| No. 24, 39, 45 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Safety | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1963-11-14)November 14, 1963 (age 62) Chicago Heights, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Marian Catholic(Chicago Heights) | ||||||||||
| College | Illinois State | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1985: 7th round, 176th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Michael Robert Prior (born November 14, 1963) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety for 13 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL) with theTampa Bay Buccaneers,Indianapolis Colts andGreen Bay Packers. He playedcollege football for theIllinois State Redbirds. Prior currently serves as the Football Development Commissioner for theIndianapolis Colts.
Mike Prior was born on November 14, 1963, inChicago Heights, Illinois. Prior attendedMarian Catholic High School where he played football, baseball, and wrestling.[1] In football, Prior starred atrunning back anddefensive back. In his senior season, he was selected to the Chicago All-Area Football Team on both offense and defense.[2]
Prior played both football and baseball atIllinois State, setting the school record for batting average at .388.[3] In football, he set the school record in punt return yardage and had his No. 15 jersey retired.[4] Immediately following his college career, Prior was selected by theLos Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the1985 Major League Baseball draft and theTampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the1985 NFL draft.[4][5] He was also drafted by theBaltimore Orioles in the 18th round of the 1984 draft and by theHouston Astros in the fourth round of the 1986 secondary draft.[6] Prior chose football because it would be easier to raise a family and involve less traveling than working through baseball's minor leagues.[7] He graduated from Illinois State with a degree in business administration.[8]
Prior played his rookie season with theTampa Bay Buccaneers in 1985.[7] He almost made the starting lineup at safety, but the late add ofDavid Greenwood relegated Prior to mainly special teams action as a member of the Bucs.[9] A fractured wrist sustained in a preseason game against theWashington Redskins landed him on injured reserve;[10] he was waived from that list in October.[11]
Prior joined theIndianapolis Colts in February 1987.[12] He was cut by the team on September 1, but later returned as a replacement player in the1987 NFL Strike, starting three games. After the strike ended, the team retained him, initially utilizing Prior on special teams but later moving him up to a defensive starter.[13] In 1989, Prior intercepted aBernie Kosar pass and returned it for a touchdown in overtime to help the Colts defeat theCleveland Browns.[14] He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his exploits.[15] In 1990, Prior caught his first NFL pass on a successful fake punt attempt.[16] Prior was injured early in the 1991 season, and was placed on the injured reserve list in October.[17] He stayed with team through the 1992 season and then became a free agent.[18]
Prior signed with theGreen Bay Packers in April 1993.[18] The team brought him on as a replacement for the recently departedChuck Cecil.[19] In his debut season, Prior moved into the punt returner role late in the year whenRobert Brooks was injured.[20] Injuries in the defensive backfield led to an increased late-season role in 1994.[21] Prior nabbed an interception inSuper Bowl XXXI.[3] He was released by the team before the 1998 season but was quickly re-signed.[22] The Packers did not re-sign Prior after the season.[23]
Prior returned toIndianapolis after retiring from the NFL. He served as the athletic director for St. Luke School Catholic School before returning to the Colts in 2005 as the Youth Football Commissioner (now Football Development Commissioner).[3][24] Prior also serves as an assistant football coach atCathedral High School in Indianapolis.[25] Prior has three daughters.[26]