- Junior Seau
Infobox NFLactive
name=Junior Seau
currentteam=Free Agent
currentnumber=--
currentposition=Linebacker
birthdate=birth date and age|1969|1|19
birthplace=San Diego, California
heightft=6
heightin=3
weight=248
debutyear=1990
debutteam=San Diego Chargers
highlights=
college=Southern California
draftyear=1990
draftround=1
draftpick=5
pastteams=
*San Diego Chargers (1990-2002)
*Miami Dolphins (2003-2005)
* San Diego Chargers (2006) *
*New England Patriots (2006-2007):*One-day contract
highlights=
* 7x First-team All-Pro (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000)
* 2x Second-team All-Pro (1997, 1999)
* 12xPro Bowl selection (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002)
*NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Tackles
statvalue1=1,566
statlabel2=Sacks
statvalue2=52
statlabel3=INTs
statvalue3=18
nfl=SEA743138Junior Seau (pronEng|ˌʤunjɚ ˈseɪ.o (born Tiaina Baul Seau Jr. on
January 19 ,1969 inSan Diego, California ) is anAmerican football linebacker who is currently afree agent . He was originally drafted 5th overall by theSan Diego Chargers during the1990 NFL Draft . He playedcollege football at Southern CaliforniaSeau is considered one of the best players to never win a
Super Bowl , and is recognized for his 12 consecutive Pro Bowl selections in 16 seasons with theSan Diego Chargers andMiami Dolphins . Seau retired from football in 2006, four days before signing a one-year contract with theNew England Patriots . He officially re-signed with New England onMay 21 ,2007 , for the 2007 NFL season, and was a key member of the defensive core that helped the Patriots go 16-0 during the regular season and reach the Super Bowl. He has yet to sign for the 2008 NFL season.High school years
Seau attended
Oceanside High School , and was a good student and a letterman in football, basketball, and track & field. As a football player, Seau was a starter at linebacker and tight end, and as a senior, he was named the Avocado League Offensive Player of the Year. In basketball, as a senior, he was named the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section Player of the Year. In track & field he was the Avocado League Champion in theshot put .College career
Seau was an
All-America n at theUniversity of Southern California and was the college teammate of quarterbacksTodd Marinovich andRodney Peete and defensive back Mark Carrier, and was taken in the first round of the1990 NFL Draft byBobby Beathard 's Chargers as the 5th overall pick.At USC, Seau wore number 55, a number also worn by current
Jacksonville Jaguars coachJack Del Rio ,Chris Claiborne ,Willie McGinest , and most recently, linebackerKeith Rivers .He majored in public administration.
Professional career
Seau quickly became one of the most popular players on the Chargers, 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 straightPro Bowl s 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. In1991 , 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 The Restaurant in Mission Valley,San Diego . In 1994, Seau assisted his team to a championship appearance inSuper Bowl XXIX , most notably by logging 16 tackles in the AFC Championship Game.In April of
2003 he was acquired via trade by theMiami Dolphins , where he had another strong season. But a tornpectoral muscle in2004 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 because of his injury troubles. 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 after signing a one-day contract with the San Diego Chargers at an emotional
press conference . He called it his "graduation ", because he was not going to stop working. He contended that he was merely moving on to the next phase of his life. [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15274306.htm] However, he returned to football just four days later, signing with the Patriots for an undisclosed sum.cite news
url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-patriots-seau&prov=ap&type=lgns
publisher=AP
title=Seau signs with New England
date=August 18, 2006] Seau sustained a broken forearm while tacklingChicago Bears running back Cedric Benson for a loss on November 26, 2006. Benson's heel caught Seau's forearm as Seau was making the tackle. Seau was placed on the IR of the Patriots.On
May 21 ,2007 The "Boston Globe " reported that Seau re-signed with theNew England Patriots for the 2007 season. [ [http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/ Patriots blog - Reiss' Pieces - Boston.com ] ] In September 2007 Seau was named one of the Patriots' seven captains. [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-patriots-seau&prov=ap&type=lgns Seau going back to Super Bowl after 13 years - NFL - Yahoo! Sports ] ]Seau has worn number 55 in the NFL, as he did at USC. Since Seau's departure from the Chargers, no Chargers player has worn number 55. Moreover, when Seau joined the Patriots, he asked former Patriot and USC Trojan
Willie McGinest for permission to wear the number in New England; McGinest granted his request. Junior received theVolunteer Service Award from President Bush in 2005. The award was given in celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. He is also a relative of current University of Arizona quarterbackWillie Tuitama and is a relative of several other Samoan NFL Players. He once made a memorable post-game comment on January 20, 2008 immediately following the AFC Championship game when he stated that the Patriots "have a chance to be part of 'ever'".Junior Seau Foundation
::"To educate and empower young people through the support of child abuse prevention efforts, drug and alcohol awareness, recreational opportunities, anti-juvenile delinquency efforts and complimentary educational programs."The Foundation gives out an annual award to the individual who exemplifies the mission statement of the Junior Seau Foundation.
2000–– Legend of the Year —
Sid Brooks
2001–– Legend of the Year —Lance Alworth
2002–– Legend of the Year —Sid Gillman
2003–– Legend of the Year —Don Coryell
2004–– Legend of the Year —Marcus Allen
2005–– Legend of the Year —Deacon Jones
2006–– Legend of the Year —Bobby Ross
2007–– Legend of the Year —Warren Moon 2008–– Legend of the Year —Marshall Faulk External links
* [http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=32166 New England Patriots bio]
* [http://www.juniorseau.org/ Junior Seau Foundation]
* [http://www.seau.com/ Seau's The Restaurant]Notes and references
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.