 Grove in 2014 | |||||||||
| No. 64 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Center | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1980-01-22)January 22, 1980 (age 45) 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: 2nd round, 45th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Charles Jacob Grove (born January 22, 1980) is an American former professionalfootballcenter who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He playedcollege football for theVirginia Tech Hokies, where he won theRimington Trophy and was recognized as aunanimous All-American. He was selected by theOakland Raiders in the second round of the2004 NFL draft, and also played for theMiami Dolphins.
Grove was born inJohnson City, Tennessee. He played high school football atJefferson Forest High School in Forest, Virginia.
While attendingVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Grove played for coachFrank Beamer'sVirginia 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-teamAll-American honors, and won theRimington 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 theVirginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
Grove wasdrafted in the second round (45th overall) of the2004 NFL draft by theOakland Raiders, through a pick that was acquired from theTampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange forJon Gruden, where he played from 2004 to 2008.[2] After being the reserve center behindAdam Treu as a rookie, Grove split time with him as the starting center during the2005 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 the2007 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 the2008 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]
On March 2, 2009, Grove signed a five-year, $29 million ($14.5 million guaranteed) free agent contract with theMiami 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 ofJoe Berger. He reportedly worked out for the Raiders,Baltimore Ravens,Detroit Lions, andNew England Patriots, but did not sign with another team.[6]
