Keith Callay Fitzhugh (born November 11, 1986) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

who briefly was in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

. He was signed by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2009. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

High school

Keith graduated from Lovejoy High School in Hampton Georgia a semester early to attend Mississippi State University. He was the first recruit for Coach Sylvester Croom and chose Mississippi State.

College

In 2005, Keith played in 11 games as a true freshman making 13 tackles (including a tackle for loss). In 2006, Keith played in all 12 games and had 59 tackles and 1 interception. In 2007, Keith played in all 13 games and had 58 tackles, 5.5 Tackles for Loss, 1 Sack, and 2 Interceptions. In 2008, Keith played in all 12 games and had 50 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 1 interception He was ranked the 12th best safety in the 2009 NFL Draft by NFL Draft Scout.

Professional career

Fitzhugh went undrafted in 2009 and tryouts with the Jets and

Ravens Ravens may refer to: * Raven, a species of the genus ''Corvus'' of passerine birds Sports * Anderson Ravens, the intercollegiate athletic program of Anderson University in Indiana * Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football franchise * B ...

were unsuccessful. On December 8, 2010, Fitzhugh declined an invitation to rejoin the Jets after injuries to safeties

Jim Leonhard James Andrew Leonhard (born October 27, 1982) is an American professional American football, football coach and former player who is the defensive pass game coordinator and assistant head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football Le ...

and

James Ihedigbo James Ugochu Ihedigbo ( ; born December 3, 1983) is an American former professional football safety. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Massachusetts. Early life Ihedigbo played ...

, in order to provide a steady income for his parents. His father is disabled and unable to work. He works as a conductor for the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Personal life

Keith currently resides in Hampton, Georgia with his father Keith Fitzhugh, Sr. and mother Meltonia Fitzhugh. Keith has an older brother named Toran and his sister Brittany died at the age of 14 from complications of the West Nile virus.New York Times Article 12-12-10 A Connection Missed
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References

External links

Baltimore Ravens bioMississippi State Bulldogs bio

New York Jets bioKeith's NFL Football Representation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzhugh, Keith 1986 births Living people Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida American football safeties Mississippi State Bulldogs football players New York Jets players Baltimore Ravens players American railroaders Norfolk Southern Railway people