Travis McGriff

William Travis McGriff (born June 24, 1976) is an American former college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in two different professional football leagues. McGriff played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a member of a national championship team. Thereafter, he played professionally for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL), and the Orlando Predators and Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League.

Travis McGriff
No. 83,80,3
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1976-06-24) June 24, 1976
Gainesville, Florida
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school:Gainesville (FL) P.K. Yonge
College:Florida
NFL Draft:1999 / Round: 3 / Pick: 93
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:34
Receptions:5
Receiving yards:88
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com
Career Arena statistics
Receptions:158
Receiving yards:2,290
Touchdowns:45
Player stats at PFR
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Early life and family

McGriff was born in Gainesville, Florida in 1976.[1] He attended P.K. Yonge High School in Gainesville,[2] where he was a standout high school football player for the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave.

McGriff was born into a family of prominent University of Florida alumni.[3] His father, Lee McGriff, was a walk-on for the Florida Gators football team who became a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) wide receiver, and later, an assistant coach for the Gators.[3] His grandfather, Jack McGriff, was a member of the Florida Gators track and field team, and became the principal of the university's laboratory school, P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School.[3] His father's cousin, Perry McGriff, was a split end for the Gators in 1958 and 1959, and later became a state representative.[3] Perry's son, Mark McGriff, was a tight end for the Gators from 1984 to 1988.[3]

College career

McGriff accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he was a wide receiver for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1995 to 1998.[4][5] He was a letterman on the Gators' SEC championship teams in 1995 and 1996. He was also a member of the Gators' first national championship team in 1996, which defeated the Florida State Seminoles 52–20 in the Sugar Bowl to win the Bowl Alliance national championship.

McGriff had seventy receptions as a senior in 1998, including thirteen catches in a 222-yard performance versus the South Carolina Gamecocks.[5] He finished his final college season with ten touchdowns and an SEC single-season record of 1,357 yards receiving, and was a first-team All-SEC selection and a third-team All-American.[5]

McGriff graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport sciences in 2004.

Professional career

McGriff was chosen in the third round (ninety-third pick overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos,[6] and played for the Broncos for three seasons from 1999 to 2001.[7] After three years with the Broncos, he was released in October 2001.[8] He also had a short stint with the Atlanta Falcons.[9]

He also played in the Arena Football League, including three seasons with the Orlando Predators from 2003 to 2005,[10] where he won AFL Rookie of the Year honors in 2003,[11] and part of one season for the Nashville Kats in 2005. He compiled 158 receptions for 2,290 yards and forty-five touchdowns in Arena Football League play.

See also

References
  1. Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Travis McGriff. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  2. databaseFootball.com, Players, Travis McGriff Archived May 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  3. Jack Hairston, Tales from the Gator Swamp, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois, pp. 71–75 (2002).
  4. Pat Dooley, "Spurrier: Ex-players expect a good game," The Gainesville Sun (November 8, 2005). Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  5. 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 97, 101, 150, 183 (2011). Retrieved August 30, 2011.
  6. Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 1999 National Football League Draft. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  7. National Football League, Historical Players, Travis McGriff. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  8. "Broncos waive Jenkins, McGriff," Boca Raton News (October 24, 2001). Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  9. Bill Fay, "Preds Find A Great Catch," Orlando Sentinel (February 16, 2003). Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  10. Tom Wyrwich, "Ex-UCF Player Fryzel Cements Role With Preds," Orlando Sentinel (March 6, 2005). Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  11. "Predators' McGriff Wins Award," Orlando Sentinel (May 29, 2003). Retrieved May 7, 2011.

Bibliography
  • Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
  • Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
  • Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
  • McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
  • Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196-X.
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