Cornelius Griffin
Cornelius Griffin (/kɔːrˈnɛliəs/; born December 3, 1976) is a former American football defensive tackle. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pearl River Community College and Alabama.
 Cornelius Griffin in 2007. | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | December 3, 1976 Troy, Alabama | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 303 lb (137 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Brundidge (AL) Pike Co. | ||||||||
| College: | Alabama | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2000 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Griffin also played for the Washington Redskins.
Early life and college career
Griffin was born in Troy, Alabama.[1] His father Willie Griffin was a pastor of the Lily White Pentecostal Church in Brundidge, Alabama, and Cornelius was one of Willie and Martha Griffin's seven children. Willie died in a car accident in 1998. Griffin graduated from Pike County High School in 1995 in Brundidge, Alabama. He first played college football as a defensive tackle for Pearl River Community College in Mississippi. Although he committed to Auburn, Griffin decided to sign with the University of Alabama after Auburn coaches wanted him to become a tight end.[2] In the Alabama Crimson Tide, he started 23 of 25 games in its team (including bowls). As a senior in 1999, he was part of the Super Sleeper Team and All-Southeastern Conference first team.[3]
Professional career
2000 NFL Draft
Griffin was selected in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. "His workouts were unbelievable. We saw him as a certain first-rounder", said Giants General Manager Ernie Accorsi.[4]
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 1⁄8 in (1.91 m) |
297 lb (135 kg) |
4.90 s | 1.69 s | 2.79 s | 4.62 s | 7.63 s | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) | 30 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[5] | ||||||||||||
New York Giants
Griffin played for four seasons with the Giants.
Washington Redskins
Griffin was signed by the Giants' NFC East-rival Washington Redskins as an unrestricted free agent on March 3, 2004, during the 2004 offseason.[6]
Griffin had his best season in 2004, recording 96 tackles (66 solo) and six sacks. He has compiled 22.5 sacks with 352 tackles (249 solo) at either left or right tackle during his career.
He was released on March 4, 2010.[7]
After the NFL
Griffin purchased a share of Flowers Insurance Company in Troy, Alabama. The name has now been changed to Griffin-Wilkes Insurance. Griffin also coaches high school football at Pike Liberal Arts School in Troy, Alabama. [8]
NFL statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Combined Tackles | Tackles | Assisted Tackles | Sacks | Forced Fumbles | Fumble Recoveries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | NYG | 15 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | NYG | 16 | 63 | 47 | 16 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | NYG | 14 | 49 | 32 | 17 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | NYG | 15 | 55 | 38 | 17 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2004 | WSH | 15 | 70 | 56 | 14 | 6.0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | WSH | 13 | 35 | 34 | 1 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2006 | WSH | 14 | 50 | 39 | 11 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | WSH | 16 | 42 | 28 | 14 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | WSH | 14 | 27 | 16 | 11 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | WSH | 14 | 34 | 22 | 12 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 146 | 448 | 331 | 117 | 29.0 | 4 | 5 |
References
- "Cornelius Griffin". NFL. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- Vacchiano, Ralph (January 13, 2001). "High Tide Alabama's son and Giants rookie Cornelius Griffin overcomes his father's death to reach the NFL". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- "Cornelius Griffin". Washington Redskins. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
- Wennington, Bill (January 12, 2001), "Griffin, Sometime Spy, Is Giant Secret Weapon", New York Times.
- "Cornelius Griffin", NFLDraftScout.com, retrieved May 13, 2010.
- Redskins Sign DT Cornelius Griffin From Giants Archived March 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- Redskins release Griffin
- http://www.troymessenger.com/2010/11/11/teaming-up-for-a-common-goal/
- "Cornelius Griffin Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
External links
- Washington Redskins bio at the Wayback Machine (archived November 13, 2010)
- Career statistics and player information from Pro Football Reference