Curtis McGriff 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...

 defensive lineman in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 for the New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and the Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

.

Early life

McGriff grew up in rural Houston County, Alabama

Houston County, Alabama

Houston County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of 2010 the population was 101,547. Its county seat is Dothan.Houston County is part of the Dothan Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...

 in the southeastern corner of the state. He attended and played football at Cottonwood High School in Cottonwood, Alabama

Cottonwood, Alabama

Cottonwood is a town in Houston County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 1,170.-Geography:Cottonwood is located at .According to the U.S...

 graduating in 1976. He played college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at the University of Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...

 for the legendary coach Paul "Bear" Bryant from 1976 to 1980. McGriff was an interior defensive lineman for the 1978 squad that defeated Penn State in the famous “goal line stand” Sugar Bowl.

Professional career

McGriff entered the NFL and signed with the New York Giants in 1980 as a defensive lineman. He made the NFL's all-rookie team that year and was a member of the Giants' 1986-1987 Super Bowl

Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...

 Championship team. McGriff was primarily used as a defensive tackle and rotated into the game on downs when a running play was anticipated (McGriff would be rotated out of the game and a pass-rush specialist would be brought into the game on passing downs.) He played his final season (1987) with the Washington Redskins.

After football

Today, McGriff lives in the New York metropolitan area

New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...

. He is often seen at charity event such as Kidney Benefits with close friend and fellow Alabama

University of Alabama

The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....

 player, Don McNeal

Don McNeal

Don McNeal is a former American professional football player who played defensive back for the Miami Dolphins in the 1980s....

, who played cornerback

Cornerback

A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...

 for the Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 from 1980–1989. On May 15, 2005 Curtis married his longtime girlfriend Maurie Morris and her daughter Sydel Carie. He is currently teaching at a correctional school in Lodi, New Jersey

Lodi, New Jersey

Lodi is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 24,136. The borough of Lodi is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.Lodi owes its name to the Italian city of Lodi...

.