Rod Trafford Rodney Trafford ( born November 29 , 1978 in Morristown , New Jersey ) is a former American football tight end in the NFL who has played for the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots . Trafford grew up in Verona , New Jersey , and played his high school football at Delbarton School . Trafford was All State quarterback He played college football for Lou Holtz at the University of South Carolina . Trafford has also been a member of the New England Patriots , Scottish Claymores , Buffalo Bills , Philadelphia Eagles , and St . Louis Rams . Early years . Heart - stopping moment that saved Trafford . Trafford was in a car accident at 13 years old and was told he would never play again . His family fishing trip for Fathers Day turned out to be a blessing in disguise The fortunate part about the car accident is the doctors discovered a hole in his heart and irregular heartbeat . Repaired at 13 and a year of recovery the doctors would not release him to play football . Trafford found a doctor who would let him play with conditions . Trafford was forced to play with a Kevlar body suit to support his sternum , the material used in bulletproof vest s , and for the next four years he had to take regular medication and return to the heart specialists for routine tests . Trafford High school game , 1996 Delbarton ' s offensive attack is paced by quarterback Rodney Trafford ( 1 , 200 passing yards and 12 touchdowns ) , running back Jamaal Burcher ( 1 , 518 yards and 18 touchdowns ) and wide receiver John Darden ( 24 receptions ) . In 1996 the top young guns in this year ' s senior quarterback class in New Jersey are Edward Campbell of North Arlington , Darren Miller of St . Peter ' s Prep in Jersey City ; Theodore Neals of Ferris in Jersey City , and Rodney Trafford of Delbarton in Morristown , New Jersey Standout at Delbarton High School . . . Played quarterback , throwing for more than 2 , 800 yards and 30 touchdowns during his career . . . All - state his senior year . . . Played in the North - South New Jersey all - star game . . . His coach was John Kowalik . September 1996 , Trafford fueled Delbarton ( 5 - 2 ) past Wayne Valley High School ( 2 - 4 ) , 39 - 6 , with three passing touchdowns and one rushing . Trafford totaled 207 yards in the air and 80 on the ground . Trafford , TE , Verona , NJ , 1997 - 2001 - high school QB walked on and became contributor and eventual starter at tight end ; started 5 games in 2001 ; was thrown to 8 times and caught 6 for 4 first downs and a TD - the game winner in 37 - 36 victory over Alabama in 2001 ; played in the pros from 2003 through 2006 with Patriots , Bills , Eagles and Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe College career . Trafford earned three varsity letters at University of South Carolina and finished his career with seven receptions for 37 yards … over his final two years , helped lead the Gamecocks to a 17 - 7 record and wins in the Outback Bowl following the 2000 and 2001 seasons … part of a reversal of fortunes for the University of South Carolina program , going from an 0 - 11 record as a sophomore to bowl wins as a junior and as a senior … saw action in all 24 games as a junior and senior … helped the University of South Carolina running game gain 2 , 378 yards in 2001 , averaging 4 . 5 yards per carry … joined the squad as a walk - on quarterback , but redshirted as a freshman in 1997 and was converted into a tight end . As a redshirted freshman Trafford catches the game winning touchdown throw from Phil Petty against Alabama Crimson Tide to win 37 - 36 . 1999 - Much - improved tight end prospect who came on towards the end of the year and impressed the coaches with his athletic savvy and his good hands in catching the football . . . Saw action in nine games . . . Had three catches for 14 yards . . . Had a season - long reception of 13 yards in the season finale against Clemson . . . Coaches believe he will contend for starting role in 2000 . 2000 - Reserve tight end and special teams performer . . . Saw action in all 12 games . . . Had two receptions for 16 yards . . . Converted a six - yard pass play into a key first down late in the victory over Georgia . . . Was on the receiving end of a 10 - yard pass from Kevin Sides on a fake field goal attempt against Vanderbilt that gave the Gamecocks a first down and led to an eventual touchdown . Trafford recalls big - time catch . 2001 - Senior tight end who has had a solid season … Has started four games and played in all 11 … His clutch seven - yard touchdown reception from Phil Petty with 1 : 39 remaining lifted USC to a dramatic comeback win over the University of Alabama . While that is his only catch of the season , it certainly is a big one , as the Gamecocks had to fight back from a 12 - point fourth quarter deficit against the Alabama Crimson Tide . Has been a steady blocker … Good athlete who came to USC as a walk - on quarterback . College statistics . University of South Carolina Receiving Career highlights : Pro . Trafford , a free agent , was not drafted when he finished college in 2002 and didn ' t play football last season . He was a camp director for 30 fourth - grade boys in Summit , N . J . , did some sales work and research for his father ' s computer engineering firm , and also worked part - time for a publishing company . 