ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 26, 1996 TAG: 9601260083
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
SHAYNE GRAHAM adds Parade All-America status to his growing list of honors.
It was difficult for Shayne Graham to experience much joy at his selection as a Parade All-America football player.
``This past week it's been hard to think about anything,'' said Graham, who served as a pallbearer Thursday at the funeral of a Pulaski County High School classmate, Crystal Raymond.
Raymond, who died Monday, was the mascot for the Cougars' athletic teams and one of Graham's closest friends.
The word from the school office was that a Parade representative had requested Graham's kicking statistics and a photo, but Graham still was not sure he had made the team until notification came Thursday. The team will be published Sunday.
Graham earlier had been chosen second-team All-America by USA Today and this week was named an All-American by SuperPrep magazine, which rated him the No.2 kicker in the country behind Courtney Leavitt from Germantown, Tenn.
``When I've looked at the Parade All-America team before, there was always only one kicker,'' Graham said. ``I figured, if I made it this year, they'd have to pick two because he's [Leavitt] been in every other publication with me.''
He was right. There were two kickers on the Parade team - Graham and Leavitt, who had field goals of 59, 57 and 54 yards during the 1995 season and was 10-of-16 overall. Two of his misses were from 62 yards, two were blocked and one followed a bad snap.
Graham was 17-of-25 on field-goal attempts in '95 and ranks fifth nationally for field goals in a season and second for field goals in a career (38).
``I'm surprised at how it's turned out,'' said Graham, who gave an oral commitment to Virginia Tech in December. ``I would have been content with none [of the All-America recognition] at the beginning of the season. I just wanted to get better.''
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Graham.by CNB