Matt Millen

No. 54, 55, 57
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1958-03-12) March 12, 1958 (age 54)
Place of birth: Hokendauqua, Pennsylvania
Career information
College: Penn State
NFL Draft: 1980 / Round: 2 / Pick: 43
Debuted in 1980 for the Oakland Raiders
Last played in 1991 for the Washington Redskins
Career history
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders (1980-1988) San Francisco 49ers (1989-1990) Washington Redskins (1991)
As executive:
Detroit Lions (2001-2008)
Career highlights and awards
1× Pro Bowl selection (1988) 2× All-Pro selection (1984, 1985)[1] 4× Super Bowl champion (XV, XVIII, XXIV, XXVI)
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions 9 Sacks 11 Fumble recoveries 8 Stats at NFL.com

Matthew George "Matt" Millen (born March 12, 1958) is an American former National Football League linebacker and a former executive. Millen played for the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. In Millen's 12-year NFL playing career, he played on four Super Bowl-winning teams. Millen won a Super Bowl ring with each of the three teams for which he played.^[2][3]

After his playing career, Millen was President and CEO of the Detroit Lions from 2001 until 2008. His eight-year tenure as head of the franchise led to the worst eight-year record in the history of the modern NFL (31-97), and resulted in his termination on September 24, 2008.

Following his NFL career, he was a football commentator for several national television and radio networks. His last job before joining the Lions was as a member of the number two broadcast team for the NFL on Fox,^[4] as well as being the color commentator for Monday Night Football on Westwood One. On February 1, 2009, he joined the NBC broadcast team for pre-game analysis of Super Bowl XLIII. He was employed by ESPN as an NFL analyst, and by NFL Network as a color commentator on Thursday Night Football,^[5] but currently only does color commentary on ESPN for college football.

Biography[link]

High school and college football[link]

Millen was born in Hokendauqua, Pennsylvania and grew up in Whitehall, Pennsylvania a suburb of Allentown. Pennsylvania. He attended Whitehall High School in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley region. He was a standout high school football player for Whitehall, which played in the highly competitive East Penn Conference (now known as the Lehigh Valley Conference).

He was recruited out of Whitehall High School by Pennsylvania State University, where he became an All-American defensive tackle for the Nittany Lions.^[6]

NFL career[link]

Following his career at Penn State, Millen entered the 1980 NFL Draft and was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the draft's 43rd overall selection in the second round.

During his 12-year NFL playing career, Millen played for the Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Washington Redskins. He won a Super Bowl with each of these teams, including two with the Raiders (one when the team was based in Oakland and one during their stint in Los Angeles). He won one Super Bowl each with the 49ers and Redskins, though he was de-activated for Super Bowl XXVI while with the Redskins.^[7]

During his NFL career, he was selected to play in one Pro Bowl (in 1988). Millen finished his 12 NFL seasons with 11 sacks and 9 interceptions, which he returned for 132 yards, and 8 fumble recoveries. He also returned 7 kickoffs for 72 yards. Tackle were not recorded at that time.

Television and radio career[link]

Following his professional football career, Millen worked as a color commentator for CBS TV (which teamed him with Sean McDonough, Paul Olden, Mike Emrick, and Tim Ryan), and for Fox (which teamed him with Dick Stockton). He also provided game analysis for the radio broadcasts of Monday Night Football, working alongside Howard David on CBS's Westwood One radio network.

At Fox, Millen came to be considered the number-two analyst for its nationally-broadcast games, behind John Madden (who had been successfully teaming for years with Pat Summerall).

Millen returned to broadcasting when he served as a studio analyst for NBC's coverage of Wild Card Saturday,^[8] his first television appearance in an analyst role since the 2000 NFC Divisional Playoffs, and reprised that role for NBC on their coverage of Super Bowl XLIII.

On June 15, 2009, Millen was named the lead analyst for the NFL Network's Thursday Night Football telecast, replacing Cris Collinsworth.^[9] He is also a color analyst for ESPN College Football telecasts, teaming with Sean McDonough and Holly Rowe.

Detroit Lions management[link]

In 2001, Millen left broadcasting to assume the job of the Detroit Lions' CEO and de facto general manager. At that time, Millen had no prior player development or front office experience.

