Stephen Neal

Infobox NFLactive


currentteam=New England Patriots
currentnumber=61
currentpositionplain=Guard
birthdate=birth date and age|1976|10|9
birthplace=San Diego, California
heightft=6
heightin=4
weight=305
debutyear=2002
debutteam=New England Patriots
college=Cal State-Bakersfield
undraftedyear=2001
pastteams=
* New England Patriots (2001)*
* Philadelphia Eagles (2001)*
* New England Patriots (2001-present):*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
status=Reserve/PUP
highlights=
* 2x Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXIX)
nfl=NEA487848

Stephen Matthew Neal (born October 9, 1976 in city-state|San Diego|California) is an American football guard for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He attended Cal State-Bakersfield.

Neal has earned two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots. He has also been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Early years years

Neal attended San Diego Senior High School in San Diego, California and was a letterman in football, wrestling, swimming, tennis, and track and field. In wrestling, as a senior, he posted a 45-2 record and placed fourth at the California State Wrestling Tournament in the 189 pound weight class.

Wrestling career

Neal is a native of San Diego, California. He did not play football in college. Instead he was one of the top wrestlers in the nation at Cal State-Bakersfield. He compiled a 151-10 record. He placed fourth in the NCAA division 1 as a freshman and second as a sophomore before winning titles his junior and senior year. His final title in 1999 came via a win over future WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. In 1999, Neal won the Dan Hodge Award - known as the Heisman Trophy of wrestling - following a year in which he won the U.S. Freestyle Championship, the Pan-American Games title and the World Championships at 286 pounds. In 1999 he also won the FILA outstanding wrestler award, an honor given to the best wrestler in the world. His 1999 season led up to the 2000 Summer Olympics trials where Kerry McCoy edged him for the trip to Sydney. After the trials, Neal retired from amateur wrestling.

Football career

New England Patriots

He was signed by the New England Patriots on July 23, 2001. He didn't play at all that year, or in 2003, but due to injuries on the offensive line, he was thrust into the starting lineup for the 2004 season. Neal re-signed with the Patriots after testing the free-agency market following the 2005 season.

External links

* [http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=playerbio&bio=12370 New England Patriots bio]