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Mike Merriweather

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Mike Merriweather
No. 57, 97, 58
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1960-11-26) November 26, 1960 (age 63)
Albany, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Vallejo
(Vallejo, California)
College:Pacific
NFL draft:1982 / round: 3 / pick: 70
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:41.0
Interceptions:18
Fumble recoveries:16
Defensive touchdowns:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Michael Lamar Merriweather (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pacific Tigers and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1982 NFL draft. He played for professionally for the Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers during the 1980s and 1990s.

Early life

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Merriweather was born in Albany, New York, and attended Vallejo High School in northern California,[1] where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He graduated from University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he played college football for the Tigers. Merriweather is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[2]

Professional career

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Merriweather was selected in the third round (70th overall) of the 1982 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[3] He was elected to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons: 1984, 1985, and 1986.[4] In 1984, Merriweather was fifth in the NFL with fifteen sacks (Mark Gastineau led the league with 22), and was named first-team all-NFL that year.[5] He was named the Steelers' Most Valuable Player in 1987.[6]

After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire 1988 season, Merriweather was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a first-round pick.[7] In his first season with Minnesota in 1989, he became the first in NFL history to score the winning points in an overtime game with a safety[8] when he blocked a punt out of the end zone in a game against the Los Angeles Rams for a final score of 23–21. Vikings' placekicker Rich Karlis had scored a then-record seven field goals, accounting for all 21 points that sent the game into overtime.[9]

Merriweather's last year at Minnesota was 1992, and he played his final season in 1993 for the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers.[10][11]

In 1993, Merriweather was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame.[12] He was inducted into the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004,[13] and was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2012.[14]

Life after the NFL

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After leaving the NFL, Merriweather worked as an insurance broker in Sacramento, California.[15] In 2013, he became the athletic director at Vacaville Christian High School.[16] He and his wife Sandra live in Stockton, California.

References

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  1. ^ "Mike Merriweather". pro-football-reference. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  2. ^ "Alpha Phi Alpha Begins Implementing New Worldwide Programs". BlackNews.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  3. ^ "Pittsburgh's Bashful Bruiser". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  4. ^ "No Steelers Voted to Pro Bowl". Pittsburgh Post=Gazette. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  5. ^ "SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION ANNOUNCES 2012 HALL OF FAME CLASS" (PDF). SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  6. ^ "Heath Miller Named Steelers' 2012 MVP". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  7. ^ "New Viking Merriweather takes parting shot at Steelers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  8. ^ "Bears only second team to win on OT safety". ESPN NFL. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  9. ^ "History Timeline: 1980s". FoxSports.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  10. ^ Smith, Timothy W. (November 19, 1993). "FOOTBALL; Real Life to Linebacker For Jets' Merriweather". New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  11. ^ "Mike Merriweather". NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  12. ^ "PACIFIC ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME". Pacific Tigers. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  13. ^ "Vallejo's Merriweather named to section's Hall of Fame". Times-Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  14. ^ "Truesdale selected for Section Hall of Fame". Elk Grove Citizen. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  15. ^ "Stu's Hunt Down: Ex-Vikings LB Mike Merriweather". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  16. ^ "Vallejo High grad, former NFL player named athletic director at Vacaville Christian". Times Herald. January 16, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
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