Millen was the Lions' CEO for seven full seasons, from 2001–07; during that time, the club compiled a record of 31-81 (with at least nine losses each season). Detroit's .277 winning percentage was the among the worst ever compiled by an NFL team over a seven-year period; only the Chicago Cardinals of 1939-45 (10-61-3, .141) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 1983-89 (26-86, .234) were less successful.

During the early part of Millen's tenure (2001–2003), the Lions failed to win a road game for three years (0–24) before opening the season with a win at the Chicago Bears in 2004. Overall, the Lions are 8–50 on the road since 2001.^[10] Millen himself admitted to an interviewer in 2008 that the team's record under his leadership has been "beyond awful".^[11] The Wall Street Journal said that NFL executives admit in private that Millen "has made more bad draft decisions than anyone else in two centuries".^[12]

Despite the team's record on the field, Millen was the second-highest paid general manager in the NFL.^[13] With a draft record that included a number of high first-round draft picks who were considered poor choices (Charles Rogers, Joey Harrington, and Mike Williams among them),^[14] and widespread disappointment among fans, the media, and even some players, Millen received a five-year contract extension from owner William Clay Ford, Sr. at the start of the 2005 season.^[15] Following the team's 3–13 performance in 2006, Ford announced that Millen would be retained as General Manager for at least another season, because, according to inside sources to the Ford family, they still believed that Millen was the best GM that the Lions ever had.^[16] On September 24, 2008, Millen was confirmed to no longer hold his positions with the Lions. Whether he was dismissed or resigned was unclear.^[17] It was later reported by a team official that Millen was actually fired.^[18]

With the Lions trade of 2006 first round draft pick Ernie Sims in April 2010, only three of Millen's first-round draft picks, receiver Calvin Johnson (the fourth WR chosen by Detroit #1 overall during Millen's reign), left tackle Jeff Backus, and right tackle Gosder Cherilus, remained on the team's roster.

Competition committee[link]

Millen was named to the NFL competition committee on August 4, 2006.^[19]

"Fire Millen" movement[link]

Angry Detroit Lions fans organizing a "Fire Millen" protest in 2005.

The chant began to spread during a college basketball game between Michigan State and Wichita State at The Palace of Auburn Hills on December 10, 2005. It started when ousted Lions coach Steve Mariucci was shown on the big screen, prompting a standing ovation for Mariucci and a loud chant of "Fire Millen!" The following night in Los Angeles, in an NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers, the chant surfaced late in the 4th quarter at the Staples Center. The chant had also been heard during various Detroit Red Wings games, both home and away, as well as during a college basketball game between Michigan and UCLA. Former Pistons power forward Rasheed Wallace even took part in the chant during a late timeout in a December 16, 2005 game against the Chicago Bulls. A "Fire Millen" sign was shown in the background of a February 3, 2007 broadcast of ESPN College Gameday at the University of Kansas. One large sign with the "Fire Millen" slogan was removed by NCAA officials at the football national championship in Florence, Alabama.

"Fire Millen" even turned up in a background sign in the sports-oriented comic strip Gil Thorp on February 20, 2006 (Detroit News columnist Neal Rubin took over as the writer of Gil Thorp in 2004).^[20]

Rival Green Bay fans insisting the Lions "Keep Millen."

The "Fire Millen" chant returned in force to Ford Field during the second half of the 2006 Thanksgiving day game between the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins,^[21] when former Lions quarterback and first round pick Joey Harrington (often a scapegoat for the Lions problems) led the Dolphins to a 27-10 victory over the Lions, dropping the Lions' record to 2-9. More Fire Millen chants have been heard at wrestling event WWE's WrestleMania 23 held at Ford Field, and TNA's Bound for Glory. For 2008, the Fire Millen chants were back in force during the game against the Green Bay Packers.

Other protests[link]

On December 6, 2005, Detroit sports talk radio station WDFN announced the "Angry Fan March" (also known as the "Millen Man March") in protest of Millen's contract extension.^[22]

On December 9, 2005, in protest of Millen's poor record, one Detroit Lions fan site, known as "The Lions Fanatics," led by owner Dan Spanos organized an "orange out" event, which encouraged Lions fans to show up at Ford Field clad in hunter's orange, the color of their opponent that week, the Cincinnati Bengals.^[23]

In a game against Chicago on December 24, 2006, another group of fans, led by Herbert Nicholl Jr., planned a walkout protest towards the end of the first half to express their disgust with the current management.^[24][25]

Terminated from the Lions[link]

After a 0-3 start to the Lions 2008 season, Lions vice chairman and Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr., told reporters on September 22, 2008 if it were up to him, he would fire Millen.^[26] Despite this, the elder Ford claimed he had no plans to dismiss Millen.

