Wade Traynham

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Wade Lanier Traynham (born February 3, 1942) is a former American football kicker who played for the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL during the 1966 and 1967 seasons. He was born in Hampton, Virginia, and went to Hampton High School. He played college football at Frederick College, but was dismissed from the college for disciplinary reasons. He also played for the Savannah Chiefs, a semi-pro team.

In 1966, Traynham appeared in 2 games and did not make a field goal. In 1967, he became the Falcons’ regular kicker, converting 7 of 18 field goal attempts and kicking 24 extra points (22 of which were in 1967). The Falcons traded him to the Green Bay Packers on July 30, 1968, in exchange for offensive lineman Steve Duich, but he was cut on August 26, 1968 after going 1 for 4 on field goals in three preseason games.

A popular story claimed he whiffed a kickoff in the Falcons’ first preseason game, but Traynham said in a 1999 interview that the incident happened in the second regular-season game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He explained that he slipped while planting his foot, touched the ball a little, and it became a onside kick for his team; he then strained a thigh muscle and did not kick again that season.

After his playing days, Traynham coached football at Phoebus High School in Hampton from 1981 to 1984 and later coached softball at the same school.