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| Jeremy Charles Shockey
was born on August 20, 1980, in the small rural town of Ada, Oklahoma.
Jeremy had a tough childhood, having no relationship with father, and
growing up with his mother, Lucinda, and his brother, James. As a
freshman in high school, Jeremy was so skinny that the coach was worried
about him getting hurt. Shockey not only proved him wrong by
surviving camp, but ended up earning his varsity letter by the end of
the year. In his next three years of high school football, Jeremy
started at receiver and outside linebacker, and also returned punts.
In the spring of Jeremy's Junior year, he suffered a devastating injury,
breaking his wrist, an injury that would keep most out for the season.
Shockey suffered through the pain, not missing one day in the weight
room, and having an outstanding Senior year. Shockey caught 50
passes for a total of 1108 yards and five touchdowns, and also returned
four punts for touchdowns. He was named All-State and All-District. Despite Jeremy's amazing senior year, he received very few scholarship offers. Shockey initially believed he would be heading to the University of Oklahoma, as Coach John Blake thought very high of him, however that all changed when Blake was fired, and new Sooner Coach, Bob Stoops, did not think so highly of Shockey. Shockey ended up with three Division 1-A college football scholarships, but none of them interested him. Jeremy ended up settling on a junior college, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, which was only three hours away from his home. Shockey made an immediate impact the first day he stepped on the field with the Golden Norsemen. Jeremy had a ton of potential, as he had the skills as a receiver, but also the body of a linebacker. Ultimately, Coach Dale Patterson decided not to make Shockey a receiver, or a linebacker, but a tight end. His first season as a tight end turned out to be a great one, as Jeremy caught 33 passes, for 484 yards, and 7 touchdowns, which lead to a unanimous selection as a first-team All-Southwest Junior College Conference. In the spring of 2000, University of Miami Offensive Coordinator, Larry Coker, visited Northeastern Oklahoma to scout players, however Jeremy was not on his list at the time. It didn't take long for Shockey to be noticed, and for Coker to return to Miami and tell Coach Butch Davis about this "diamond in the rough" that he found in Shockey. Miami which was aware of the NCAA rule book from cover to cover, after being penalized the last few years for various violations, found a loophole where Shockey would not have to sit out a season to transfer, because he was a full academic qualifier. The University of Oklahoma also realized it had made a mistake in turning away Shockey, and they also pursued him, however there were two things working against them. First, the Sooners were unaware of the full academic qualifier rule, and thought Shockey would have to sit out a season as he transferred. Second, Shockey was still upset how he was turned away from Oklahoma just the previous year. Shockey's decision was not a popular one, as he lived and grew up in Oklahoma, but he decided to transfer to the University of Miami. In Shockey's first year at Miami, he made a big impact, becoming one of Quarterback, Ken Dorsey's, favorite targets, and helping Miami win the Sugar Bowl, and finish #2 in the country. Despite not starting a single game in his Sophomore year, Shockey was still voted first-team All-Big East. In his Junior season at Miami, Shockey only got better. He went from being an unknown second string tight end, to a starting, impact tight end, who was a key component in the ferocious Miami offense. Miami won the Rose Bowl that year, and was voted #1 overall in the country, winning their fifth National Championship in school history. Shockey was leading receiver for the Hurricanes that year, and was named a First-Team All American by Sports Illustrated, and a All-Big East player for the second season in a row. Despite Coach Coker's advice to stay for his Senior year at Miami, Jeremy decided to enter the NFL Draft, where he was predicted to be a potential first round pick. There were several NFL teams interested in Shockey, but no one was more interested than the New York Giants. The Giants did not expect for Shockey to still be available at their pick of #15, but he was still there at #14, when the Tennessee Titans were picking. The Giants decided that they couldn't risk it, and traded up to #14, where they selected Shockey, to be a prominent tight end, in a franchise that hadn't had a great tight end in years. Shockey signed a five year deal with Big Blue worth $8.5 million. It didn't take long before Jeremy got the reputation of being fearless in the NFL. He set the league on fire, helping the Giants reach the playoff's where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers. In his rookie season, Jeremy Shockey was voted to the Pro Bowl, voted an All-Pro tight end, and he also finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. Shockey's second season in the NFL had a lot of hype, but fell apart, as he was bugged with both foot and knee injuries, that allowed him only to play 9 games in 2003. The Giants finished 4-12, and Coach Jim Fassel was fired. Fassel's replacement, Tom Coughlin was a known disciplinarian, but was also known for having an open offense, which suited Shockey well. Shockey did not live up to expectations, catching only 61 passes for 666 yards, and 6 touchdowns, but he did develop a positive relationship with rookie quarterback, Eli Manning. As you can see from Jeremy Shockey's story, even someone from the humblest beginnings can make it big. Just take the blackjack promotions from GamblingCity.net, and play online blackjack for fun and cash and win big by counting cards. Or, try some roulette play on the american roulette wheel! As the 2005 season approaches, Jeremy is looking forward to a successful season, further developing the relationship with quarterback Eli Manning, and staying injury free. He certainly has big expectations for his 4th season in the NFL, where he looks to return to the greatness he proved he had in his rookie year. |
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