However, on September 24, 2008, Millen's tenure as team president and general manager ended.^[27] Lions owner William Clay Ford later announced that Millen had been relieved of his duties as Lions General Manager and Team President.

Millen takes responsibility[link]

On the January 3, 2009 edition of NBC's Football Night in America, Millen admitted his role in the team's downfall, saying he would have fired himself after the 2008 season.^[28] During NBC's pre-game show for Super Bowl XLIII, Detroit's affiliate WDIV-TV ran a ticker on their website, asking viewers to question his credibility as an NBC Sports panelist, given his past with the Lions.^[29] Over 36 pages of comments were posted on the station's website.^[30]

Controversies[link]

"Devout coward" comments[link]

In October 2002, Millen came under fire for calling an unidentified defensive player a "devout coward" on Mike Ditka's Chicago radio show, following a Lions 23–20 overtime win over the Chicago Bears. Millen apologized for the comments, with Lions owner William Clay Ford, Sr. expressing his disappointment over Millen's comments.^[31]

Johnnie Morton incident[link]

In December 2003, following a Lions 45–17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, Millen once again came under fire, after a postgame incident with former Lions and then-Chiefs wide receiver Johnnie Morton. Millen tried to congratulate some of the Chiefs players near the Chiefs locker room, when he confronted Morton, who claimed that he wasn't going to say anything to Millen. When he walked by him, Millen said "Hey Johnnie", Morton ignored him, and then Millen replied "Nice talking to you", and Morton replied "Kiss my ass." That's when Millen shouted "You faggot! Yeah, you heard me. You faggot!" at Morton, which was heard by a member of the Chiefs public-relations staff and a Kansas City Star columnist. Millen apologized for the incident, and after he was informed of Millen's remarks, Morton replied "I apologize for what I said, but I never expected anything like that. What he said is demeaning and bigoted."^[32] There had been bad blood between the two since Morton was released by the Lions after the 2001 season, and Morton felt like Millen "tossed him aside."

Ethnic slur at 2010 NFL Draft[link]

On April 24, 2010, at the 2010 NFL Draft, Millen apparently referred to fellow ESPN commentator Ron Jaworski as a "Polack", after which he made an on-air apology, stating that he "didn't mean anything" by the remark.^[33][34]

Michigan vs. Michigan State Game - October 9, 2010[link]

On October 9, 2010, Matt Millen was the color commentator for the NCAA football rivalry game between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. Due to Millen's history with the Detroit Lions, he is a very disliked figure in the state of Michigan. There was an outrage against Millen commentating this game, and complaints were sent to ABC/ESPN, on which the game was to be broadcast.^{[35][36][37][38]}

Millen in parodies[link]

A target of many jokes among those in the football circles, among one of the more notable examples is that of Bang Cartoons, who depict Millen as a gorilla-like oaf with a child-like mentality. He's usually accompanied by a young, mentally challenged sidekick named Billy.^[39]

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• FireMillen.com.
• The Pennsylvania Football News All-Century Team.
• Matt Millen NFL statistics at databasefootball.com.
• "This Raider's A Real Riot", Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated, April 16, 1984.

Tim Tebow

Tebow warming up before a game in January 2012
No. 15     New York Jets
Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1987-08-14) August 14, 1987 (age 24)
Place of birth: Makati City, Philippines
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
College: Florida
NFL Draft: 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 25
Debuted in 2010 for the Denver Broncos
Career history
Denver Broncos (2010–2011) New York Jets (2012–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2× BCS National Championship (2007, 2009) 2× SEC Championship (2006, 2008) 2× First-team All-American (2007, 2008) Second-team All-American (2009) 3× First-team All-SEC (2007, 2008, 2009) AP Player of the Year (2007) Davey O'Brien Award (2007) 2× Maxwell Award (2007, 2008) Heisman Trophy (2007) Quarterback of the Year (2007) SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2008) Manning Award (2008) William V. Campbell Trophy (2009) Other awards and honors
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011
TD–INT 17–9 Passing yards 2,383 Passer rating 75.1 Rushing yards 887 Rushing TDs 12 Stats at NFL.com

