Luke Kuechly is one of the best defensive players the NFL has seen in recent years. Like most professional footballers, Kuechly began playing football in high school at St. Xavier in Cincinnati. He continued in college playing for Boston College, all the while as a linebacker. His impressive stats saw him enter the 2012 draft, he got picked ninth overall by the Carolina Panthers.
Luke staged an impressive rookie season recording the highest tackles. He won the Associated Press 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, as well as the Pro Football Weekly’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Despite being marred by an occasional concussion, Kuechly has managed to develop his play as the years walk by. In 2015, he signed a five-year, $62 million contract extension with the Panthers, making him the highest-paid linebacker by average salary. The deal included $19 million signing bonus and a $6 million roster bonus.
Luke Kuechly Family (Parents, Brothers)
Athletic genes run in the Kuechly family. His both parents Tom and Eileen Kuechly who grew up in Cincinnati were athletes in their prime. Thus, they influenced their son’s interest in sports and also helped to guide him through.
His father Tom played soccer from high school and continued in college. During his four years 1979 – 1983 at Xavier University, he played as a goalie. On the other hand, his mother Eileen in high school played basketball and volleyball, however, she began to play less after enroling at the University of Cincinnati.
After college, Tom Kuechly began working for his family’s J&N Auto Electric, a company started by his father in 1954. The company is a large automotive after-market distributor with at least 125 workers on its payroll. Two years on the job, Tom through a mutual friend would meet Eileen who would become his future wife. The newly-weds settled in Evendale in north Cincinnati where they began building a family together.
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Luke Kuechly was born as his parents’ middle son on April 20, 1991. His older brother is named John and was born in 1989. John schooled at Ohio State University and later joined the family’s automobile business. However, prior to his current job, he had a stint with the U.S. Army Reserve.
Luke’s younger brother Henry Kuchley was born in 1998, making him 7 years younger than Luke. Both Luke and Henry attended St. Xavier high school where they were both active in sports. While Luke played football, Henry played basketball. In an interview with the Charlotte Observer in 2014, Luke recalled his childhood revealing that John and Luke played basketball using a hoop in the driveway.
Wife or Girlfriend, Is Luke Married?
Luke Kuechly is married to his longtime girlfriend, Shanon Reilly whom he started dating in 2012, the same year he went professional. The couple shares many things in common. For starters, they both hail from a Catholic family. Shannon attended an all-girls Catholic school Saint Ursula Academy in Cincinnati.
Secondly, they are both athletic. Like his father did, Luke found love in the eyes of an athletic woman. Shannon during her school years played club field hockey. She also played lacrosse starting from her 6th grade and was the assistant captain.
After high school, she proceeded to the University of Cincinnati where she majored in biology and minored in chemistry. She graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree. In between her college education in 2012, Shannon enroled at the Danish Institute for Studying Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark where she studied medical practice and policy.
Shannon has been working in the medical field since 2010 the year she graduated from high school. From 2015 to 2017, she attended Gardner-Webb University, graduating with a Masters in Physician assistant studies. Following graduation, Shannon began working as a physician assistant at Ortho Carolina.
Luke’s wife hails from a large family of 6 children including 4 girls (Shannon, Maddy, Shauna, and Marion) and two boys (Tommy and Matt). They are said to be huge football fans. Shannon is the second child and the eldest girl.
In addition to her passion for the medical field, another thing that appeals to Mrs Kuechly is writing. She runs a blog where she shares her career goals, aspirations, and everything else. As with most bloggers, Shannon is highly active on social media.
Luke Kuechly’s Height and Weight
You don’t have to make speculations about Luke Kuechly’s height and weight anymore, here are the facts:
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 238 lb (108 kg)