| No. 90, 68, 92, 75 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end Defensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1968-11-22)November 22, 1968 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died: | June 15, 2008(2008-06-15) (aged 39) Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Washington (IL) | ||||||||
| College: | Illinois (1987-1990) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1991: 6th round, 152nd pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Career Arena League statistics | |||||||||
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Melvin Laverne Agee Jr. (November 22, 1968 – June 15, 2008) was an American professionalfootball player who playeddefensive lineman in theNational Football League (NFL),NFL Europe, and theArena Football League (AFL). In his 10-year career he played for the NFL'sIndianapolis Colts (1991–1992) andAtlanta Falcons (1992–1995), NFL Europe'sFrankfurt Galaxy (1998), and the AFL'sTampa Bay Storm (1998–2002). Agee playedcollege football at theUniversity of Illinois.
Mel Agee was born on November 22, 1968, inChicago, Illinois. He attendedGeorge Washington High School in Chicago, where he played football andbasketball.
Agee playeddefensive tackle at theUniversity of Illinois from 1987 through 1990. In 1988, was selected to theAll-Big Ten Conference Second-Team. In 1989, Agee was selected to theAll-Big Ten Conference First-Team. The 1989 season was the Fighting Illini's best with Agee. The team went 10–2, finishing the season ranked #10 in theAP poll after defeatingVirginia in the1990 Citrus Bowl.[1] In the 1990 season, he repeated on theAll-Big Ten Conference First-Team and earned an All-America honorable mention. Despite the team going 8–4, Illinois shared aBig Ten Conference title with three other teams.[2]
As of 2024, Agee is ranked seventh all-time in Illinois history with 15 sacks during his college career.[3]
Former NFL agent Josh Luchs alleged in the October 2010 issue ofSports Illustrated that he paid Agee 'several hundred dollars' while he was still a defensive lineman at Illinois in 1990.[4]
At the1991 NFL draft, Agee was selected by theIndianapolis Colts in the sixth round with the 152nd overall selection.[5] Agee was reunited with former Illinois teammateJeff George, who had been selected by the Colts first overall in the previous year's draft.
As a rookie, Agee appeared in all 16 games with the Colts, earning two starts. He finished the 1991 season with 29 combined tackles and one forced fumble.[6] Agee's forced fumble came in week four against theDetroit Lions when he was able to knock the ball loose fromBarry Sanders where it was recovered by Colts linebackerJeff Herrod.[7] The Colts finished the season at 1–15, having fired head coachRon Meyer after week five and replacing him with interim head coachRick Venturi.[8]
In 1992, Agee appeared in the first game of the season for the Colts before he was released by the team on September 11, 1992.[9]
Agee signed with theAtlanta Falcons on December 22, 1992.[10] Agee was not activated for the Falcons final game of the 1992 season.
In 1993, Agee appeared in 11 games with seven starts as adefensive end. He recorded 43 combined tackles with 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble.[6]
In the 1994 season, Agee was moved back to defensive tackle. He appeared in all 16 games with six starts. He recorded 32 combined tackles (24 solo, 8 assisted) on the season.[6]
In 1995, Agee's final year with the Falcons, he appeared in 10 games and recorded seven tackles. The Falcons made it to the NFC playoffs, losing to theGreen Bay Packers in the Wildcard round.[6] Agee left Atlanta as an unrestricted free agent after the 1995 season.
Agee was signed by theMiami Dolphins on July 27, 1996.[11] He was released by the Dolphins on August 25, 1996, prior to the start of the regular season.[12]
In 1998, Agee was drafted by theFrankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe. He played in one season with Frankfurt, who won the NFL Europe regular season before losing to theRhein Fire inWorld Bowl '98.
Agee joined theTampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League in 1998, where he played offensive line and defensive line.[13] In five seasons with the Storm, Agee recorded eight receptions for 51 yards and five touchdowns on offense. On defense, he had 25 tackles with seven passes defended and one-half sack.[14]
Agee held a bachelor's degree in mathematics. After leaving the NFL, Agee was living in theAtlanta, Georgia area where he worked as a sandblaster at a train manufacturing company.[13]
Agee died of an apparent heart attack at hisLawrenceville, Georgia home on June 15, 2008, at age 39.[15][16]