Professional NFL quarterback Kenneth Shane Pickett grew up in the same town as his wife, Amy Paternoster, and has known her since childhood, even though they only started dating in 2021.
Born June 6, 1998, he had an impressive college football career at the University of Pittsburgh, earning the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award in his senior year.
Kenny was selected 20th overall in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2021, Pickett was honored as both the overall and offensive player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Kenny Pickett’s Wife, Amy Paternoster, Is a Former Collegiate Soccer Player
Born in Wall, New Jersey, to parents James and Barbara Paternoster, Amy had a distinguished soccer career, playing for Princeton Panthers and earning Academic All-Ivy honors in 2021.
She earned Gatorade’s New Jersey Girls Soccer Player of the Year award, an honor no one from her town had previously achieved.
Amy was also named an All-American by the United Soccer Coaches and selected twice for the All-State First Team.
Additionally, she graduated with honors, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in economics and a certificate in finance.
Balancing academics and athletics, she also completed prestigious internships, including investment banking at Goldman Sachs and private equity at Ardian.
Currently, she works as a private equity associate at PNC Riverarch Capital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Regarding her first encounter with Kenny Pickett, the couple grew up in the same town in Ocean Township, New Jersey. They knew each other from a young age since they frequented the same gym.
However, the pair went separate ways for college before reconnecting years later during a college break and began dating in 2021. Their mutual love for sports connected them again.
In an interview with People Magazine, Pickett shared,
“We worked out at the same place growing up because Amy played soccer and I played football. We started training there when I was about 12, and Amy was probably 10, so I’ve known her since then.”
Source: People
The couple got engaged in January 2022 and married on June 24, 2023, at Pleasantdale Château in New Jersey.
They married in front of family, friends, and a special guest, Pittsburgh Steelers’ chaplain Kent Chevalier, who officiated their wedding.
Amy Paternoster Has Been a Supportive Presence Throughout Pickett’s NFL Career
Amy frequently attends his games and shares moments from their life together on social media.
With 46.8K followers on Instagram, Amy frequently updates her followers and never fails to show her support during Kenny Pickett’s games.
She wrote on her 2021 Instagram post,
ACC Coastal Championship, Senior Day, and my first time watching @kennypickett02 play in person!! I love celebrating you, always so proud.
After Kenny was traded to the Eagles, Amy kicked off the celebration on social media with an enthusiastic post.
She declared she could not be more excited and grateful and mentioned,
“Looking forward to our next chapter. All love.”
Moreover, Kenny Pickett is never shy of sharing his love and admiration for his wife on social media.
He expressed his gratitude for Amy daily, stating that spending the rest of his life with her would be the greatest honor.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Kenny Pickett attended Ocean Township High School and graduated in 2017.
- His sister, Alex Pickett, played college soccer at East Stroudsburg and is the coach of Seton Hill University’s women’s soccer team.
- He sold his home in Cranberry after his trade to the Philadelphia Eagles in early 2024.
