Tulsa's Shaffer Selected by Atlanta Falcons in 7th Round
4/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 21, 2002
New York, NY - University of Tulsa offensive lineman Kevin Shaffer (Leola, Pa.) was selected in the seventh round of the NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He was the 34th pick in the seventh round, and the 245th selection overall.
Shaffer, a 6'5", 298-pound tackle, was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter for the Golden Hurricane. He played in 39 career games, while starting 33 of those contests at tackle. His streak of 26 straight starts was snapped in the 2001 campaign when he was sidelined against New Mexico State in the fourth game with a lower leg infection. He returned to the starting lineup a game later and finished the season with seven straight starting assignments.
An honorable mention all-Western Athletic Conference selection as a senior, Shaffer graded over 80-pecent in 32 of 33 games over his final three seasons. He graded over 80-percent in all 10 games of his senior season. Shaffer graded 96-percent against Fresno State with 13 knockdowns in one of his top senior performances. Shaffer has also been named to the National Strength and Conditioning Association All-America Athlete Team.
"It's a credit to Kevin for how hard he has worked, and the type of athletic ability that he possesses. He's going into a great situation with a great head coach. It's a tremendous opportunity for him," said Tulsa Head Coach Keith Burns. "Kevin has it all when it comes to an offensive lineman. He has excellent feet, has the ability to drive block and is very strong. We're extremely happy for him, and have confidence that he'll make the best of this opportunity."
Shaffer played as a true freshman in 1998, seeing action in six games. Before coming to Tulsa, he played two years of prep football at Conestoga Valley (Pa.) High School as an offensive and defensive lineman. He did not play football until his junior season.
Shaffer is the first Tulsa player to be drafted since defensive back Todd Franz was selected in the fifth round by the Detroit Lions in the 2000 NFL Draft. The last three Tulsa offensive linemen drafted by an NFL squad have enjoyed success. Jerry Ostroski (Kansas City Chiefs, 10th round in 1992) is a starting offensive lineman with the Buffalo Bills, Richard Stephens (Cincinnati Bengals, 9th Round in 1989) spent a few years with the Oakland Raiders, and David Alexander (Philadelphia Eagles, 5th Round in 1987) enjoyed a long career with the Eagles. In addition, Tulsa's last first round NFL Draft pick was Steve August (Seattle Seahawks in 1977), who had a solid career with the Seahawks.
SHAFFER BIO . . .
Kevin Shaffer
Offensive Tackle
6-5 * 298 lbs. * 4 Letters Earned
Leola, Pa.
TULSA: A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter . . . played in 39 career games and started 33 of those games . . . one of the top offensive line prospects in the Western Athletic Conference . . . graded over 80-pecent in 32 of 33 games over his final three seasons . . . 2001 -- Started 10 games at left tackle on the season . . . graded over 80-percent in all 10 games he played . . . graded at 96% against Fresno State and 87% against UTEP . . . an honorable mention all-WAC performer . . . named to the National Strength and Conditioning Association All-America Athlete Team . . . had his streak of 26 straight starts was snapped in the 2001 campaign when he was sidelined against New Mexico State in the fourth game with a lower leg infection . . . returned to the starting lineup a game later and finished the season with seven straight starting assignments. . . 2000 -- Started all 12 games at left tackle on the season . . . graded over 80-percent in all 12 games . . . 1999 -- Started all 11 games at strong tackle . . . graded over 80-percent in 10 of 11 games . . . had a high grade of 91-percent against San Jose State . . . 1998 -- Was one of six true freshman to see action during the 1998 campaign . . . played in six games . . . saw action against SW Missouri State, West Virginia, Colorado State, Air Force, SMU and Wyoming . . . Overall -- Has great athletic ability, which allows him to be a dominant offensive lineman . . . very versatile player . . . a good run and pass blocker . . . provide solid leadership on the offensive line . . . has good size, strength and ability . . . an intelligent player.
HIGH SCHOOL: Was a two-year letterwinner at Conestoga Valley High School . . . started at offensive guard and defensive tackle both his junior and senior seasons . . . did not begin playing football until his junior season . . . helped his team register an 8-2 record and advance to the state quarterfinals . . . was credited with 33 tackle and three fumble recoveries during his senior season . . . was a first-team all-conference selection on both offense and defense as a senior . . . was a "BIG 33" game nominee . . . named the Lancaster News Era Player of the Week and also the Lancaster Lebanon Player of the Week once each as a senior . . . high school coach was Gerad Novak.
PERSONAL: Favorite book is The Outsiders . . . his favorite non-football athlete is Barry Bonds . . . lists "The Simpsons" and "Friends" as his favorite TV shows . . . favorite movie is Rambo . . . his favorite games as a child was kickball and four-square. . . his dream as a child was to become a major league baseball player . . . a member of Big Brothers and the Scroll Society . . . was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for three years . . . parents are Andy and Cathy Shaffer . . . majoring in finance. . . born March 2, 1980 in Salisbury, Maryland.
