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 Finneran with theAtlanta Falcons in 2008 | |||||||||
| No. 81, 86 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1976-01-31)January 31, 1976 (age 49) Mission Viejo, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, California) | ||||||||
| College | Villanova (1994–1997) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1998: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Brian Joseph Finneran (born January 31, 1976) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He was signed by theSeattle Seahawks as anundrafted free agent in 1998 and also played for theBarcelona Dragons,Philadelphia Eagles, andAtlanta Falcons. He playedcollege football for theVillanova Wildcats.
Finneran attendedSanta Margarita Catholic High School inRancho Santa Margarita, California, and finished his three-year career there with a school career-record 177 receptions. Finneran received scholarship offers to playcollege football for theOregon Ducks andOregon State Beavers. However, the only school to offer a football scholarship to both Finneran and his twin brother wasVillanova.[1]
Finneran and his identical twin brother, Brad, played college football forVillanova University and werelettermen. As a senior, Finneran had 96 receptions for 1,389 yards, earningAll-American honors from theAssociated Press and being awarded theWalter Payton Award, which is given to the nation's topDivision I-AA offensive player. He had 265 receptions for 3,872 yards and 34 touchdowns over his entire college career. He had his number 25 jersey retired by Villanova in the fall of 2003.
Prior to joining the Falcons, Finneran played for theNFL EuropaBarcelona Dragons where he was named All-NFL Europe. After coming to America and joining the Falcons, he proved to be a consistent possession receiver. Finneran tore ligaments in his left knee during Falcons practice on July 30, 2006, and missed the entire2006 season. He missed his second straight season after tearing the reconstructedanterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Before injuries forced him to miss the previous two seasons, he was the preferred target ofquarterbackMichael Vick despite generally starting in theslot receiver position. He returned to the field in 2008 but did not start and saw limited action. He was re-signed to a one-year contract on February 11, 2010.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1999 | PHI | 3 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 11 | 0 |
| 2000 | ATL | 12 | 0 | 7 | 60 | 8.6 | 14 | 0 |
| 2001 | ATL | 16 | 1 | 23 | 491 | 21.3 | 52 | 3 |
| 2002 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 56 | 838 | 15.0 | 47 | 6 |
| 2003 | ATL | 12 | 10 | 26 | 368 | 14.2 | 38 | 2 |
| 2004 | ATL | 12 | 1 | 23 | 258 | 11.2 | 26 | 2 |
| 2005 | ATL | 16 | 7 | 50 | 611 | 12.2 | 53 | 2 |
| 2008 | ATL | 16 | 0 | 21 | 169 | 8.0 | 14 | 1 |
| 2009 | ATL | 10 | 2 | 11 | 111 | 10.1 | 19 | 0 |
| 2010 | ATL | 16 | 1 | 19 | 166 | 8.7 | 21 | 3 |
| 129 | 38 | 238 | 3,093 | 13.0 | 53 | 19 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2002 | ATL | 2 | 2 | 9 | 107 | 11.9 | 28 | 0 |
| 2004 | ATL | 2 | 0 | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 29 | 0 |
| 2008 | ATL | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 7 | 0 |
| 2010 | ATL | 1 | 0 | 4 | 47 | 11.8 | 19 | 0 |
| 6 | 2 | 18 | 202 | 11.2 | 29 | 0 | ||
He is one of the four hosts onThe Locker Room, a morning sports talk show onWCNN 680 The Fan in Atlanta. He is also currently an ambassador forUSA Football.[2]
He made his television color commentary debut on April 2, 2016, for the Villanova Team Stream onTruTV for the 2016 Men's Basketball Final Four.