Charles Jacob Grove (born January 22, 1980) is an American former professional football center who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies, where he won the Rimington Trophy and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft, and also played for the Miami Dolphins.
 Grove in 2014 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | January 22, 1980 Johnson City, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Jefferson Forest (Forest, Virginia) | ||||||||
| College: | Virginia Tech (2000–2003) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2004 / round: 2 / pick: 45 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life
editGrove was born in Johnson City, Tennessee. He played high school football at Jefferson Forest High School in Forest, Virginia.
College career
editWhile attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Grove played for coach Frank Beamer's Virginia Tech Hokies football team from 2000 to 2003. As a senior in 2003, he was a first-team All-Big East selection, received unanimous first-team All-American honors, and won the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation's best college center. In recognition of his outstanding college career as a Hokie, Virginia Tech retired his jersey number in 2006,[1] and enshrined him in the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional career
editOakland Raiders
editGrove was drafted in the second round (45th overall) of the 2004 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders, through a pick that was acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Jon Gruden, where he played from 2004 to 2008.[2] After being the reserve center behind Adam Treu as a rookie, Grove split time with him as the starting center during the 2005 NFL season, in which the Raiders had a 4-12 won-lost record, then won the job the following year, the 7th starting center in Raider history, starting all 16 games, when Treu became his replacement for a 2–14 team. But in the 2007 NFL season, Jeremy Newberry became the starting center, as Grove started only two games for the 4–12 team. He got his job back in the 2008 NFL season, starting in 12 games, though the team's fortune stayed poor with a 5–11 record. His Oakland tenure was hampered by injuries,[3] and he only played in more than 10 games twice during his six seasons in Oakland.[4]
Miami Dolphins
editOn March 2, 2009, Grove signed a five-year, $29 million ($14.5 million guaranteed) free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins. The previous starting center for the Dolphins, Samson Satele, was traded to Grove's old team, the Raiders. Grove suffered through another injury plagued year, playing in 12 games, starting 10 of them. In the 2010 preseason, he suffered from nagging knee and shoulder injuries, and was cut by the Dolphins less than a year after signing his lucrative free agent contract[5] in favor of Joe Berger. He reportedly worked out for the Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and New England Patriots, but did not sign with another team.[6]
Notes
edit- ^ "Jake Grove: Retired Jersey". Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
- ^ "2004 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- ^ Edgar Thompson (March 23, 2009). "C Samson Satele to Oakland Raiders for pick No. 158 and an 18-pick improvement in 4th round". Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
- ^ "Jake Grove - NFL.com". Retrieved September 5, 2011.
- ^ Ben Volin (September 9, 2010). "Miami Dolphins cut center Jake Grove in favor of healthier, lower-paid Joe Berger". Retrieved September 5, 2011.
- ^ Ramone Brown (November 3, 2010). "Oakland Raiders: Team Works Out Jake Grove and It's About Time". Retrieved September 5, 2011.
External links
edit
- Oakland Raiders bio
- Miami Dolphins bio
- Virginia Tech Hokies bio at the Wayback Machine (archived April 5, 2004)