_2.jpg) Michels in 2025 | |||||||
| No. 77 | |||||||
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| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1973-03-19)March 19, 1973 (age 52) La Jolla, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | La Jolla | ||||||
| College | Southern California | ||||||
| NFL draft | 1996: 1st round, 27th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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John Spiegel Michels (born March 19, 1973) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anoffensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL).
Michels attendedLa Jolla High School, where he was a three time letterman in football, basketball, and track. In football, he was a two-way starter and was named First-team All-American and Western League Defensive MVP as a defensive tackle, and First-team All-San Diego County as an offensive tackle. In track and field, he was the 1991 Western League Champion in the discus.
Michels was named as one of San Diego's 100 all-time greatest prep football players by theSan Diego Union-Tribune.
Michels playedcollege football at theUniversity of Southern California and was a First-team All-Pac-10 and a Second-teamAll-American offensive tackle, after being converted from adefensive end.[1] He helped to lead the Trojans to a victory overNorthwestern University in the1996 Rose Bowl. After his senior year at USC, Michels was selected as a starter in the 1996Senior Bowl All-Star game.[2]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft6+1⁄2 in (1.99 m) | 282 lb (128 kg) | 33+7⁄8 in (0.86 m) | 10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) | 5.12 s | 1.78 s | 2.97 s | 4.66 s | 26.5 in (0.67 m) | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) | 25 reps | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[3] | ||||||||||||
Michels was selected in the first round, 27th pick overall, of the1996 NFL draft by theGreen Bay Packers.[4] When then-starter and fellow TrojanKen Ruettgers went down with a knee injury, Michels took over the left tackle duties. He started 9 games in his rookie season, helping the Packers winSuper Bowl XXXI.[5] He was theGreen Bay Packers 1996 Rookie of the Year and named to the 1996PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.[6]
In 1997, he returned as the starting left tackle, starting the first five games of the season before injuring his right knee against theDetroit Lions. He was sidelined for the rest of the season and replaced by that year's first round pickRoss Verba.
After having his best training camp as a professional in 1998, he again injured his right knee and spent the year oninjured reserve. Unable to recover from his knee injury, he struggled in training camp in 1999 and was traded to thePhiladelphia Eagles for defensive endJon Harris. Michels only lasted a couple of weeks in Philadelphia before his knee injury ultimately ended his career.
Born John Spiegel Michels Jr., Michels is the great-great-grandson ofJoseph Spiegel, the founder ofSpiegel Catalog, which was one of the most important firms in the mail-order industry, and the first to offer credit through the mail.
From 2000 to 2002 he served as the Youth Director at Canyon Hills Church inMission Viejo, California.
In 2008 Michels received his medical degree from theKeck School of Medicine at theUniversity of Southern California. He completed a residency indiagnostic radiology atBaylor College of Medicine inHouston,Texas, and a fellowship in interventional pain medicine at theUniversity of California, Irvine. He is a diplomate of theAmerican Board of Radiology and theAmerican Board of Pain Medicine.
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