# Mike Merriweather

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**Michael Lamar Merriweather** (born November 26, 1960) is an American former professional [football](/source/American_football) player who was a [linebacker](/source/Linebacker) in the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) (NFL). He played [college football](/source/College_football) for the [Pacific Tigers](/source/Pacific_Tigers_football) and was selected by the [Pittsburgh Steelers](/source/Pittsburgh_Steelers) in the third round of the [1982 NFL draft](/source/1982_NFL_draft). He played for professionally for the Steelers, [Minnesota Vikings](/source/Minnesota_Vikings), [New York Jets](/source/New_York_Jets), and [Green Bay Packers](/source/Green_Bay_Packers) during the 1980s and 1990s.

## Early life

Merriweather was born in [Albany, New York](/source/Albany,_New_York), and attended [Vallejo High School](/source/Vallejo_High_School) in [northern](/source/Northern_California) [California](/source/California),[1] where he played football, baseball, and basketball. He graduated from [University of the Pacific](/source/University_of_the_Pacific_(United_States)) in [Stockton](/source/Stockton,_California), where he played [college football](/source/College_football) for the [Tigers](/source/1981_Pacific_Tigers_football_team). Merriweather is a member of [Alpha Phi Alpha](/source/Alpha_Phi_Alpha) [fraternity](/source/Fraternities_and_sororities).[2]

## Professional career

Merriweather was selected in the [third round](/source/1982_NFL_draft#Round_three) (70th overall) of the [1982 NFL draft](/source/1982_NFL_draft) by the [Pittsburgh Steelers](/source/1982_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season).[3] He was elected to the [Pro Bowl](/source/Pro_Bowl) in three consecutive seasons: [1984](/source/1984_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season), [1985](/source/1985_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season), and [1986](/source/1986_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season).[4] In 1984, Merriweather was fifth in the NFL with fifteen sacks ([Mark Gastineau](/source/Mark_Gastineau) led the league with 22), and was named first-team all-NFL that year.[5] He was named the Steelers' Most Valuable Player in [1987](/source/1987_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season).[6]

After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire [1988](/source/1988_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season) season, Merriweather was traded to the [Minnesota Vikings](/source/1989_Minnesota_Vikings_season) for a first-round pick.[7] In his first season with Minnesota in [1989](/source/1989_Minnesota_Vikings_season), he became the first in NFL history to score the winning points in an overtime game with a safety[8] when he blocked a punt out of the end zone in a game against the [Los Angeles Rams](/source/1989_Los_Angeles_Rams_season) for a final score of 23–21. Vikings' placekicker [Rich Karlis](/source/Rich_Karlis) had scored a then-record seven field goals, accounting for all 21 points that sent the game into overtime.[9]

Merriweather's last year at Minnesota was [1992](/source/1992_Minnesota_Vikings_season), and he played his final season in 1993 for the [New York Jets](/source/1993_New_York_Jets_season) and [Green Bay Packers](/source/1993_Green_Bay_Packers_season).[10][11]

In 1993, Merriweather was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame.[12] He was inducted into the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004,[13] and was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2012.[14]

## Life after the NFL

After leaving the NFL, Merriweather worked as an insurance broker in [Sacramento, California](/source/Sacramento,_California).[15] In 2013, he became the athletic director at [Vacaville Christian High School](/source/Vacaville,_California).[16] He and his wife Sandra live in [Stockton, California](/source/Stockton,_California).

## References

1. ["Mike Merriweather"](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MerrMi00.htm). pro-football-reference. Retrieved April 1, 2022.

1. ["Alpha Phi Alpha Begins Implementing New Worldwide Programs"](http://www.blacknews.com/news/alpha_phi_alpha_expands_worldwide101.shtml#.UmgTTPkjwZk). BlackNews.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Pittsburgh's Bashful Bruiser"](https://archive.today/20131024010857/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135927/index.htm). Sports Illustrated. Archived from [the original](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135927/index.htm) on October 24, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["No Steelers Voted to Pro Bowl"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19871224&id=gNpaAAAAIBAJ&pg=3909,8798032). Pittsburgh Post=Gazette. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION ANNOUNCES 2012 HALL OF FAME CLASS"](http://www.arbitersports.com/Groups/107475/Library/files/hof_mediarelease_12(2).pdf). SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Heath Miller Named Steelers' 2012 MVP"](http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Heath-Miller-Named-Steelers-2012-MVP/eb2d7bc3-efa9-4220-afe0-a0c0b98b06a4). Steelers.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["New Viking Merriweather takes parting shot at Steelers"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19890424&id=JrBRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6760,7978916). Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Bears only second team to win on OT safety"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093421/http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=241114010). ESPN NFL. Archived from [the original](http://espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=241114010) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["History Timeline: 1980s"](http://www.scout.com/2/11601.html). *FoxSports.com*. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. Smith, Timothy W. (19 November 1993). ["FOOTBALL; Real Life to Linebacker For Jets' Merriweather"](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/19/sports/football-real-life-to-linebacker-for-jets-merriweather.html). *New York Times*. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Mike Merriweather"](https://www.nfl.com/player/mikemerriweather/2502068/careerstats). NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["PACIFIC ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME"](http://www.pacifictigers.com/information/hall_of_fame/all_time/index). *Pacific*. Pacific Tigers. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Vallejo's Merriweather named to section's Hall of Fame"](http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_20820328/vallejos-merriweather-named-sections-hall-fame). Times-Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Truesdale selected for Section Hall of Fame"](http://egcitizen.com/articles/2012/06/12/sports/doc4fd7d8a9dd526891646736.txt). Elk Grove Citizen. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Stu's Hunt Down: Ex-Vikings LB Mike Merriweather"](http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/129895793.html). Star Tribune. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

1. ["Vallejo High grad, former NFL player named athletic director at Vacaville Christian"](https://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_22383644/vallejo-high-grad-former-nfl-player-named-athletic). Times Herald. 16 January 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

## External links

- [Career Stats at Pro Football Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/MerrMi00.htm).
- [Article on his induction to the Vallejo Sports Hall of fame](http://www.pro57.com/index2.htm).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mike Merriweather](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Merriweather) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Merriweather?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.