| No. 79, 90, 94 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Defensive end Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1970-04-16)April 16, 1970 (age 55) Spokane, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Cheney (Cheney, Washington) | ||||||||
| College | Washington (1988–1991) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1992: 1st round,1st overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Steven Charles Emtman (born April 16, 1970) is an American former professionalfootballdefensive end who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He playedcollege football for theWashington Huskies, winning theOutland Trophy,Lombardi Award, andBill Willis Award as a member of the undefeated team that won the1992 Rose Bowl. Emtman was selectedfirst overall by theIndianapolis Colts in the1992 NFL draft, but his professional career was cut short by injuries. He was inducted to theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2006.
Emtman was born inSpokane, Washington, grew up in nearbyCheney, and graduated fromCheney High School in 1988. Lightly recruited, he accepted a football scholarship to theUniversity of Washington inSeattle to play for head coachDon James.[1][2]
He redshirted in 1988, but soon became a star as a sophomore on a resurgent defense in 1990. Washington went 10–2 and won theRose Bowl for the first time in 9 seasons. He was considered the best overall player on the 1991Husky undefeated national championship team. A unanimousAll-American, Emtman won theOutland Trophy,Lombardi Award, was theBill Willis Award winner and theUPI Lineman of the Year. He was also named thePac-10 Defensive Player of the Year during his impressive junior year of 1991. He finished fourth in the ballot for theHeisman Trophy.
Emtman finished 1991 with 62 tackles and 20.5 tackles for loss.
He was voted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 2006.[3]
Emtman decided to forgo his senior year and declared himself eligible for the1992 NFL draft. At 6'4" and 290 lb (130 kg), he was the first overall pick, selected by theIndianapolis Colts.[4] His most memorable play was the game-sealing 90-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired in a 31–20 upset win at theMiami Dolphins in his rookie year, which earned him honors as AFC defensive player of the week.[5]
Emtman's NFL career was marred by injuries. Playing a majority of his games onAstroturf, he finished each of his three seasons with theColts on the injured reserve list. Nine games into his rookie year, he blew out his left knee against the Miami Dolphins.[6] The following season, he tore thepatellar tendon in his right knee,[7] an injury that no previousNFL player had ever returned from. In October1994, he beat the odds and made his comebackat home against the team he had grown up following, theSeattle Seahawks. On his first play, he tackledChris Warren for a 5-yard loss. However, in the second quarter, heruptured a disc in his neck in a collision with a teammate. Emtman continued to play, even though after the game, he could not close his fists due to nerve damage from the injury. He managed to play three more weeks until continuing pain forced him to undergo season-ending surgery.[8] He later played for theMiami Dolphins andWashington Redskins. His playing career ended following the1997 season at the age of 27.
| Year | Team | GP | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | IND | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | IND | 5 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | IND | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | MIA | 16 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 1996 | MIA | 13 | 39 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1997 | WAS | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career[9] | 50 | 82 | 66 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 3 | |
Emtman had a cameo appearance as himself in the 1994 feature filmLittle Giants, along withBruce Smith,Tim Brown,Emmitt Smith, andJohn Madden. He also appeared as an uncredited zombie in the TV seriesZ Nation. His son was the zombie baby from the first episode.[10]
Emtman formerly volunteered as the defensive line coach for theaf2'sSpokane Shock.[11]
Emtman now lives inSpokane Valley, Washington,[8][12] where he is a real estate developer[8][13] and owns his own real estate development company.[14]