Sam Mills

Infobox NFLretired


caption=
position=Linebacker
number=51
birthdate=birth date|1959|8|8
Neptune, New Jersey
deathdate=death date and age|2005|4|18|1959|8|8
Charlotte, North Carolina
debutyear=1986
finalyear=1997
college=Montclair State
teams=
* New Orleans Saints (1986-1994)
* Carolina Panthers (1995-1997)
stat1label=Sacks
stat1value=20.5
stat2label=Int
stat2value=11
stat3label=Touchdowns
stat3value=1
nfl=MIL723624
highlights=
* 5x Pro Bowl selection (1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996)
* Carolina Panthers #51 retired
* New Orleans Saints #51 retired
HOF=
CollegeHOF=

Samuel Davis "Sam" Mills, Jr. (June 3, 1959 - April 18, 2005) was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.

Early life

Sam Mills was born in Neptune, New Jersey and attended high school in Long Branch, New Jersey. Mills was a standout football player at Long Branch High School [ [http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MILLSSAM01 Sam Mills] , database Football. Accessed October 25, 2007.] [Smith, Timothy W. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E3DC1F39F93AA35752C0A961958260 "Mills at 37: The Little Linebacker Who Could"] , "The New York Times", January 9, 1997. Accessed October 25, 2007. "When Sam Mills was growing up in Long Branch, N.J., he loved to tag along with his older brother and play pickup football games with the bigger boys.... Going back to the Long Branch playgrounds, to Long Branch High School, to Montclair (N.J.) State College, to the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League, to the New Orleans Saints to the Panthers, not many people have been able to knock Sam Mills down."] , which honors him to this day by hanging his high school jersey and his NFL jersey in the school gym.

USFL

He attended college at Montclair State University. Told he was too small to play in the NFL, he played with the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars of the USFL for three years. During that time, he became known in the league for both his tenacity on the field and his leadership off it. His speed, surprising for a man of his size, earned him the nickname "The Field Mouse." When Stars head coach Jim Mora left the team to coach the NFL's New Orleans Saints, Mills followed his mentor.

NFL

New Orleans Saints

During his tenure with the Saints, Mills was an anchor of the defense. He was a member of the vaunted "Dome Patrol," the stellar linebacking corps that led a ferocious Saints defense in the early 1990s. Mills earned four Pro Bowl appearances with the Saints in 1987, 1988, 1991, and 1992.

Carolina Panthers

Mills became a free agent at the end of the 1994 NFL season, and was signed by the expansion Carolina Panthers. Mills became a veteran leader for the young team, the only player to start every game during the Panthers' first three seasons. His career rebirth gave him a fifth Pro Bowl appearance in 1996 at the age of 37. After retiring in 1997, Mills stayed with the organization as a linebackers coach.

After football

Mills played 12 seasons in the NFL and recorded 1,319 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 11 interceptions and four touchdowns while starting 173 of 181 games. He is the only player in the Carolina Panthers Hall of Honor. Mills was named to the NFL All-Pro team three times in 1991,1992, and 1996. He was elected to both the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1991) and the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey (1993).

Mills was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in August 2003. Though he was told he had only a few months to live, he underwent chemotherapy and radiation and continued to coach. He was an inspirational force in the Panthers’ post-season run to Super Bowl XXXVIII. His plea to "Keep Pounding" in an emotional speech before the Panthers' victory over the Dallas Cowboys later became the name of a fund to sponsor cancer research programs. Mills died at his home in Charlotte, North Carolina on the morning of April 18, 2005. He was 45.

Mills' number 51 was retired by the Panthers and Saints at the start of the 2005 NFL season. The home field of the Montclair State University Red Hawks was named Sam Mills Stadium in his honor.

References