Grant Wistrom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Grant Wistrom | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Date of birth | July 3, 1976 (age 30) |
| Place of birth |  Joplin, Missouri |
| Position(s) | Defensive end |
| College | Nebraska |
| NFL Draft | 1998 / Round 1/ Pick 6 |
| Honors | 1 Super Bowl ring |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1998–2003 2004-2006 |
St. Louis Rams Seattle Seahawks |
Grant Alden Wistrom, (born July 3, 1976 in Joplin, Missouri), plays American Football in the National Football League (NFL) and is currently a free agent. He was released by the Seahawks on March 8, 2007. In addition to his athletic pursuits, Grant has established the Grant Wistrom Foundation, a charitable organization for pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Contents |
[edit] High School
Grant began his football career in Missouri, where he played for the Webb City High School football team, the Cardinals, as a defensive end and tight end. While at Webb City, he was chosen as a first-team All America selection by Super Prep, Blue chip and USA Today. He also earned Top 100 Honors from Scholastic Coach Magazine. His statistics on the field include:
- As a defensive end: 122 tackles, eight sacks, six fumble recoveries, nine forced fumbles and a blocked punt
- As a tight end: caught 30 passes for 527 yards and five touchdowns and rushed 11 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns
- Led the team to two class 4A championships
Grant also played basketball and competed in track. Grant holds an annual football camp in the summer to benefit the Webb City athletic department.
[edit] College
Following his All-American performance as a Cardinal, Grant was heavily recruited by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he helped anchor the Husker defensive line, contributing to the Husker National Championship Seasons of 1994, 1995 and 1997. His career totals include 206 total tackles, 26.5 sacks for 178 yards, one interception, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Honors include:
- Unanimous All-America and All-Big 12 Conference First-Team selection senior season
- Recipient of the Lombardi Award, given to nation's top collegiate lineman
- Academic All-Big 12 honors
- Consensus Academic and Athletic First Team all-America
- All-Big 12 first team selection and conference Defensive Player of the Year
- Earned third-team all-America honors by Associated Press and first-team all-Big Eight Conference honors sophomore season
- Selected as Newcomer of the Year by Big Eight conference freshman season
[edit] Professional
Grant, considered a “high energy player who is both durable and versatile…good against the run and pass”,[1] was selected by the St Louis Rams as the sixth overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. After six seasons, including two Super Bowl appearances, with the St. Louis Rams, Grant became a free agent and subsequently signed a six year contract with the Seattle Seahawks on March 4, 2004.
2006: Started all 16 regular season games (the fifth time in his 9 year professional career). Finished the season with 37 tackles (30 solo), 4.0 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.
2005: Started all 16 regular season games. Finished the season with 52 tackles (41 solo), 4.0 sacks and 6 passes defensed, a career high.
2004: Started all nine games played. Suffered knee injury at New England (10/17) and was forced to miss weeks 7-10. Returned to play four games before reinjuring knee and missed final three games and Wild Card Playoff Game. Finished the season with 38 total tackles (27 solo), 3.5 sacks, four passes defensed, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
2003: Started all 16 regular season games and one postseason game for the Rams. Recorded career-high 108 tackles (57 solo) with 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery and tied career-high with four passes defensed.
2002: Played in 15 games with 14 starts. Finished season with career high 97 tackles (43 solo), including four for loss and also tallied 4.5 sacks, one interception, three passes defensed, one forced fumble, and career-high two fumble recoveries.
2001: Had best season of career with recording career-highs with 96 tackles (47 solo) and two forced fumbles, and tied career bests with two interceptions and one fumble recovery. He finished second on the team with nine sacks and had three passes defensed and 19 quarterback pressures and was 10th in NFC in sacks. In post-season action, he finished fifth on team with career-high 19 postseason tackles (11 solo) and second on club with two sacks.
2000: Started 16 games at right defensive end and had career year, registering career-bests in tackles (71), sacks (11.0 for 65 yards), and had 29 quarterback pressures, four passes defensed and one forced fumble, tying for seventh in NFC in sacks.
