Introduction
Shane Boyd (born September 18, 1982) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League (AFL). He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Boyd has also been a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Montreal Alouettes, California Redwoods, Indianapolis Colts, Sacramento Mountain Lions, Milwaukee Mustangs, Tampa Bay Storm and Portland Thunder.
Early years
In high school and college, Boyd played both baseball and football. He was drafted as a pitcher by the Minnesota Twins the 12th round of the 2004 MLB Draft but decided against signing.
He was a great football player and baseball player at Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky. His brother, Aaron, was a wide receiver at Kentucky.
College career
He played in 36 games while starting 16 at Kentucky. He finished his college career with 2,484 passing yards with 13 TD’s and gained 845 rushing yards on 191 carries and 13 TD’s.
Professional career
Tennessee Titans
Boyd was signed by the Tennessee Titans before the 2005 season, but was released on August 29.
Pittsburgh Steelers
After being signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was allocated to NFL Europe and played for the Cologne Centurions before being cut by the Steelers on September 2. Cologne Centurions quarterback Shane Boyd became NFL Europe’s all-time leading rushing quarterback, amassing 339 yards on the ground to break Jon Kitna’s record by five yards.
Arizona Cardinals
Boyd spent most of the 2006 season on the Arizona Cardinals before being activated for the season finale. He was waived during final cuts on August 31, 2007.
Houston Texans
Boyd was signed to the Houston Texans' practice squad in October 2007. He was re-signed in the 2008 offseason, but waived on August 29.
Montreal Alouettes
Boyd was signed by the Montreal Alouettes on May 29, 2009, and released at the beginning of training camp, June 6, 2009.
California Redwoods
He was drafted by the California Redwoods on June 18, 2009.
He signed with the team on September 2 and scored the first ever UFL touchdown in the second quarter of the game on October 8. Boyd was the only one of the four starting quarterbacks in the UFL's first season to have never played a regular season NFL game.
He returned to the Redwoods (by this point rebranded and relocated as the Sacramento Mountain Lions) for 2010, only to get cut in the preseason as the team signed Daunte Culpepper to serve as the team's new starter.
Indianapolis Colts
Boyd was signed to the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad on December 2, 2009, but was waived on December 9.
Portland Thunder
On December 20, 2013, Boyd was selected by the Portland Thunder in the 2014 AFL Expansion Draft.
Bluegrass Warhorses
Boyd left the AFL and joined the Bluegrass Warhorses of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) for the 2014 season. After 3 games, Boyd was released.
San Antonio Talons
Boyd was assigned to the San Antonio Talons of the AFL on April 2, 2014.
Arizona Rattlers
Boyd was assigned to the Arizona Rattlers on April 30, 2015, after Rattlers' starting quarterback, Nick Davila, was placed on injured reserve.
Cleveland Gladiators
Harris was assigned to the Cleveland Gladiators on January 13, 2017.