Tony Graziani
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| Tony Graziani | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | December 23, 1973 (age 33) |
| Place of birth | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| College | Oregon |
| NFL Draft | 1997 / Round 7/ Pick 204 |
| Team(s) | |
| 1997-1999 2000 2000 2001-2004 2005-Present |
Atlanta Falcons Cleveland Browns Barcelona Dragons Los Angeles Avengers Philadelphia Soul |
Anthony Robert Graziani (Born:December 23, 1973, in Las Vegas, Nevada) is a current Arena Football League quarterback for the Philadelphia Soul. He previously played in the NFL from 1997-2000 and NFL Europe in 2000.
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[edit] High school career
Graziani attended Thomas Downey High School in Modesto, California, and as a senior quarterback, he passed for 3,956 yards and 35 touchdowns in his prep career while leading his team to a share of the Central California Conference title.
[edit] College career
Graziani was a four-year letterman the University of Oregon and finished his football career with 4,498 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
[edit] NFL career
Graziani was a 7th round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1997 NFL Draft. He played for the Falcons for 3 years, from 1997 to 1999. During his NFL career, he threw for 999 yards and 2 touchdowns with 8 interceptions. He also had 16 carries for 51 yards. Also, during his one-year tenure with the Cleveland Browns, he also played for the Barcelona Dragons in 2000.
[edit] Arena Football career
[edit] Los Angeles Avengers
Graziani signed with the Los Angeles Avengers prior to the 2001 season. He completed 23 out of 37 passes that season for 262 yards, 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. He became the starter in 2002 as he completed 282 out of 467 passes for 3568 yards, 67 touchdowns, and 1 interception. In 2003, he completed 304 of 495 passes for 4290 yards, 96 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. In 2004, he had his finest season as he completed 333 of 510 passes for 4265 yards, 99 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.
[edit] Philadelphia Soul
Prior to the 2005 season, Graziani signed with the Philadelphia Soul. He completed 328 out of 555 passes that year for 4272 yards, 90 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions as Philadelphia had a disappointing 6-10 season. In an injury-riddled 2006, he completed 232 of 389 passes for 2981 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, but Philadelphia went 9-7 and made the playoffs for the first time ever. Through Week 4 of the 2007 Arena Football Season, Graziani has completed 75 of 116 passes for 1,041 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only 3 interceptions and the Soul are undefeated at 4-0. In Graziani's third start against Colorado he threw for 8 touchdowns topping out over 300 yards and only 1 interception,the Soul are now 3-0.
[edit] Interesting Facts
Tony Graziani is related to Rodolfo Graziani, an Italian military officer who led expeditions in Africa before and during World War II.
In 2006, he was the highest paid Arena Football player. He signed a 3 year contract with the Philadelphia Soul for about $160,000 per season. This is approximately the NFL minimum salary for rookies.
