Triandos Luke, Wide Receiver

Current Team: Colorado Crush (Arena)

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 195 lbs.
College: Alabama
Born: Phenix City, Ala.      

NFL Experience: 2 years (Denver)

 

TRIANDOS AT A GLANCE:
• In his second season he was a wide receiver who developed into a vital member of the Broncos’ special-teams unit as a rookie in 2004 with his kickoff and punt return skills.
• Ranked second on Denver in kick (15-306 yds.) and punt (19-135 yds.) returns as a rookie.
• Posted five of his six catches in 2004 at K.C. (12/19) for a career-high 40 yards   receiving.
• Returned a kickoff 41 yards vs. Ind. (1/9/05) in an AFC Wild Card Game to mark the longest postseason return by a Bronco since 1997 (Vaughn Hebron, 58 yds., vs. Jac. 12/27).
• Led Alabama in receptions as a junior and senior with 41 and 32 catches, respectively.
• Named to the “Super Sleeper Team” by The NFL Draft Report  following his senior season.
• Selected by the Broncos in the sixth round (171st overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS: Signed by Denver as a draft choice 6/11/04. Signed by New York Giants 2006.

2004: Selected by the Broncos in the sixth round (171st overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft, Luke adjusted to his role as one of the Broncos' regular special-teams contributors by totaling 19 punt returns for 135 yards (7.1 avg.) with eight fair catches and 15 kick returns for 306 yards (20.4 avg.) in 10 regular-season games (four special teams only). Additionally, he posted six receptions for 52 yards (8.7 avg.) with a long of 12 yards. Despite suffering a concussion in the regular-season finale, Luke played in Denver's AFC Wild Card Game at Ind. (1/9) and returned a kick 41 yards along with recording a fair catch on a punt return. His kick return marked the longest postseason return by a Bronco since 1997. Inactive for Denver's first three regular-season games, Luke made his NFL debut at T.B. (10/3) and gained 19 yards on two punt returns (9.5 avg.). On Monday Night Football at Cin. (10/25), he replaced Quentin Griffin as the Broncos' kick returner after Griffin suffered a knee injury returning the opening kickoff of the second half, and Luke recorded the first two kick returns of his career against the Bengals for 35 yards (17.5 avg.). Inactive for Denver's next three games, he returned to action vs. Oak. (11/28) to make his first NFL catch, a 12-yard reception, late in the game with the Broncos driving for a potential game-winning score. He returned a career-high five punts for 23 yards (4.6 avg.) vs. Mia. (12/12) and played briefly at wide receiver. Luke had one of the best games of his rookie year at K.C. (12/19), catching five passes for 40 yards (8.0 avg.) to set career highs. He returned kickoffs for the first time in nearly two months against the Chiefs, posting eight returns for 155 yards (19.4 avg.) with a long of 30 yards to mark the most kick returns by a Bronco in a game since Kevin Kasper's eight returns at Kansas City on Oct. 20, 2002. He recorded a career-long 32-yard kickoff return at Ten. (12/25) in a four-return, 96-yard (24.0 avg.) night. Luke left Denver’s game vs. Ind. (1/2) in the second quarter with a mild concussion.

COLLEGE: Luke was a two-year starter at the University of Alabama, playing 44 career games to record 90 receptions for 1,072 yards (11.9 avg.) with nine touchdowns. He led the Crimson Tide in receptions in both the 2002 and '03  seasons and was a valuable kickoff returner who fielded 13 kickoffs for 256 yards (19.7 avg.) with a long of 30. He caught 32 passes for 432 yards (13.5 avg.) with four touchdowns during a senior year in which he started all 13 games. Following that 2003 season, he was named a Super Sleeper Team selection by The NFL Draft Report. His best season came during his 2002 junior campaign when he totaled 41 catches for 482 yards (11.8 avg.) in 13 games (12 starts). He also finished the year with 196 yards on 10 kickoff returns (19.6 avg.). A solid reserve as a junior, Luke began his career at Alabama missing the start of the regular season with a broken hand but managed to play in the final seven games (1 start) of his freshman year.

PERSONAL: Considered the top receiver in Alabama at Central High School in Phenix City, Ala., Luke totaled 106 career catches for 1,713 yards (16.2 avg.) with 16 touchdowns while posting four interceptions at strong safety as a senior. He earned SuperPrep All-America honors, was a 6A all-state pick and was the No. 6 pick on the Birmingham News' "Super Senior" list. A graduate from Alabama with a bachelor's degree in marketing, Luke was a teammate of his brother, Nick, in 2003 at Alabama when Nick was a redshirt freshman. Luke remains active in his community and provided turkeys, hams and canned goods to numerous families in Phenix City, Ala., at the local Boys and Girls' Club during Christmas in 2004. He started an annual scholarship at Central High School, called the Triandos Luke Scholarship, and awarded two deserving students the first scholarships in the spring of 2005. Triandos (pronounced tree-AN-dus) Luke was born Dec. 24, 1981, in Phenix City, Ala.

NFL STATISTICS