2003 Trafford had a three - month Europe League experience with the Scottish Claymores will be used as a stepping stone towards NFL recognition . 2003 Scottish Claymore s Stats Trafford helped the Scottish Claymores record a narrow win over Amsterdam Admirals - with his first touchdown since college . Trafford ' s score kept the Claymores on target to reach next month ' s World Bowl Final , and he believes his side are finding their form at the right time . The tight end has now turned his thoughts to Saturday ' s game at Barcelona Dragons , and he said : " It feels as if we ' re peaking at the right time . " For the last couple of years , the team that has won its final four games has gone to the World Bowl . " We now have to think about facing Barcelona at the weekend , but this is a huge win . " The winning touchdown from Trafford on Saturday came with less than two minutes left . With quarterback Craig Nall leading the offence with great maturity — he finished with 313 yards and three touchdown passes — the Claymores led 24 - 10 at half - time . Receiving / Rushing statistics Passing statistics Trafford out to continue turnaround . Scottish Claymores Game Tight end Rod Trafford grabbed two passes , a tremendous 24 - yard catch with a hand in his face and a five - yarder in the end zone to make the score 31 – 20 with less than two minutes to play . Dyshod Carter s interception of Hill with 42 seconds to play iced the game and the Claymores emerged victorious 31 – 20 . The New England Patriots signed him in January and allocated him to the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europe . The 6 - 3 , 245 - pound northern New Jersey native had 23 catches in 10 games for the Claymores , but playing in NFL Europe forced him to miss the Patriots ' minicamps and passing camps , putting him behind the other rookies . He didn ' t get his first look at the Patriots ' playbook until he flew to Boston from Scotland . Trafford stated " the complexity of the playbook " the most staggering thing about training camp in the National Football League . Buffalo Bills signed tight end Rod Trafford to the practice squad 11 / 19 / 03 . Allocated to NFL Europe for its 2003 season and drafted by the Scottish Claymores with their 11th pick in the Allocated Player Draft . Signed his first NFL contract ( 1 / 17 / 03 ) with the New England Patriots after going undrafted and remaining out of football in 2002 . 2004 : Signed by the Bills on Dec . 8 after the team placed TE Mark Campbell on injured reserve … picked up off the Philadelphia Eagles ’ practice squad which he was on since Week 2 … made his NFL debut four days later and caught his first career pass for 10 yards vs . Cle . ( 12 / 12 ) … played in a reserve role at tight end at Cin . ( 12 / 19 ) … made one reception for five yards at SF ( 12 / 26 ) … also tallied two unassisted special teams tackles … caught one pass for 10 yards vs . Pit . ( 1 / 2 / 05 ) … also registered two assisted special teams stops . Receiving / Rushing statistics Receiving by games played Personal life . Rod Trafford joined Florida branch of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Institute in the role marketing manager . His focus will be to market and amplify the important fieldwork projects being completed by Post Docs , P . I . ' s and Graduate Students while increasing developmental funds through raising awareness and support of Harbor Branch research . He was most recently with Xenith LLC as a Xenith LLC Southeast Regional Sales Manager . At Xenith LLC Rod Trafford raised concerns about the helmets players were wearing . " The players maybe aren ' t wearing the correct size helmet maybe they ' re not being fit properly . There could be some design flaws , " said Rod Trafford , a former NFL player and now southeast regional sales manager for Xenith , the newest major helmet maker . " It seems the past two or three years , it ' s become an epidemic . " Increased number of flying helmets raises concerns 2009 Trafford made the cover of Delbarton School Today while at Xenith in an article " Defending the Brain " ( pg 29 ) Activities . 2005 Trafford Tackles Waves In Costa Rica The Buffalo Bills tight end wasted no time once the NFL season ended . One week after the Super Bowl , he packed his bags , got on a plane with a friend , and headed to Tamarindo , Costa Rica , a tiny city on the country ' s pacific coast that is known for its spectacular waves . 2013 Delbarton Catches Parros ' 98 in a Panthers Game