Tony Scheffler life and biography

* Acquired via trade by the Detroit Lions from the Denver Broncos April 19, 2010.
* Selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round (61st overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft.

PRO:
Tight end Tony Scheffler was acquired by Detroit from Denver in a three-team trade in April 2010. Scheffler has spent the previous four years of his career with the Broncos and finished the 2009 season tied for fourth on the club with 31 receptions while ranking third on the team with 416 receiving yards through 15 games played with nine starts. Over the span of his four-year career, Scheffler has recorded 172 receptions for 2,188 yards and 15 touchdowns through 59 games with 29 starts.

* Led all NFL tight ends and set a Denver single-season record for tight ends with a 16.1 yards per reception average in 2008 that helped him register a career-high 645 receiving yards (40 receptions), which ranked eighth in the league at his position.
* Placed second on the Broncos in receptions (49) and receiving yards (549) in 2007, ranking 10th and 11th, respectively, in the league among his position group in those categories.
* Set a Broncos record for touchdown receptions (four) by a rookie tight end in 2006 and recorded 18 catches for 286 yards (15.9 avg.) during his first professional season.
* Owns eight receptions of at least 30 yards for his career, including a personal-best 72-yard grab that he made on Monday Night Football at Oakland (9/8/08).

2010: Started in first game of season in two-tight end set. Has 34 receptions for 292 yards and a touchdown thus far in 2010.

* Led the team in receptions with 6 for 43 yards in season opener at Chicago (9/12).
* Caught 1 pass for 5 yards against Philadelphia (9/19).
* Recorded first touchdown as a Lion on a 5-yard pass from QB Shaun Hill at Minnesota (9/26) in the first quarter. Caught a team-best 7 receptions for 60 yards on the day.
* Had 6 catches for 63 yards at Green Bay (10/3).
* Caught 4 passes for 41 yards in Lions 44-6 win vs. St. Louis (10/10), including the first three receptions (30 yards) on the Lions late second quarter drive that stated with 1:37 left in the half and culminated with a touchdown with :10 in the half to give the Lions a 24-6 lead.
* Had three catches for 34 yards at Buffalo (11/14).
* Left game early at Dallas (11/21) due to a ribs injury.
* Inactive against New England (11/25) due to injury.

2009: Played in 15 contests with nine starts and tied for fourth on the club with 31 receptions while ranking third on the team with 416 receiving yards.

* Recorded an interception at Cincinnati (9/13) on the game’s last play as a deep free safety on the Bengals’ Hail Mary attempt. Also had a 2-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.
* Led the club with 6 receptions for 101 yards (16.8 avg.) and a touchdown at San Diego (10/19), including a 52-yard catch in the fourth quarter that set up Denver’s last touchdown.
* Inactive vs. Kansas City (1/3/10).

2008: Saw time in 13 games with seven starts for the Broncos, totaling 40 receptions for a career-high 645 yards (16.1 avg.) with three touchdowns. Led all NFL tight ends and set a Denver single-season record for that position group with a 16.1 yards per receptions average that ranked 11th among all players for the year. Ranked eight in the league in receiving yards (645) by a tight end.

* Posted a career-long 72-yard reception at Oakland (9/8) that was the longest reception by an NFL tight end in 2008.
* Was inactive for games 6-8 with a groin injury.

2007: Played in all 16 games with seven starts for Denver, totaling a personal-best 49 receptions for 549 yards (11.2 avg.) with five touchdowns. Ranked second on the club with in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Placed tenth among all NFL tight ends in receptions, 11th in receiving yards and tied for eighth in receiving touchdowns. Tied for fourth among league tight ends with 47 receptions during the final 11 weeks of the year totaling 512 yards and all five of his receiving scores during that time. Also became the first Broncos tight end to since 2004 (Jeb Putzier) to record 500 receiving yards in a season.

* Recorded 5 catches for 82 yards and a score at Chicago (11/25).
* Posted his first career 100-yard receiving game with 100 yards on 7 catches, including a touchdown at Houston (12/13) on Thursday Night Football.

2006: Selected by the Broncos in the second round (61st overall) of the NFL Draft, Scheffler posted 18 receptions for 286 yards (15.9 avg.) with 4 touchdowns in 13 games with five starts as a rookie. His four touchdowns tied Rick Massie (1987) for the most receiving scores by a Broncos rookie in team history and were the most by a rookie tight end in club annals. Placed third among all NFL tight ends with 204 receiving yards (11 catches) and led that group with four touchdowns over the final four weeks of the season.

* Made 3 catches for a season-high 66 yards with 2 touchdowns at San Diego (12/10). His two touchdowns against the Chargers came with 48 seconds from QB Jay Cutler, tying the NFL record for the fastest that two rookies produced a pair of touchdowns (Charlie Conerly and Bill Swiacki, New York Giants, 1948). It also tied a Denver single-game record for receiving touchdowns by a rookie and became the fifth rookie tight end in the NFL since 2000 to catch multiple touchdowns in a game with his performance in San Diego.

COLLEGE:
Played 35 career games with 21 starts at Western Michigan, totaling 117 receptions for 1,345 yards (11.5 avg.) with 13 touchdowns. Finished career ranked second among tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards in school history.
* Two-time first-team All-Mid-American Conference choice as a starter at tight end during his final two seasons after beginning his career as a wide receiver.
* Placed fourth in voting for the John Mackey Award (nation’s best tight end) as a senior, posting a career-high 57 receptions for 670 yards (11/8 avg.) with nine touchdowns.

PERSONAL:
Attended Chelsea High School in Chelsea, Michigan, where he played wide receiver. Named a Detroit News Dream Team selection at Chelsea, setting a school single-season record for receiving yards (1,340) in 2000.
* Totaled 67 catches with 16 touchdowns as a senior, helping the school post an 11-1 record.
* Excelled away from football, starting on the school’s basketball team and earning all-state honors as a first baseman on the baseball squad.
* Lettered three times (2003-05) on Western Michigan’s baseball team, posting a .293 career batting average with seven home runs and 41 RBI in 79 games.
* Cousin of former Purdue University basketball player Steve Scheffler, who played seven seasons (1991-97) in the NBA and spent time on the Denver Nuggets in 1992.
* Born on February 15, 1982, in Morenci, Michigan.

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