Mike Merriweather
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mike Merriweather | |
|---|---|
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| Position(s): Linebacker |
Jersey #(s): 57 |
| Born: November 26, 1960 Albany, New York |
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| Career Information | |
| Year(s): 1982–1993 | |
| NFL Draft: 1982 / Round: 3 / Pick: 70 | |
| College: University of the Pacific | |
| Professional Teams | |
| Career Stats | |
| Sacks | 41 |
| Interceptions | 18 |
| Touchdowns | 4 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
Mike Merriweather (born 1960) is a retired American football linebacker who played for the National Football League (NFL) Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings during the 1980s and 1990s.
His first professional season was 1982 with the Steelers. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons: 1984, 1985, and 1986, and in 1984 was 5th in the NFL with 15 sacks (Mark Gastineau led the league with 22).
After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire 1988 season, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a first-round pick. In 1989, his first season at Minnesota, he became the first player in NFL history to score the winning points in an overtime game with a safety 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, the same game in which the Vikings' Rich Karlis had scored a record-setting 7 field goals to get the 21 points that sent the game into overtime.
His last year at Minnesota was the 1992 season; he played his final season in 1993 for the New York Jets.
He holds the Pittsburgh Steelers club record for most sacks in a season with 15.
A graduate of the University of the Pacific, Merriweather is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.
