| No. 57, 97, 58 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1960-11-26)November 26, 1960 (age 65) Albany, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Vallejo (Vallejo, California) | ||||||||||
| College | Pacific | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1982:3rd round, 70th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Michael Lamar Merriweather (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for thePacific Tigers and was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the1982 NFL draft. He played for professionally for the Steelers,Minnesota Vikings,New York Jets, andGreen Bay Packers during the 1980s and 1990s.
Merriweather was born inAlbany, New York, and attendedVallejo High School innorthernCalifornia,[1] where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He graduated fromUniversity of the Pacific inStockton, where he playedcollege football for theTigers. Merriweather is a member ofAlpha Phi Alphafraternity.[2]
Merriweather was selected in thethird round (70th overall) of the1982 NFL draft by thePittsburgh Steelers.[3] He was elected to thePro Bowl in three consecutive seasons:1984,1985, and1986.[4] In 1984, Merriweather was fifth in the NFL with fifteen sacks (Mark Gastineau led the league with 22), and was named first-team all-NFL that year.[5] He was named the Steelers' Most Valuable Player in1987.[6]
After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire1988 season, Merriweather was traded to theMinnesota Vikings for a first-round pick.[7] In his first season with Minnesota in1989, he became the first in NFL history to score the winning points in an overtime game with a safety[8] when he blocked a punt out of the end zone in a game against theLos Angeles Rams for a final score of 23–21. Vikings' placekickerRich Karlis had scored a then-record seven field goals, accounting for all 21 points that sent the game into overtime.[9]
Merriweather's last year at Minnesota was1992, and he played his final season in 1993 for theNew York Jets andGreen Bay Packers.[10][11]
In 1993, Merriweather was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame.[12] He was inducted into the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004,[13] and was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2012.[14]
After leaving the NFL, Merriweather worked as an insurance broker inSacramento, California.[15] In 2013, he became the athletic director atVacaville Christian High School.[16] He and his wife Sandra live inStockton, California.