Andy Stokes is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 tight end

Tight end

The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

. He was drafted with the final pick in the 2005 NFL Draft

2005 NFL Draft

The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...

, earning him the title of Mr. Irrelevant

Mr. Irrelevant

"Mr. Irrelevant" is the title bestowed each year upon the last pick of the annual National Football League draft.- Irrelevant Week :The name arose in 1976, when former Southern California and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded "Irrelevant Week" in Newport Beach, California. He announced the final...

. The New England Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

 draftee went to William Penn University

William Penn University

William Penn University is a private, liberal arts university in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. It was founded by members of the Religious Society of Friends in 1873 as Penn College...

 where he was a tight end. Cut by the Patriots during training camp, he landed on the roster for the Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

' practice squad, but was released on August 21, 2006.

High School Years

Stokes attended Pine View High School in St. George, Utah and was a student and a letterman in football. He is now the coach of the Dixie High School

Dixie High School (Utah)

Dixie High School is in St. George, Utah at 350 East 700 South. It is a Utah Class 3A school with around 1000 students. The school's mascot is the Flyers and is represented by a World War I-era biplane pilot.-History:...

 freshman team

College career

Andy Stokes caught 32 passes for 417 yards (13.0 avg.) and a pair of touchdowns as a sophomore. The following year, he caught 30 passes for 408 yards (13.6 avg.) and three scores, adding 23 yards on three rushing attempts (7.7 avg.) and also posted five tackles (4 solos) on special teams. For that performance, he was named All-Mid-States Football Association

Mid-States Football Association

The Mid-States Football Association is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio. The MSFA was organized in 1993, and on-field competition began in 1994...

 honorable mention.

In 2004, Stokes was awarded third-team NAIA

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...

 All-America and first-team All-MSFA honors. He was also named to Football Gazette's all-region team. He finished second on the team with a career-high 42 receptions for 753 yards (17.9 avg.) and five touchdowns. He ran once for 16 yards, threw an option pass for 39 yards and recorded four tackles. In 31 games with the Statesmen, Stokes snatched 104 passes for 1,578 yards (15.2 avg.) and 10 touchdowns. He rushed four times for 39 yards (9.8 avg.) and had a 39-yard pass completion. He also recorded nine tackles (6 solos).