Rhys Lloyd (American football)

Rhys John Lloyd (born June 5, 1982) is a former American football kickoff specialist. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Minnesota.[1]

Rhys Lloyd
Lloyd with the Carolina Panthers in 2009
No. 5, 3
Position:Kickoff specialist
Personal information
Born: (1982-06-05) June 5, 1982
Dover, England
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Apple Valley (MN) Eastview
College:Minnesota
Undrafted:2005
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
  • Honorable mention All-Big Ten (2003)
Career NFL statistics
Kickoffs:224
Kickoff yards:14,987
Touchbacks:64
Player stats at NFL.com

Lloyd has also been a member of the Green Bay Packers, Frankfurt Galaxy, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.

Early years

Lloyd began playing football after moving from England to the United States at 15 years old.[2] He attended Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota[3] and lettered in football and soccer.

College career

Lloyd was a two-time All-American placekicker for Rochester Community and Technical College. He was later the placekicker, kickoff man and punter for the Minnesota Golden Gophers from 2003 to 2004. He kicked the game-winning field goal in the 2003 Sun Bowl.[2]

Professional career

Early NFL career

Lloyd entered the NFL draft, but had to sign as an undrafted free agent after the 2005 draft with the Baltimore Ravens, who released him before the start of the regular season. On April 10, 2006, he was signed by the Green Bay Packers; however, he was subsequently released on May 1, 2006.

NFL Europa

Rhys was signed by the Frankfurt Galaxy of the NFL Europa in 2007. He was named the NFL Europa special teams player of the week in week 3 by tying the league record for the longest field goal in League history with a 56 yarder. Lloyd had signed with the Frankfurt Galaxy at the conclusion of NFL Europa kicking camp in Tampa, Florida. He played the 2006-2007 season in Europe and then came back to the US.

Return to NFL

Lloyd signed with the Baltimore Ravens again as a free agent in 2007 and made an impressive 55-yard field goal in the Ravens preseason finale against Atlanta and, subsequently, survived the Ravens final cut and signed with the team for the regular season as a kicker. He went back and forth between being on the active roster, on the practice squad, and being a free agent.

Lloyd was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers on December 26, 2007. He signed a multi-year contract with the team in 2008. The Panthers used Lloyd as a kickoff specialist, with veteran placekicker John Kasay handling the field goal duties. Lloyd led the NFL in 2008 in touchbacks on kickoffs with 30 on the season. Lloyd signed with the Minnesota Vikings on March 8, 2010. This deal put him back near his alma mater Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota. He was released by the Vikings on September 4, 2010.

Carolina signed Rhys Lloyd on September 14, 2010. Their previous kickoff starter, Todd Carter (who started the first game of the Panthers 2010 season) was suffering from back spasms, and was cut to allow roster space for Lloyd. On August 16, 2011, Lloyd signed with the New York Giants. He was released during final preseason cuts on September 3, 2011.[4]

References

  1. "Rhys Lloyd Profile". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  2. "Vikings' Rhys Lloyd, a soccer lover, will be rooting for his native England against U.S." Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Associated Press. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  3. "Rhys Lloyd Profile". FoxSports.com. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  4. NFL Transactions Report, January 13, 2011


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.