Mike Pearson (Canadian football)

For other people named Mike Pearson, see Mike Pearson (disambiguation).

Mike Pearson

No. 69
Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: August 22, 1980 (1980-08-22) (age 31)
Place of birth: Tampa, Florida
High School: Armwood High School Seffner, Florida
Height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	Weight: 297 lb (135 kg)
Career information
College: University of Florida
NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40
Debuted in 2002 for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Last played in 2007 for the Toronto Argonauts
Career history
Jacksonville Jaguars (2002–2005) Miami Dolphins (2006)* Houston Texans (2006)* Toronto Argonauts (2007) *Offseason or practice squad member only.
Career highlights and awards
SEC Championship (2000) First-team All-SEC (2000, 2001) First-team All-American (2001)
Games played	40
Games started	33
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com
Stats at CFL.ca

Michael Wayne "Mike" Pearson (born August 22, 1980) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) for five seasons during the early 2000s. Pearson played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

Early years

Pearson was born in Tampa, Florida in 1980.^[1] He attended Armwood High School in Seffner, Florida,^[2] where he played high school football for the Armwood Hawks.^[3]

College career

Pearson received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,^[3] where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1999 to 2001.^[4] After being red-shirted in 1998, he was a three-year letterman for the Gators, and he received the Gators' James W. Kynes Award, recognizing him as the lineman who "best exemplified mental and physical toughness and iron-man determination."^[4] He was also a two-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Honor Roll selection.^[4] Pearson played in thirty-five games with thirty-three starts, including two bowl games: the 2001 Orange Bowl and the 2000 Sugar Bowl.^[3] He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2000 and 2001, and a consensus first-team All-American in 2001.^[4][5]

Pearson graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2001.

Professional career

Pearson was drafted in the second round (fortieth pick overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars,^[6] and he played for the Jaguars from 2002 through 2005.^[7] His "break" came in his rookie season, when offensive tackle Maurice Williams was injured. Pearson started at left tackle for thirty-one consecutive games, until he was injured on October 3, 2004 against the Indianapolis Colts; after knee surgery^[8] he was placed on injured reserve, and returned in 2005. He started two games in 2005, and was released. In 2006, he was signed by the Miami Dolphins, released during training camp, and signed by the Houston Texans in November. He was released in December.

In 2007, he started the season as the starting left tackle, but after two games, was moved to the injured reserved list with an infected right index finger.^[9] Pearson was treated to intravenous therapy with serious concerns over whether the infection required finger amputation.^[9] He ultimately regained full health without any amputation and returned to his starting duties at left tackle on September 3, 2007 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.^[9] On November 3, 2007, Pearson suffered a season-ending injury when teammate Chad Folk fell on his ankle.^[10] On May 31, 2008, Pearson announced his retirement from professional football.^[11]

See also

	American football portal
	Biography portal
	Canadian football portal
	College football portal

• 2001 College Football All-America Team
• Florida Gators
• Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
• History of the Jacksonville Jaguars
• List of Florida Gators football players
• List of University of Florida alumni

References

1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Mike Pearson. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
2. ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Mike Pearson. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
3. ^ ^{a b c} GatorZone.com, Football History, 2001 Roster, Mike Pearson. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 94, 97, 99, 103, 185 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
5. ^ 2010 Division I Football Records Book, Award Winners and All-Americans, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2010). Retrieved April 30, 2011.
6. ^ Pro Football Hall of Fame, Draft History, 2002 National Football League Draft. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
7. ^ National Football League, Historical Players, Mike Pearson. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
8. ^ Len Pasquarelli, "Salaam will fill in for Pearson," ESPN (October 4, 2004). Retrieved March 19, 2011.
9. ^ ^{a b c} Rick Matsumoto, "Argos' Pearson hoping to return after frightening finger infection," The Toronto Star (September 22, 2007). Retrieved July 9, 2010.
10. ^ "Argonauts wrap up first in CFL East," The Ottawa Citizen (November 4, 2007). Retrieved July 9, 2010.
11. ^ Rick Matsumoto, "'We are family' important theme for new head coach Rich Stubler," The Toronto Star (June 1, 2008). Retrieved July 9, 2010.

Bibliography

• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0794822983.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
• McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.

Persondata
Name	Pearson, Mike
Alternative names	Pearson, Michael Wayne; Pearson, Michael W.
Short description	All-American college football player, professional football player, offensive lineman, offensive tackle
Date of birth	August 22, 1980
Place of birth	Tampa, Florida, United States
Date of death
Place of death