Michael Gaines
Michael J. Gaines is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League. He played college football for the UCF Knights and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft.
Gaines also played for the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns.
Early life
Gaines attended Florida High School which is a developmental school associated with Florida State UniversityAs a football standout, he played six different positions, including backup quarterback and finished his high school career with 56 receptions, 1,715 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. He earned first-team all-state recognition as a junior and senior and registered 20 receptions for 535 yards and nine touchdowns in addition to collecting 110 tackles on defense as a senior. Gaines was rated the number one tight end in Florida. He was the first player from his school to participate in the Florida-Georgia High School All-Star Game.
College career
Gaines played in 23 games with four starts for the University of Central Florida. He recorded 22 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns. In 2003, he was selected to play in the Blue-Gray Game.During Gaines Junior season at UCF, he had a stellar breakout game against Toledo,. During the game, Gaines caught what was to have been a short yard gain for a first down, but he displayed balance and athleticism that caught the eye of NFL scouts. Gaines proved to be virtually unstoppable against the Toledo defense.