Timothy Richard Tebow ( /ˈtiːboʊ/; born August 14, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Florida, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007 and appearing on BCS National Championship-winning teams in the 2006 and 2008 seasons. After graduating, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. Tebow is known as a dual threat quarterback, adept at both rushing and passing the football. With his unorthodox NFL quarterback skills, frequent demonstrations of his religious devotion, and his team's success, Tebow has attracted unprecedented praise, criticism, and attention from the sporting media and beyond. Commenting on Tebow's play and the attention he has garnered, many football players and observers have said that they "have never seen anything like it."^[1][2][3][4]

Tebow played quarterback for Nease High School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and was ranked among the top quarterback prospects in the nation as a high school senior.^[5] He ultimately chose to attend the University of Florida. As a backup and situational quarterback,^[6] Tebow helped the Gators win the national championship during the 2006 college football season. Tebow was the Gators' starting quarterback during the 2007 season when he became the first college sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.^[7] In 2008, Tebow led Florida to a 13-1 record and its second national championship in three years, and was named the offensive MVP of the national championship game. The Gators again went 13–1 in 2009, Tebow's senior year. At the conclusion of his college career, he held the Southeastern Conference's all-time records in both career passing efficiency and total rushing touchdowns, appearing second and tenth (respectively) in the NCAA record book in these categories.^[8]

Tebow was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He started the last three games of his rookie season and became the Broncos' full-time starting quarterback beginning in the 6th game of 2011. The team was 1–4 before Tebow became the starter, but immediately began winning with him on the field, often by coming from behind late in the 4th quarter, until they won their first AFC West title and first playoff game since 2005.

Tim Tebow is known for sharing his Christian faith with fans and in clinics, hospitals, market places, schools, and orphanages.^[9][10]

Early years[link]

Tebow at the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl as a high school senior.

Tebow was born in Makati City in the Philippines, to American parents who were serving as Baptist missionaries at the time. His mother, Pamela Elaine (née Pemberton), is the daughter of a U.S. Army colonel, and his father, Robert Ramsey Tebow II, is a pastor.^{[11][12][13][14][15][16]} While pregnant, his mother suffered a life-threatening infection with a pathogenic amoeba. Because of the drugs used to rouse her from a coma and to treat her dysentery, the fetus experienced a severe placental abruption. Doctors had expected a stillbirth and recommended an abortion, even though illegal in the Philippines, to protect her life,^[11] but she decided not to have one.

Tebow is the youngest of five children.^[17] All of the Tebow children were homeschooled by their mother, who worked to instill the family's Christian beliefs along the way.^[13] In 1996, legislation was passed in Florida allowing homeschooled students to compete in local high school sporting events. The law specifies that homeschooled students may participate on the team of the local school in the school district in which they live.^[18] The Tebows lived in Jacksonville, Florida, and he played linebacker and tight end at the local Trinity Christian Academy for one season. Tebow's preferred position was quarterback, but Trinity football team's offense did not rely on passing the football, so he moved into an apartment in nearby St. Johns County, making him eligible to play for the pass-oriented offense at Nease. His performance soon turned heads and led to a minor controversy regarding the fact that he was a home-schooled student having his choice of school to play for.^[19]

Tebow came into national prominence as a junior at Florida's 4A Nease High School. Tebow was soon known not only for his running and throwing, but for his intense competitiveness and uncommon physical courage. Later that same year, he suffered an injury to his right leg late in the first half of a game. Originally thought by the Nease coaching staff to be a bad cramp, he played the entire second half with a broken fibula, at one point rushing for a 29-yard touchdown. After the game the extent of the injury was discovered and he was held out for the remainder of his junior season.^[20] Nevertheless he was named Florida's Player of the Year and became a major college football quarterback prospect.^[21] During his senior season he led the Nease Panthers to a state title, earned All-State honors, was named Florida's Mr. Football and a Parade magazine high school All-American, and repeated as Florida's Player of the Year.^[21][22] Tebow played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas which featured the top 78 senior high school football players in the nation and was shown nationally on NBC television.^[23]

