Daniel Lee Aiken (born August 28, 1988) is a former

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

long snapper In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempt ...

. He was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

in 2011. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

after a prep year at

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private, all-male, college preparatory military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is considered one of the premier military boarding academies in th ...

Early years

While attending Cave Spring High School, Aiken lettered in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. During his high school career, he played on the

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

, at

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, and in his early years on junior varsity he played

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. At quarterback in his senior year, he led the Knights to a 9–1 regular season record. Their only loss coming against the Salem Spartans (state champions that year) who won the game 7-6 in a controversial finish. The Knights finished the year with a 1–1 playoff record, defeating Brookville (led by future

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

quarterback Logan Thomas) in the regional semifinals before falling in the regional championship game to top-seeded and undefeated

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, finishing the season at 10-2. He attended

as a

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

, where he gained experience as a long snapper.

College career

He played

at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, was the team's

all four years, and was a reserve

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

but caught no passes while there, he played under coach

Mike London Michael Wilson London Sr. (born October 9, 1960) is the current head football coach for the William & Mary Tribe football program at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He is a former defensive back and associate head coac ...

NFL career

Buffalo Bills

In May 2011, the

signed him as an

, he was waived by the team in August 2011.

New England Patriots

The

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

claimed him off waivers on September 4, 2011, and he was named the team's starting

and an emergency

. On March 7, 2014, Aiken was re-signed to a 1-year contract. He was released from the team on August 30, 2014, but re-signed on September 4. On February 1, 2015, Aiken won

Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...

with the Patriots. At the conclusion of the 2014-2015 season Aiken was not resigned by the Patriots due to back surgery and their drafting of Joe Cardona in the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

to be the team's new long snapper.

Carolina Panthers

Aiken was signed by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

on November 25, 2015 after an injury to the Panthers long snapper J. J. Jansen. On November 27, 2015, Aiken was waived.

New York Giants

On December 8, 2015, Aiken was signed as a free agent by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

to replace long snapper

Zak DeOssie Zackary Robert DeOssie (born May 25, 1984) is a former American football long snapper of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Brown University and was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2007 NF ...

, who suffered a wrist injury and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. On December 31, 2015, Aiken was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a thumb injury, and was replaced by Tyler Ott.

Personal life

Aiken is currently married to Kelly Pierson Aiken. While not officially retired from the NFL, Aiken became the head coach of the

Virginia Episcopal School Virginia Episcopal School (VES) is a private, co-educational college preparatory, boarding and day school for students in grades 9 - 12, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. The school was first conceived in 1906 by the Reverend Rober ...

football team for the 2018 season.

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiken, Danny 1988 births Living people Sportspeople from Roanoke, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia American football long snappers Virginia Cavaliers football players Buffalo Bills players New England Patriots players Carolina Panthers players New York Giants players