Shaquem Griffin
In spite of a life filled with obstacles, nothing has stopped him from reaching his dream.
Shaquem Grffin performs fantastic defense to secure the win against Auburn in the Peach Bowl.
Shaquem Griffin was born July 20th, 1995 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Shaquem was diagnosed with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which caused his left hand to not fully develop. The pain was so unbearable that when Shaquem was four, his mom found him in the kitchen trying to cut off his finger with a butcher’s knife. After the incident, his mom and dad scheduled an appointment to get his hand amputated, but that didn’t stop him; he continued to compete in sports with his brother Shaquill.
Both Shaquem and Shaquill attended Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, where they played for the cougars. Shaquill turned down an offer to play at his dream school, The University of Miami, to play with his brother at the University of Central Florida. He had an instant impact on the UCF football team, while Shaquem did not play at all and returned next season as a redshirt freshman. Shaquem was a second string linebacker, but was demoted to third string and then scout team. He finally came alive in his junior year playing alongside his brother, although the season was a disappointment. The UCF football team had a disappointing 0-15 season under Coach O’Leary.
Shaquill declared for the NFL draft and was picked by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd round and number 90 overall. That year, when Coach Frost was brought in to replace Coach O’Leary, Shaquem admired him, said Griffin “Coach Frost brought me back into the light… he gave me the opportunity I had been waiting for ever since I arrived at UCF.” Given by the Orlando Sentinel. Griffin led UCF to the 2018 Peach bowl where they faced Auburn. The Knights had a 14-0 record going into the peach bowl, but
Auburn was definitely the favorite going in. Shaquem led the Knights to a win over the Tigers and was named the 2018 Peach Bowl MVP and American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
After receiving the awards, Shaquem told NFL critics and scouts he was going to declare for the NFL draft. Although not being invited to the 2018 NFL combine, he participated in the scouting combine in March. Griffin got noticed for performing 20 bench press reps he also ran a 4.38 second 40 yard dash, which makes him the fastest linebacker ever to perform it since NFL has released the statistics.
Shaquem had hopes of being the first ever one-handed player to be drafted. Shaquem is a 6 foot 227 lb linebacker and a tremendous athlete. He was selected in the 5th round of the NFL draft, 141st overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Shaquem and Shaquill will team up this summer for the Seahawks. While Shaquem was at UCF, he received a spot ESPN All Bowl Team, AAC Champion, Sports Illustrated All Bowl Team, and 2x First Team All-AAC.
Students here at Lafayette High School, discuss their thoughts about Shaquem Griffins future. Sophomore Braden Underwood spoke about how he thinks Shaquem will fair in the NFL. Sophomore, Braden Underwood said, “I think he will do pretty good because he works very hard and has been through a lot in his life.” Sherrieff Ford said “Yes, you can do anything you put your mind too and he is a prime example,” when asked if he is an inspiration to him.
Though Shaquem Griffin has suffered from many obstacles, he has overcome the odds in being the first one handed football player.