1999: Started all 16 regular season and three playoff games at right defensive end and was selected to 1999 All-Madden team by Fox Sports announcer John Madden while setting career highs in tackles (60), sacks (6.5), interceptions (two), interception returns for touchdown (two), passes defensed (two), and tied career mark with one fumble recovery. Grant tied for team lead with two interceptions returned for touchdown.
1998: Played in 13 games on defense and special teams and finished season with 30 tackles, three sacks, one fumble recovery and five special teams tackles and was named Rams Defensive Rookie of the Year by coaches.
[edit] Charity Work
The Grant Wistrom Foundation, created in July of 2002, strives to allow pediatric cancer patients opportunities to just be children. At a Foundation event they are able to connect with other children who understand their world as both a child and a patient, fostering friendships built on these common bonds. The plight of young oncology patients was brought to Grant’s attention during his senior year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, when he befriended a young Husker fan with leukemia from his home state of Missouri. To help prepare the child for the loss of his hair during treatment, Grant, and Nebraska team mates Jason Peter and Jared Tomich, included Kendall in their pre-game ritual of shaving their heads and presented him with an honorary blackshirt jersey.
The Grant Wistrom Foundation consists of four programs:
Circle of Friends: The Circle of Friends experience begins with a four day Wisconsin winter trip that brings together 40 pediatric oncology patients from 9 U.S. Cities. They enjoy skiing, tubing, disco bowling and snowmobiling, along with discussing the latest fashion trends and the newest music to hit the charts. For many of the participants these new friendships offer encouragement and support as they navigate through their course of recovery. Every two years the group is reunited on a summer trip where new adventures await them. Fellow Seattle Seahawk Jerry Wunsch, Brian Young of the New Orleans Saints, Rich Coady of the Dallas Cowboys, Jared Tomichof the Kansas City Chiefs and Chris Kelsay of the Buffalo Bills join Grant in hosting these events.
Local Outreach: The Foundation supports a number of events that have included, Kids Only Day at a Family Fun Center, a VIP Game Day party, Mom’s Spa Day and a Dad’s Mariners game outing.
Section 98: The Foundation donates ten tickets for each home Seahawks game to pediatric oncology patients and their families so that they may enjoy the Seahawks experience. Each guest receives a t-shirt and a pre game meal.
Charities for Children: The Foundation actively supports various children’s organizations through financial and/or merchandise donations in Washington, Missouri, Nebraska and Illinois.
In addition to the work of his own Foundation, Grant continues to support the work of the Seattle Seahawks Community Outreach program
[edit] Trivia
- Grant logged his first sack as a NFL by forcing San Francisco 49’ers quarterback Steve Young out of bounds in the first quarter on October 25 1998.
- Grant made his first interception in the NFL and returned it 91 yards for touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons on October 17, 1999. The interception return was sixth longest in St Louis Rams franchise history and longest ever by Rams' defensive lineman.
- Grant registered his career-high 17 tackles, including a career-high 10 solo, against the Baltimore Ravens on November 9, 2003.
- Grant is the middle child of three boys. Grant’s older brother, Chance, is a high school principal and his younger brother, Tracey, is employed as a drug representative. Chance played his college football career for Central Missouri State, Tracey joined Grant at The University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
- Grant’s father, Ron is the property manager for WIP Properties, and his mother, Kathy is co-owner of The Wax Bucket, a combination gift shop and candle manufacture. Additionally, Kathy has authored the book, Mrs Wistrom’s ABCs: What I Learned Raising Three All-Americans, described as a practical, down-to-earth look at parenting.
[edit] External links
- GrantWistrom.net - Official Grant Wistrom Website
- SeaHawks.com - Seattle Seahawks Homepage
- StLouisRams - St Louis Rams Homepage
- Huskers.com - University of Nebraska Athletics Homepage
- [1] - Webb City High School Homepage
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Seattle Seahawks Website, Player Bios Section
