July 20, 2005
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The good news for Wade Fletcher is that he will remain in the New York metropolitan area. The better news is that it will be as a member of an NFL team. The Lions' No. 6 all-time leading receiver has been signed to a two-year deal with the New York Giants, his agent, Eugene T. Lee, Esq., said today.
Fletcher, who was third team All-American and racked up 1,449 receiving yards in just two seasons with Columbia, heads to the Giants' camp in Albany next week as the team's third tight end behind Jeremy Shockey and Visanthe Shancoe.
He is the fourth Columbia player currently in the NFL along with Marcellus Wiley '97 (Jacksonville Jaguars), Johnathan Reese '02 (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Michael Quarshie '05 (Oakland Raiders).
"Wade has been training intensively for the past two months with one of the best football trainers in the business, Joe DeFranco," said Lee. "He's been making a daily commute to New Jersey in order to train and his discipline and hard work have finally paid off."
Fletcher earned All-Ivy honors twice as a tight end at Columbia. His 874 yards in 2003 is the fifth-best single-season receiving total in school history.