Tebow was considered one of the nation's top recruits and was the subject of an ESPN "Faces in Sports" documentary. The segment was titled "Tim Tebow: The Chosen One", and focused on Tim's homeschool controversy and missionary work in the Philippines, as well as his exploits on the field of play and the college recruiting process.^[24] Tim Tebow was also featured in Sports Illustrated on the "Faces in the Crowd" page.^[25] In 2007 he was named to FHSAA's All-Century Team that listed the Top 33 football players in the state of Florida's 100 year history of high school football.^[26]

Despite having family ties to the University of Florida, where his parents first met as students,^[27] Tebow considered other schools, including Alabama.^[28] One of the reasons he gave for eventually choosing Florida was coach Urban Meyer's spread option offense, an offense for which Tebow was deemed an archetypal quarterback.^[29]

Tebow spent the three summers prior to enrolling at the University of Florida in the Philippines, assisting with his father's orphanage and missionary work.^[30]

Effect on homeschooling movement[link]

On January 7, 2007, Tebow was featured prominently in an ESPN "Outside The Lines" feature on homeschooled athletes seeking equal access to high school athletics in other states. Because a homeschooler's access to public and private school athletic functions vary by state, Tebow and New York Jets defensive end Jason Taylor (who was allowed to play at his local high school in Pennsylvania) argue in favor of extending the right to play for local teams to more states.^[31]

Upon becoming the first home-schooled athlete to be nominated for the Heisman Trophy, Tebow remarked, "That's really cool. A lot of times people have this stereotype of homeschoolers as not very athletic – it's like, go win a spelling bee or something like that – it's an honor for me to be the first one to do that."^[32]

Tebow's example inspired equal access supporters in other states, including Alabama and Kentucky.^[33][34][35] Tebow received the 2008 Quaqua Protégé Award as an outstanding home-education graduate.^[36]

College career[link]

Tebow received an athletic scholarship to attend and play for the Florida Gators football team from 2006 to 2009.^[37] While he spent his freshman year as a backup, eventual career highlights at Florida include winning the Heisman Trophy in 2007, leading the team to a BCS championship in 2008, and a 13–1 2009 season. The Gators coaches selected him as a team captain in 2008 and 2009, and he is the only three-time recipient of the Gators' most valuable player award, having been chosen by his teammates in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

2006[link]

Despite a strong showing in his first intersquad scrimmage, Coach Urban Meyer named Tebow second string behind Chris Leak.^[38] Although Tebow remained the backup throughout the season, Tebow was a significant contributor to the Gators' 2006 success.

Tebow made his college debut coming off the bench in a goal line situation against Southern Miss. He rushed for a touchdown on a designed quarterback scramble on his first play.^[39] In his next game, he led the team in rushing yards against UCF.^[40]

Tebow made his SEC debut against the Tennessee Volunteers on September 16. His performance included a ten-yard run on his first carry and converting a critical fourth down near the end of the game, which led to the Gators' go-ahead touchdown.^[41] Tebow's biggest game in the season came against the LSU Tigers on October 7, where he accounted for all three of the Gators' touchdowns, passing for two and rushing for another.^[42] Tebow played a role in the Gators' victory in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game against Ohio State. He threw for one touchdown and rushed for another, finishing with 39 rushing yards.^[43] He finished 2006 with the second-most rushing yards on the Gator team.^[44]

2007[link]

Tebow (on right) and other Gator QBs during pre-game warm-ups.

Although questions about his passing skill loomed, Tebow was named the Florida Gators starting quarterback for the 2007 season.^[45] He opened the year 13-of-17 for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in his starting debut against Western Kentucky University.^[46] Tebow finished the regular season with the second highest passing efficiency in the nation with 177.8. Additionally, he averaged 4.3 yards per carry on the ground.^[47]

Tebow set numerous personal, school and national records in the 2007 season, including:

• University of Florida single-game quarterback rushing yards, 166, week 4^[48]
• SEC season rushing touchdown record, 20^[49]
• Career high single game rushing touchdowns, 5, Nov. 10
• SEC season total touchdowns (passing and rushing), 55^[50]