{{Short description|American football player (born 1971)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Craig Keith | image = | number = 85, 87, 88 | position = [[Tight end]] | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|4|27}} | birth_place = [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 3 | weight_lbs = 262 | high_school = [[Millbrook High School (North Carolina)|Millbrook]] (Raleigh) | college = [[Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football|Lenoir–Rhyne]] (1989–1992) | draftyear = 1993 | draftround = 7 | draftpick = 189 | pastteams = * [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] ({{NFL Year|1993}}–{{NFL Year|1994}}) * [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] ({{NFL Year|1995}}) * [[Miami Dolphins]] ({{NFL Year|1996}})* * [[San Francisco 49ers]] (1996)* | statlabel1 = [[Reception (American football)|Receptions]] | statvalue1 = 4 | statlabel2 = Receiving yards | statvalue2 = 22 | statlabel3 = [[Touchdown|Receiving TDs]] | statvalue3 = 0 | pfr = K/KeitCr20 }}
'''Craig Carlton Keith''' (born April 27, 1971) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[tight end]] for three seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) with the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] and [[Jacksonville Jaguars]]. He was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round of the [[1993 NFL draft]] after playing [[college football]] for the [[Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football|Lenoir–Rhyne Bears]].
==Early life== Craig Carlton Keith was born on April 27, 1971, in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]].<ref name="Pfa">{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/k/keit00200.html | title=Craig Keith | publisher=Pro Football Archives | accessdate=6 January 2025}}</ref> He attended [[Millbrook High School (North Carolina)|Millbrook High School]] in Raleigh.<ref name="Pfa"/>
==College career== Keith was a member of the [[Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football|Bears]] of [[Lenoir–Rhyne College]] from 1989 to 1992.<ref name="Pfa"/> He caught 62 passes for 723 yards and four touchdowns during his college career.<ref name="Bio">{{cite web | url=https://lrbears.com/honors/hall-of-fame/craig-keith/3 | title=Craig Keith | publisher=lrbears.com | accessdate=6 January 2025}}</ref> He earned All-[[South Atlantic Conference]] honors in 1991 and 1992 and was also an [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics|NAIA]] Division I honorable mention [[All-American]] in 1992.<ref name="Bio"/> Keith graduated from Lenoir–Rhyne with a bachelor's in 1995 and an [[MBA]] in 2000.<ref name="Bio"/> He was inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in 2016.<ref name="Bio"/>
==Professional career== Keith was selected by the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] in the seventh round, with the 189th overall pick, of the [[1993 NFL draft]].<ref name="Pfr">{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KeitCr20.htm | title=Craig Keith | publisher=[[Pro Football Reference]] | accessdate=6 January 2025}}</ref> He officially signed with the team on June 3.<ref name="transactions">{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/transactions/k/keit00200.html | title=Craig Keith NFL Transactions | publisher=Pro Football Archives | accessdate=6 January 2025}}</ref> He played in one game for the Steelers during the 1993 season.<ref name="Pfr"/> Keith appeared in all 16 games, starting one, in 1994, catching one pass for two yards on two targets.<ref name="Pfr"/> He also played in one playoff game that year.<ref name="Pfr"/> He was used on special teams and as a backup tight end during his stint with the Steelers.<ref name="Trade"/>
On August 24, 1995, the Steelers traded Keith to the [[Jacksonville Jaguars]] for an undisclosed 1996 draft pick.<ref name="Trade">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-american/162445231/ | title=Jaguars-Steelers trade | work=[[The Daily American]] | date=August 25, 1995 | accessdate=6 January 2025}}</ref> He played in 11 games, starting two, for the Jaguars during the team's inaugural 1995 season, recording three receptions for 20 yards on three targets.<ref name="Pfr"/> He became a free agent after the season.<ref name="transactions"/>
Keith signed with the [[Miami Dolphins]] on April 26, 1996.<ref name="transactions"/> He was released on July 25, 1996.<ref name="transactions"/>
He was signed by the [[San Francisco 49ers]] on July 29, 1996, but was released two days later.<ref name="transactions"/>
==Personal life== Keith served as the special assistant to the athletics director at Lenoir–Rhyne from 1998 to 2000 and as the associate director for the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service at [[North Carolina State University]] from 2000 to 2002.<ref name="Bio"/> He later started a carwash company called Bull City Carwash.<ref name="Bio"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Steelers1993DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Craig}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1971 births]] [[Category:Players of American football from Raleigh, North Carolina]] [[Category:American football tight ends]] [[Category:Lenoir–Rhyne Bears football players]] [[Category:Millbrook High School (North Carolina) alumni]] [[Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players]] [[Category:Jacksonville Jaguars players]] [[Category:Miami Dolphins players]] [[Category:San Francisco 49ers players]] [[Category:North Carolina State University faculty]] [[Category:Lenoir–Rhyne University faculty]]