Professional Football Career
Undrafted as a rookie, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings where he was a member of the same rookie class as Randy Moss. After being released by the Minnesota Vikings after training camp, Stuckey signed with the New England Patriots, where he made the team as a linebacker and wore jersey number 93. He started in six games, recovered one fumble during the 1998 season, and became the only the only free-agent rookie to start in the NFL playoffs, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The fumble recovery marked the eleventh time in NFL history that an NFL rookie recovered a fumble in his very first regular season football game.
Stuckey voluntarily left the Patriots at the beginning of the 1999 season to adopt his brother, who had gotten into serious criminal difficulty in Alabama. In his online autobiography, he also indicated that his "heart wasn't in the game". Financial concerns compelled Stuckey to re-enter professional football, and he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who allocated him to the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. After his season with Amsterdam, Stuckey was placed on injured reserve by Tampa Bay due to an injury sustained with the Admirals. After his recovery, Stuckey signed with the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL, where he played on their 2001 world-championship team. Later he played for the Indiana Firebirds of the Arena Football League before injuries forced him to give up football for good.
Stuckey attained over 21 high school, collegiate, and professional titles, including one World Championship (XFL), and also set an NFL record as the fastest linebacker in the 1998 draft.
Read more about this topic: Shawn Stuckey
Famous quotes containing the words professional, football and/or career:
“Never be intimidated when you deal with men. Curse, don’t cry.”
—Anonymous, U.S. professional woman. As quoted in Aspirations and Mentoring in an Academic Environment, ch. 4, by Mary Niles Maack and Joanne Passet (1994)
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Of a silent crowd walking under a wall,
Leaving a football match, perhaps, or a pit,
All moving the same way.”
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