- Grant Wiley
Infobox NFLretired
width =
caption =
position =Outside Linebacker
number =91
birthdate =birth date and age|1981|3|11Trappe, Pennsylvania
deathdate =
debutyear =2004
finalyear =2005
undraftedyear =2004
college =West Virginia
teams =
*Minnesota Vikings (2004-2005)*:* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
stat1label =Tackles
stat1value =0
stat2label =Sacks
stat2value =0
stat3label =Interceptions
stat3value =0
nfl =
pfr =
dbf =
highlights =
* 2000Big East Rookie of the Year
* 2000 Freshman All-American
* 2001 All-Big East
* 2001 Ideal Mountaineer Man
* 2002 All-Big East
* 2003 All-Big East
* 2003All-American
CollegeHOF =
CFHOF =Grant Wiley (born
March 11 ,1981 inTrappe, Pennsylvania ) is a retiredAmerican football linebacker who played in theNational Football League for theMinnesota Vikings . He playedcollege football at West Virginia. Wiley is one of only a handful of consensus All-Americans from WVU. He is currently a model and anactor .High school career
Wiley attended Perkiomen Valley High School in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Wiley won Offensive Player of the Year by the Norristown Times-Herald. He was named Pac Ten MVP, PCTV offensive Player of the Year and the Pottstown Mercury Player of the Year. Wiley was also named to the
Philadelphia Inquirer All-Area team. He was selected to play in the Ohio-Pennsylvania Big 33 game. He was rated the eighth-best linebacker prospect in the East by PrepStar. Conference defensive player of the year honors as a junior. Wiley was named to the Pennsylvania Sports Fever Fab 85. Wiley was also named to the Pennsylvania Football News all-state team.Collegiate career
Freshman (2000)
Wiley came to West Virginia in 2000 and made an immediate impact. Wiley earned
Big East Rookie of the Year honors after totaling 94 tackles and 14tackles for loss es. Wiley was voted second-team freshman All-American and finished the season 12th in the league in tackles and 7th in tackles-for-losses. Wiley's best performance of the season came against Idaho, when Wiley recorded seven tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions. Wiley's first interceptions came in the third quarter, down 9-0, when he picked off a pass and took it back for his second interception return for a score on the season. The interception turned the game around for the Mountaineers, who mounted a come from behind victory. [cite web |url=http://www.da.wvu.edu/archives/000910/news/000910,12,03.html |title=Pressure defense too much for Vandals |accessdate=2008-02-28 |author=Colby McCarren |date= |work=The Daily Athenaeum Interactive |publisher=West Virginia University]ophomore (2001)
In 2001, Wiley's sophomore season was a relatively quiet season for Wiley. One of Wiley's highlight performances came in a 35-0 loss to Virginia Tech, where he had a key interception. [cite web |url=http://www.techsideline.com/football/2001/games/wvurecap.htm |title=Virginia Tech 35, West Virginia 0 |accessdate=2008-02-28 |author=Will Stewart |date=October 6, 2001 |work=TechSideline.com |publisher=Virginia Tech] Wiley was awarded the Ideal Mountaineer Man Award by the West Virginia coaches at the end of the season.
