Union. August 29, 2009.
  17. ^ "Former Nittany Lion Standout Brady Joins Big Ten Network Pre-Game Show". Penn State Department of Sports Information. September 10, 2009. Archived from the original on September 13, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
  18. ^ New England Patriots bio Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ "- Croke Park Classic 2014 - About". Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
  20. ^ Toland, Jennifer (February 1, 2008). "Kyle Brady reaches Super heights on and off the field". telegram.com. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  21. ^ "Opening Day for Little Leaguers". Clay Today. March 25, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011.
  22. ^ "Former Penn State star Kyle Brady named honorary chair for Dublin games featuring Cedar Cliff". June 24, 2014.

External links[edit]

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