Mike Merriweather
Michael Lamar Merriweather is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League. He played college football for the Tigers football|Pacific Tigers] and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1982 NFL draft. He played for professionally for the Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers during the 1980s and 1990s.
Early life
Merriweather was born in Albany, New York, and attended Vallejo High School in northern California, where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He graduated from University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he played college football for the 1981 [Pacific Tigers football team|Tigers]. Merriweather is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.Professional career
Merriweather was selected in the third round of the 1982 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]. He was elected to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons: 1984, 1985, and 1986. In 1984, Merriweather was fifth in the NFL with fifteen sacks, and was named first-team all-NFL that year. He was named the Steelers' Most Valuable Player in 1987.After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire 1988 season, Merriweather was traded to the Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings] for a first-round pick. In his first season with Minnesota in 1989, he became the first in NFL history to score the winning points in an overtime game with a safety when he blocked a punt out of the end zone in a game against the Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams] for a final score of 23–21. Vikings' placekicker Rich Karlis had scored a then-record seven field goals, accounting for all 21 points that sent the game into overtime.
Merriweather's last year at Minnesota was 1992, and he played his final season in 1993 for the 1993 [New York Jets season|New York Jets] and Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers].
In 1993, Merriweather was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, and was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2012.