Junior Seau
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| Junior Seau | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 19, 1969 |
| Place of birth | San Diego, California |
| Position(s) | LB |
| College | USC |
| NFL Draft | 1990 / Round 1/ Pick 5 |
| Pro Bowls | 12 |
| Honors | NFL 1990s All-Decade Team |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1990-2002 2003-2005 2006-Present |
San Diego Chargers Miami Dolphins New England Patriots |
Junior Seau [SAY-ow] (born Tiaina Seau, Jr. on January 19, 1969 in San Diego, California) is an American Samoan NFL linebacker for the New England Patriots. Seau is notable for his 12 career Pro Bowl selections and 16 seasons for the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins. Seau retired in 2006 for four days, then signed a contract with New England to help their lack of linebackers at the start of the season.
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[edit] High School Career
A two-position star at Oceanside High School, he met then-San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts at a promotion, who advised him to become a linebacker instead of a tight end.
[edit] College Career
Seau was an All-American at the University of Southern California and was the college teammate of quarterbacks Todd Marinovich and Rodney Peete and defensive back Mark Carrier, and was taken in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft by Bobby Beathard's Chargers as the 5th overall pick.
[edit] Professional Career
Seau quickly became one of the most popular players on the team, receiving the nickname "Tasmanian Devil". His well-known "Lightning Bolt" dance (after the Chargers' logo) and fist-pumping after his defensive plays was disliked by opposing teams, but well-liked by fans. He played in 12 Pro Bowls with the Chargers, and missed only two games in his first seven years of play. In every season with the team, he was the leading tackler. In 1991, he created the Seau Foundation, which raises money for drug awareness, child abuse prevention, and college scholarships. Seau also owns a clothing line, Say-Ow, as well as Seau's Restaurant in Mission Valley, San Diego. In 1994, Seau assisted his team to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXIX, most notably by logging 16 tackles in the AFC Championship Game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In April of 2003 he was acquired via trade by the Miami Dolphins, where he had another strong season. But a torn pectoral muscle in 2004 ended his season prematurely and in 2005 he hurt his ankle to end his season.
On March 6, 2006, Seau was released from the Dolphins to clear cap room. His 16-year career includes 1,566 tackles, 1,239 solo, 327 assists, 52 sacks, 76 pass deflections, 15 interceptions, 210 interception return yards, 12 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries, 66 return yards, and 1 touchdown, earning him 12 Pro Bowl invitations.
Seau announced his retirement on August 14th, 2006 at an emotional press conference. [1] However, on August 18th, it was announced that Seau had signed a contract with the New England Patriots, for an undisclosed amount. [1]
[edit] Trivia
- Seau's number '55' is famous at Seau's alma mater, University Of Southern California, it has been worn by Seau, Chris Claiborne, Willie McGinest, and currently Keith Rivers. Also no player on the San Diego Chargers has worn number 55 since Seau's departure.
[edit] Sources
- ^ "Seau signs with New England", AP, August 18, 2006.
[edit] External links
Categories: 1969 births | American Conference Pro Bowl players | American football outside linebackers | Living people | Miami Dolphins players | New England Patriots players | NFL 1990s All-Decade Team | People from San Diego | Samoan Americans | Samoan American football players | San Diego Chargers players | USC Trojans football players