Junior (2002)
As a junior in 2002, Wiley earned national recognition. One of his best games on the season was against Temple, where the Mountaineers won 46-20. Wiley made an interception in the game that he took deep into Temple territory, and a forced fumble on
quarterback Mike Frost. [cite web |url=http://www.msnsportsnet.com/page.cfm?story=3916&cat=exclusives |title=Bowl Eligible! |accessdate=2008-02-28 |author=John Antonik |date=November 2, 2002 |work=MSNsportsNET.Com |publisher=West Virginia University] Wiley had 133 tackles and two interceptions on the season.enior (2003)
Wiley's senior season, 2003, was an average season for the Mountaineers. After starting the season 1-4, West Virginia went up against Rutgers in a must-win situation. Wiley helped the Mountaineers win 34-19, by totaling 11 tackles and a diving interception. [cite web |url= http://www.labs.net/casdorph/wvu_rutgers03.html |title=West Virginia 34, Rutgers 19 |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format= |work=Labs.net] Also, in the 52-31 victory over Pitt, Wiley had a key interception in the endzone. [cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?confId=&gameId=233190277 |title=WVU upsets Pitt for tie atop Big East - NCAA College Football Recap |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format=HTML |work=ESPN.com ] Team captain Wiley earned consensus All-American honors on the season, making him one of only a handful of Mountaineers to do so. Wiley was also a finalist for the 2003 Bronko Nagurski Award, which was won by Okalahoma's
Derrick Strait . [cite web |url=http://football.about.com/b/2003/12/09/strait-wins-bronko-nagurski-award.htm |title=Strait Wins Bronko Nagurski Award |accessdate=2008-02-28 |author=James Alder |date= December 9, 2003 |work=Football.about.com |publisher=About.com]Wiley owns the record for most tackles in a career at West VirginiaFact|date=February 2008 with 492 tackles and tackles for a loss with 47.5.
Career statistics
[cite web |url=http://www.wvustats.com/football/player.php?team_id=308&person_id=808 |title=Grant Wiley |accessdate=2008-02-28 |author=Mark DeVault |date= |work=WVUStats.com |publisher=West Virginia University]
Pro career
2004
After going undrafted in the
2004 NFL Draft , Wiley signed afree agent contract with theMinnesota Vikings , on April 27, 2004. [cite web |url=http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=other/transactions/2004/april27.htm |title=Sports Transactions from The Sports Network |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format=HTML |work=SportsNetwork.com] On August 6, 2004 Wiley was placed on the waived-injured list by the Vikings. [cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/teams/transactions?team=min&year=2004 |title=Minnesota Vikings Transactions - 2004 |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format=HTML |work=ESPN.com] Later Wiley was placed on theinjured reserve list. [cite web |url=http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/teams/players/bio/?id=5522&hubname=nfl |title=Grant Wiley # - LB |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format=HTML |work=TSN.ca]2005
In 2005 Wiley enter Vikings training camp once again. However, this camp was to be his last, as he seriously injuried his shoulder.
In early August 2005, Wiley injured his shoulder and was listed as day-to-day. [cite web |url=http://www.kffl.com/player/9819/nfl |title=Grant Wiley, LB, Free Agent Players |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format=HTML |work=KFFL.com] It turned out the injury was worse than expected. So on August 9, 2005, Wiley was waived, after agreeing on an injury settlement. [cite web |url=http://www.kffl.com/player/9819/nfl |title=Grant Wiley, LB, Free Agent Players |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format=HTML |work=KFFL.com] That injury, being his second to require surgery, turned out to be career ending.
After football
Wiley was an instructor a football camp in
Bridgeport, West Virginia on July 14-15, at Wayne Jemison Stadium. This camp was not an ordinary football camp. At the camp, along with several instructors familiar to state football fans, Wiley spent the camp demonstrating and instructing the attendees in the same session at the same time, rather than splitting them up into position specific groups. [cite web |url=http://westvirginia.scout.com/2/546445.html |title=Moving On |accessdate=2008-02-28 |author=Kevin Kinder |date=July 13, 2006 |work=BlueGoldNews.com |publisher=Scout.com]Acting career
Wiley is currently an actor and model. His credits include "
All My Children " (extra, February 6, 2008, he played a bar patron at thePine Valley Inn). [cite web |url=http://www.boxxet.com/All_My_Children/Grant_Wiley_to_be_on_All_My_Children_Last_post_on_02_04.1imlje.d |title=Grant Wiley to be on All My Children....... (Last post on 02/04 ... |accessdate=2008-02-28 |format=HTML |work=mbd.Scout.com] He is currently shooting a film inColorado .Fact|date=February 2008Television appearances
Notes
External links
* [http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/players/playerpage/495194 Profile] at CBSSports.com
* [http://www.wvustats.com/football/player.php?team_id=308&person_id=808 Profile at WVUStats.com]
* [http://westvirginia.scout.com/a.z?s=159&p=8&c=1&nid=1803067 Profile at Scout.com]
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