| No. 82 | |||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1972-07-07)July 7, 1972 (age 53) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Chadsey (Detroit) | ||||||||
| College | Colorado | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1995: 1st round, 4th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Michael Deanailo Westbrook (born July 7, 1972) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). Westbrook playedcollege football for theColorado Buffaloes, and was recognized as a consensusAll-American in 1994. He was selected in the first round of the1995 NFL draft, and played professionally for theWashington Redskins andCincinnati Bengals of the NFL. After retiring from football, he later competed as amixed martial arts fighter in theheavyweight division.
Westbrook was born inDetroit, Michigan. He attendedChadsey High School in Detroit, and played for the Chadsey Explorershigh school football team.
Westbrook attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he played for theColorado Buffaloes football team from 1991 to 1994. As a senior in 1994, he was the receiver in the play known as "The Miracle at Michigan," aHail Mary pass from Buffaloes quarterbackKordell Stewart to beat theMichigan Wolverines in the final seconds of the game.[1] At the conclusion of the season, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, and was the recipient of thePaul Warfield Trophy as the best college wide receiver in the nation.
TheWashington Redskins selected Westbrook in the first round (fourth overall pick) of the1995 NFL draft.[2] He played for seven seasons in Washington, before playing the2002 season with theCincinnati Bengals.
In August 1997, the Redskins fined Westbrook $50,000 for punching a teammate, running backStephen Davis, an incident caught by TV news cameras.[3]
While injuries hampered Westbrook for much of his NFL career, he played all 16 games in1999 en route to achieving career highs in receptions (65), yards (1,191), and touchdowns (nine). Westbrook finished his career with 285 receptions for 4,374 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed 22 times for 160 yards and one touchdown.
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | |||
| 1995 | WSH | 11 | 34 | 522 | 15.4 | 45 | 1 | 25 | 6 | 114 | 19.0 | 58 | 1 | 4 |
| 1996 | WSH | 11 | 34 | 505 | 14.9 | 45 | 1 | 25 | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | WSH | 13 | 34 | 559 | 16.4 | 40 | 3 | 30 | 3 | -11 | -3.7 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | WSH | 11 | 44 | 736 | 16.7 | 75 | 6 | 33 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 1999 | WSH | 16 | 65 | 1,191 | 18.3 | 65 | 9 | 47 | 7 | 35 | 5.0 | 12 | 0 | 2 |
| 2000 | WSH | 2 | 9 | 103 | 11.4 | 21 | 0 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | WSH | 16 | 57 | 664 | 11.6 | 76 | 4 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 4.0 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 2002 | CIN | 9 | 8 | 94 | 11.8 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 89 | 285 | 4,374 | 15.3 | 76 | 26 | 203 | 22 | 160 | 7.3 | 58 | 1 | 8 | |
Westbrook practicedmartial arts during his football playing career, and enteredBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu after retirement from the NFL in 2002. He has won national and Pan-American events as abrown belt. In 2008, he won theInternational Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation ("IBJJF") World Championship at purple belt.[4]
Westbrook said of jiu-jitsu, "This is a lot easier and a lot more fun [than football]. I don't have to worry about coaches and it's not nearly as dangerous. I don't have to worry about pleasing the public and the announcers. Or getting eggs thrown at my door because I dropped a ball. I don't have to worry about any of that."[5] Having previously trained with the MASH FIGHT TEAM in Michigan with Former "King Of The Cage" Light Heavyweight Champion James Lee, Westbook now trains at Arizona Combat Sports inTempe,Arizona.
As amixed martial artist, Westbrook competes in the heavyweight (206-265 lbs.) division. He fought once in 2005 and defeated fellow NFL veteranJarrod Bunch in themain event of aKing of the Cage event inCleveland,Ohio.[5][6]After the Bunch fight, Westbrook was inactive for four years; and his return to professional MMA was less successful than his debut. In February, 2009,Travis Browne defeated Westbrook inSan Bernardino,California, bytechnical knockout in the third round.[7] In July 2009, Westbrook squared off against Nick Gaston in the main event of a King of the Cage card inLac du Flambeau,Wisconsin.[8] One minute into the fight, Gaston struck Westbrook in the groin with a knee strike, and Westbrook could not continue. The fight was ruled a no contest.[9]
Westbrook also fought on season two, episode ten, of MTV'sBully Beatdown. On that episode, it was stated that Westbrook owns a black belt intaekwondo and has reached brown-belt status inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu underGustavo Dantas. Westbrook was promoted to a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in 2010.
| 3 matches | 1 win | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC | 1–2 | Nick Gaston | No contest | KOTC: Connection | July 18, 2009 | 1 | 1:04 | Lac de Flambeau, Wisconsin, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Travis Browne | TKO (punches) | KOTC: Immortal | February 27, 2009 | 3 | 1:22 | San Bernardino, California, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jarrod Bunch | Submission (rear-naked choke) | KOTC 48: Payback | February 25, 2005 | 1 | 4:55 | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |