WFOR-TV, virtual channel 4.1 (physical digital channel 22), is the CBS owned-and-operated station in Miami, Florida. WFOR shares its TV studio facilities with sister station WBFS-TV (channel 33, Miami's MyNetworkTV affiliate) in Doral, near Miami International Airport, and its transmitter is located in Miramar.

WFOR-TV also previously had two translator stations in the Florida Keys: W38AA channel 38 in Marathon and W39AC channel 39 in Key West. Mapale LLC, which has owned them since at least 1979, now has them assigned to Key West's WSBS-TV, making their entire service area redundant. Their "digital companion channels" are licensed separately from the analogs, and have Mapale's own WGEN-TV (also from Key West) listed as their primary station.

It is a television station in the South Florida metropolitan area (also known as the Miami metropolitan area) market serving three counties: Miami-Dade County, Broward County, and Monroe County.

History[link]

WCIX, channel 6[link]

The station signed on air on September 20, 1967 on channel 6 as WCIX, owned by Coral Television, a subsidiary of General Cinema Corporation. The callsign sounded like the word "six". Channel 6 was originally licensed to Islamorada in the Florida Keys, but the local owners successfully convinced the FCC to move the license to Miami on the mainland where it could serve more viewers. It built a transmission tower in Homestead, which was 40 miles (60 km) southwest of Miami, farther south than the other Miami television stations. This arrangement was necessary to protect WPTV (on adjacent channel 5) in West Palm Beach and WDBO-TV (now WKMG-TV, and also on channel 6) in Orlando. As a result, WCIX only provided a "Grade B" over-the-air signal to Fort Lauderdale, and was virtually unviewable in the northern portion of Broward County. The station made up for this shortfall in its coverage by opening translator channels throughout Broward County and in Boca Raton (part of the West Palm Beach market), identifying channels 33, 61, and 69 in its identification announcements as late as the mid-1980s. The channel 33 translator ceased operations in 1984 to allow future sister station WBFS-TV to sign on, and was then moved to channel 27 where it operated until the mid-1990s; channel 69 became WYHS-TV in 1988. Translators on channels 21 (in Pompano Beach) and 58 (in central Broward County) were also used in later years.

WCIX was the first general-entertainment independent station in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market, and the second in Florida, after WSUN-TV (now WTTA) in St. Petersburg converted to independent status in 1965. Channel 6 ran the typical independent format of children's shows, sitcoms, movies, and other local and syndicated programs. WCIX was also one of very few stations not owned by Kaiser Broadcasting to carry The Lou Gordon Program from WKBD-TV in Detroit in the 1970s. It was also one of the first stations in the area to offer programming in both English and Spanish to serve South Florida's growing Hispanic population.

During the 1970s through the early-1980s, WCIX had widespread cable penetration throughout Florida and was seen on cable systems as far north as Tampa Bay and Orlando. Outside the Miami market, WCIX shared its cable space with another Miami station, WKID-TV (channel 51, now WSCV), which presented old movies and sitcoms after WCIX left the air.

A few years after its launch, channel 6 launched The 10 O'Clock News, the first primetime newscast in South Florida. The station was the only general-entertainment independent in the market until 1976, when WHFT (channel 45) was purchased by LeSEA Broadcasting and initiated a hybrid schedule of general-entertainment and religious programming. In 1980 WHFT was sold to the Trinity Broadcasting Network and switched to religious programming full-time, leaving WCIX as the market's lone independent once again. However, it would receive competition once again in 1982 when WDZL (channel 39, now WSFL-TV) signed on.

General Cinema exchanged WCIX to the Taft Television and Radio Company in early 1983 for NBC affiliate WGR-TV (now WGRZ) in Buffalo, New York. Under Taft, WCIX continued to be the leading independent station in South Florida, and moved from its original studios on Brickell Avenue in downtown Miami to its current facility in Doral (then unincorporated, now a separate city) in 1985. In 1986, WCIX became one of the charter affiliates of the newly launched Fox Broadcasting Company, and was one of a handful of VHF stations to affiliate with Fox.

Acquired by CBS[link]

After losing a bid to purchase then-CBS affiliate WTVJ (then on channel 4) from then-owner Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., CBS made a half-hearted offer to buy WCIX from Taft in January 1987. Taft declined, but a month later opted to sell all their independent stations and Fox affiliates, including WCIX, to the TVX Broadcast Group. However, TVX became mired in debt as a result of the purchase, and began to sell off many of its medium- and small-market stations. Although TVX originally planned to keep WCIX, the company eventually decided that the station would have to be divested. One of the primary factors in the decision to sell was that WCIX was TVX's only VHF station, whereas its sisters were all on UHF.

KKR sold WTVJ to NBC in September 1987. However, CBS' affiliation contract with WTVJ expired at the end of 1988, as did NBC's contract with WSVN (channel 7), its Miami affiliate since 1956. WSVN's parent company, Sunbeam Television, was not willing to end channel 7's affiliation with NBC a year early. NBC was thus forced to run WTVJ as a CBS affiliate for over a year—a situation that didn't sit well with either NBC or CBS.

With the defection of WTVJ looming, CBS made another offer to TVX for WCIX in the spring of 1988. The two sides agreed to a final deal in August.^[1] In the interim, channel 6 agreed to air CBS programs pre-empted by WTVJ. Meanwhile, WSVN fought to retain its relationship with NBC, but later relented and approached CBS for an affiliation deal. CBS turned it down and went forward with its plans for WCIX despite its weak signal in Broward County.

The official affiliation changeover occurred on January 1, 1989: CBS' full schedule moved to WCIX, while NBC's full schedule of programming moved to WTVJ. Fox moved its programming over to WSVN, while most of WCIX's syndicated programs (a notable exception being Star Trek: The Next Generation, the rights to which are now owned by CBS) went to WDZL. WCIX also began a half-hour newscast at 6:00 p.m., moved their 10:00 newscast to 11:00, and continued to increase its local news output in the early 1990s. CBS formally closed on its purchase of WCIX the next day. In the case of Miami-Fort Lauderdale, it is the only television market where Fox switched affiliates both on the VHF dial — and the only known instance of a long-time "Big Three" affiliate switching to Fox prior to the U.S. television network affiliate switches of 1994.

Despite a significant technical overhaul and upgraded programming, WCIX struggled as a CBS station due to its weak signal in Fort Lauderdale. Despite operating a translator in the area on channel 27, CBS persuaded WPEC (channel 12), the longtime ABC affiliate in West Palm Beach, to switch to CBS (replacing UHF station WTVX) in order to give the network a stronger signal in northern Broward County.^[2]

WCIX's transmission tower was brought down by Hurricane Andrew on August 24, 1992, forcing the station off-air. Within hours, the station resumed transmission via its low power translator in Fort Lauderdale. WDZL began carrying WCIX's newscasts the next day, with the entire CBS schedule following a few days later. Within a week, WCIX was back on the air using an emergency transmitter on a borrowed tower. In the wake of the devastation, WCIX's staff helped create Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a grass roots charitable organization which aimed to help people rebuild. The organization lives on as Neighbors 4 Neighbors, which is still supported by the station.

Move to channel 4[link]

In 1994, CBS and Westinghouse (Group W) Broadcasting signed a long-term affiliation deal, part of which resulted in three Westinghouse-owned stations becoming CBS affiliates. As a sidebar, a subsequent deal between NBC and a new Group W/CBS joint venture was made in 1995, with CBS selling the channel 6 facility to NBC as compensation for the loss of two Westinghouse-owned NBC affiliates, KYW-TV in Philadelphia and WBZ-TV in Boston.^[3] In return, Group W/CBS received the stronger channel 4 facility and cash as compensation for the loss of WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, which was being acquired by NBC. NBC also included stations in Denver and Salt Lake City in the tradeoff to Group W/CBS.

At 1:00 a.m. on September 10, 1995, WCIX and WTVJ swapped dial positions. The entire WCIX intellectual unit (studios, CBS affiliation, programming and staff) moved from channel 6 to channel 4, thus returning CBS programming to channel 4 after a six-year hiatus. WTVJ had been Miami's CBS affiliate from its sign-on in 1949 until the 1989 switch to NBC. Along with the frequency change came a new set of call letters, WFOR-TV. Due to the way the asset exchange deal was structured, the two stations were required to swap licenses in addition to the transmitting facilities.^[4][5] As a result, the FCC considers WFOR-TV to be legally the same station as the original WTVJ; however, the studios of both WFOR-TV and WTVJ remained the same.

Under the terms of the deal, CBS sold controlling interest (55 percent) in WFOR-TV to Westinghouse, while retaining a minority interest (45 percent). WFOR became fully owned by CBS once again when the Westinghouse Electric Corporation merged with CBS at the end of 1995. WFOR began its digital television service on May 1, 2001.

On January 11, 2010 WFOR-TV began broadcasting local newscasts from a temporary set in preparation for an upgrade to HD news broadcasts. This upgrade included a new set and HDTV cameras. On Sunday, January 24, 2010, WFOR-TV became the last major English-language station in the Miami television market and the last CBS-owned station that has a full-time news operation to make the upgrade to HD newscasts. (WWJ-TV in Detroit was technically the last CBS-owned station with an in-house news operation that continued to broadcast in standard definition, but has since upgraded its news production in high definition as of February 2, 2012; however, it does not produce or air regular evening or late-night newscasts nor does it have a full-scale news department.) The newscasts on sister station WBFS-TV were also included in the upgrade at that time; however, that channel no longer airs any newscasts at all.

Digital television[link]

On June 12, 2009, WFOR-TV left channel 4 and continued broadcasting on channel 22 to complete its analog to digital conversion.^[6] However, through the use of PSIP, digital television receivers display WFOR-TV's virtual channel as "4".

News operation[link]

With the hiring of a new news director, Shannon High-Bassalik, in 1999, major changes came to WFOR's news department. New anchors, a younger and hipper look, and flashy news coverage were all similar to the style seen at WSVN, where she was assistant news director. She also changed the newscast's name from News 4 South Florida to CBS 4 News. A short time later, Viacom bought CBS, making WFOR a sister station to UPN affiliate WBFS-TV, who subsequently moved into WFOR's studios (Viacom was also by this time the owner of some of WFOR's sister stations under TVX). The station also handled some support operations for WTVX in West Palm Beach until it was sold to Cerberus Capital Management in 2007. When Viacom spun off CBS Corporation in 2005, WFOR-TV and WBFS-TV became part of the new company.

Until June 2007, Maggie Rodriguez and Elliot Rodriguez co-anchored the 5 and 11 p.m. newscasts; Maggie left the station to co-anchor the Saturday Early Show. Shannon Hori, formerly of sister station KTVT in Fort Worth, Texas, was named main anchor in June 2007. Also that month, news director High-Bassalik was forced to resign, and was replaced by Adrienne Roark. Roark left WFOR/WBFS in March 2010 to join CBS' Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex duopoly KTVT/KTXA. The current news director is Cesar Aldama.

On January 24, 2010, after about two weeks of preparation, WFOR debuted their newscasts and other local programming in high definition. The revamp included a major retooling of the news set, new studio equipment, master control changes, and graphics. Along with the revamp, a new logo was introduced, which would further emphasize a "South Florida feel"^[7] WFOR is the last English-language station in South Florida to begin broadcasting news and local programming in HD.

On August 9, 2010, WFOR joined other CBS O&O stations by releasing a new graphics package. The change mirrors the packages seen on WCBS and KCBS, whose openings involve a spinning glass CBS eye, and the station ID in the center, with video of various cities, like Miami-Dade, Broward County and the Keys. The color scheme is now a dark blue with the glass CBS eye featured prominently. A new logo was also introduced using the logo used on KCNC-TV, while keeping the wave of the former logo below it. Their news music package "Moving Forward" was retained in its original format. Recently they switched to "The Enforcer" music package, the basic theme of which has been used on many of CBS's O&O stations since the mid-1970s, when it was introduced by WBBM-TV.

News/station presentation[link]

Newscast titles[link]

• Channel 6 News (1967–1970s)
• TV-6 News (1970s)
• News Watch 6 (late 1970s–early 1980s)
• Eyewitness News at Ten (early–mid 1980s)
• The Ten O'Clock News (mid 1980s–January 1989)^[8]
• Channel 6 News (January–April 1989)
• (Channel) 6 Action News (April 1989–1995)^[9]
• News 4 South Florida (1995–1999, used when the station moved to Channel 4)^[10]
• (South Florida's) CBS 4 News (1999–present)^[11]

Station slogans[link]

• Say 6 (19??–198?)
• WCIX, Channel 6 -- Be a Part of It All! (mid-late 1980s)
• We're Earning Our Reputation One Story At A Time (1989–199?)
• You're Going to Be Watching a Lot More 6! (1989–1995; used for newscast opens)^[12]
• Taking Action For You (1992–1995)
• Taking Action to Bring You a More Balanced View of South Florida (1992–1995)
• Working For You (1995–1999; primary slogan)
• News That Works For You (1995–2007; secondary slogan)
• CBS 4 is Always On (2007–present)
• South Florida's Smart Choice (2010–present)

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

[edit] News team^[13]

Anchors

• Rhiannon Ally - weekday mornings (5-7 a.m.)
• Cynthia Demos - weeknights at 10 p.m. (on WBFS)
• Shannon Hori - weeknights at 5, 5:30 and 11 p.m. and host of 4 Sunday Morning
• Antonio Mora - weeknights at 6 p.m.
• Eliott Rodriguez - weeknights at 5, 5:30 and 11 p.m.; also host of News and Views with Eliott Rodriguez
• Marybel Rodriguez - weekdays at noon; also reporter
• Jawan Strader - weekday mornings (5-7 a.m.)
• Natalia Zea - weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.; also weeknight reporter

CBS 4 Storm Specialists

• David Bernard (AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist and NWA Seals of Approval) - chief meteorologist; weeknights at 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m.
• Jeff Berardelli (AMS Seal of Approval) - meteorologist; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m.
• Lissette Gonzalez - meteorologist; weekday mornings (5-7 a.m.) and noon
• Craig Setzer (AMS Seal of Approval; NWA Member) - meteorologist; weeknights at 10 p.m. (on WBFS); also fill-in meteorologist

Sports team

• Jim Berry - sports director; weeknights at 6, 10 (on WBFS), and 11 p.m.
• Kim Bokamper - sports anchor; weekends at 6 and 11 p.m., also host of Sports Talk on WQAM-AM 560 (former Miami Dolphin)
• Jorge Sedano - sports anchor; fill-in, also morning host on WAXY-AM 790
• Solange Reyner - web journalist
• Syleys Roberts - sports reporter
• Lesley Visser - sports reporter; also with CBS Sports

Reporters

• Gio Benitez - general assignment reporter
• Vanessa Borge - weekday morning traffic reporter
• Carey Codd - general assignment reporter
• Jim DeFede - evening news commentator; also host of The Jim DeFede Show on WFTL-AM 850
• Peter D'Oench - general assignment reporter
• Jorge Estevez - general assignment reporter
• Michele Gillen - chief investigative reporter
• Samantha Hayes - CNN NewsSource national politics reporter
• Tiffani Helberg - general assignment reporter
• Joan Murray - Broward County Bureau reporter
• Gary Nelson - general assignment reporter
• Maggie Newland - general assignment reporter
• Lisa Petrillo - entertainment reporter and Extra Miami correspondent
• Ted Scouten - general assignment reporter
• Al Sunshine - chief consumer investigator and "Moneywatch" reporter/blogger; former "Shame On You" reporter and Miami Herald "Action Line" columnist
• David Sutta - general assignment reporter

Station alumni[link]

• Gayle Anderson (now at KTLA in Los Angeles)
• Susan Barnett (now at KYW-TV in Philadelphia)
• Lisa Cabrera (moved to WNYW-TV in New York, has since left the station)
• Giselle Fernández
• John Hambrick (1990–1993; retired to Texas, doing commercials & movies)
• Robb Hanrahan (now with WHP-TV in Harrisburg, PA)
• Rob Jones - freelancer, weekday morning weather (last at NBC Weather Plus)
• Dave Malkoff (now at KTLA in Los Angeles)
• Bryan Norcross - "Hurricane Specialist" seen during hurricane coverage, executive producer for WFOR's hurricane specials and CBS News hurricane consultant (now hurricane specialist for The Weather Channel)
• Bill O'Reilly - political commentator (Fox News Channel)
• Jeff Pegues - reporter/anchor (2002–2005; now at WABC-TV in New York City)
• Ralph Renick - commentator (1988–1990; deceased)
• John Roberts (formerly J.D. Roberts) - anchor/reporter (Now at Fox News Channel)
• Maggie Rodriguez - 5, 6, and 11 p.m. anchor (former co-anchor of The Early Show on CBS)
• Ken Rosato - anchor (2000–2002; now at WABC-TV in New York City)
• Jennifer Santiago (left September 28, 2007 for HDNews; hosted Travel Channel special^[which?] and now DirecTV correspondent for Hometown Heroes)
• Michael Williams^{[disambiguation needed ]} - now at WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Query the FCC's TV station database for WFOR
  • Query the FCC's TV station database for W38AA
  • Query the FCC's TV station database for W39AC

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

Anne Roberts is a journalism instructor and former Vancouver city councillor. She was elected as a member of the winning majority of Coalition of Progressive Electors in 2002.

Before serving on the city council, Roberts was active in education issues as chair of her children's parent advisory committees and as chair of the District Parent Representatives at the Vancouver School Board, on which she was an elected trustee.

In council, Roberts was among the five left-wing councillors dubbed "COPE Classic" by Charlie Smith at The Georgia Straight to distinguish them from "COPE Lite"—the three COPE councillors and Mayor Larry Campbell who split the party to form the centrist Vision Vancouver party. Chair of the Planning and Environment Committee, Roberts was appointed by council as a delegate to the Greater Vancouver Regional District. On council, she spearheaded expansion of child care spaces, advocated that transit money to be spent on buses rather than mega-projects such as RAV (now called the Canada Line), and convinced a majority of city council to deny Wal-Mart's application to build a new store. Roberts also opposed expanded gambling in the city and the 2010 Olympics. Roberts ran for re-election in 2005 placing 19th among 36 candidates with 41,739 votes, thus losing her seat.^[1]

References[link]

This article about a British Columbian politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Junior Seau

Junior Seau in 2008 with the New England Patriots
No. 55
Linebacker
Personal information
Date of birth: (1969-01-19)January 19, 1969
Place of birth: San Diego, California
Date of death: May 2, 2012(2012-05-02) (aged 43)
Place of death: Oceanside, California
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight: 248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school: Oceanside (CA)
College: Southern California
NFL Draft: 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Debuted in 1990 for the San Diego Chargers
Last played in 2009 for the New England Patriots
Career history
San Diego Chargers (1990–2002) Miami Dolphins (2003–2005) New England Patriots (2006–2009)
Career highlights and awards
12× Pro Bowl (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) 8× First-team All-Pro (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,1998, 2000) 2× Second-team All-Pro (1997, 1999) 2× AFC Champion (1994, 2007) NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year (2003) AFC Player of the Year (1994) Walter Payton Man of the Year (1994) UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year (1992) NEA NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1992) NFL 1990s All-Decade Team San Diego Chargers #55 retired San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame San Diego Chargers 50th Anniversary Team
Career NFL statistics as of 2009
Tackles 1,849 Sacks 56.5 Interceptions 18 Forced fumbles 3 Pass deflections 21 Stats at NFL.com

Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. ( /ˈseɪ.aʊ/; January 19, 1969 – May 2, 2012) was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) who became a San Diego sports icon. Known for his passionate playing style,^[1][2] he was a 10-time All-Pro, 12-time Pro Bowl selection, and named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.

Of Samoan descent, Seau played college football at the University of Southern California. He was taken by the San Diego Chargers as the fifth overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft. Seau starred for 13 seasons for the Chargers before being traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he spent three years before four final ones with the New England Patriots.

Seau retired from pro football in 2010. A standout on San Diego's only Super Bowl team, he was later inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame and the team retired his number 55. Seau committed suicide with a gun shot wound to the chest in 2012 at the age of 43.

Early years[link]

Tiaina Baul Seau Jr. was born January 19, 1969, in San Diego, California,^[3] the fifth child of Tiaina Seau, Sr., and Luisa Mauga Seau of Aunu'u, American Samoa. Tiaina Sr.'s grandfather was a village chief in Pago Pago. Tiaina Sr. worked at a rubber factory and was a school custodian, and Luisa worked at the commissary of Camp Pendleton in Southern California and a laundromat.^[4] After Seau was born, the family moved back to American Samoa for several years before returning to San Diego; Seau spoke English only from age seven.^[5] At home, Seau and his three brothers had to sleep in the family's one-car garage.^[4]

Seau attended Oceanside High School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and track and 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 MVP and led the 18-member Oceanside Pirates team to the San Diego 2A championship. Parade selected Seau to its high school All-American team.^[4] In basketball, as a senior, he was named the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section Player of the Year.^[5] He helped his team win the 1987 Lt. James Mitchell Tournament and make third place in the Mt. Carmel Invitational.^[6] In track and field, he was the Avocado League champion in the shot put.^[5]

College career[link]

After graduating from high school, Seau attended the University of Southern California (USC). He had to sit out his freshman season because he got only a 690 on his college entrance exam, the SAT, 10 points short of USC's required minimum score for freshman eligibility.

Seau told Sports Illustrated: "I was labeled a dumb jock. I went from being a four-sport star to an ordinary student at USC. I found out who my true friends were. Nobody stuck up for me—not our relatives, best friends or neighbors. There's a lot of jealousy among Samoans, not wanting others to get ahead in life, and my parents got an earful at church: 'We told you he was never going to make it.'" This prompted him to apologize to his coaches, teachers, and principal at Oceanside High.^[4]

He lettered in his final two seasons, 1988 and 1989, posting 19 sacks in 1989 en route to a unanimous first-team All-American selection.^[5]

Professional career[link]

San Diego Chargers[link]

After three years as a Trojan, Seau entered the NFL draft after his junior season and was chosen in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft by Bobby Beathard's San Diego Chargers as the fifth overall draft selection. Seau quickly became one of the most popular players on the Chargers,^[3] receiving the nickname "Tasmanian Devil", after the wild antics of the cartoon character.^[7] He became the face of the Chargers franchise and a San Diego sports icon.^[1][2]

Seau started 15 of the 16 games he played in during his rookie season, and was named an alternate to the 1991 Pro Bowl after recording 85 tackles. In 1991, he picked up 129 tackles and seven sacks and was named to the 1992 Pro Bowl, the first of 12 consecutive Pro Bowls for Seau. He started no fewer than 13 games for the Chargers over each of the ensuing 11 seasons, registering a career high with 155 tackles in 1994. That year, Seau assisted his team to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXIX. In one of greatest games in his career, he recorded 16 tackles in the 1994 AFC Championship Game while playing with a pinched nerve in his neck in a 17–13 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[8] In 2002, his final year with the Chargers, he logged a then-career low 84 tackles and missed his final Pro Bowl with an ankle injury.

Miami Dolphins[link]

On April 16, 2003, Seau was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional draft choice. He started 15 games that season for the 10–6 Dolphins and was one of their standout defensive players.^[9] However, in 2004, a torn pectoral muscle limited Seau to eight games, 68 tackles, and one sack. He started five of the first seven games he played in with the Dolphins in 2005, but was placed on injured reserve on November 24 with an achilles tendon injury. On March 6, 2006, Seau was released by the Dolphins.

First retirement[link]

Seau announced his retirement at an emotional press conference on August 14, 2006, after signing a one-day contract with the San Diego Chargers. 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.^[10]

New England Patriots[link]

Seau with the Patriots.

Seau returned to football just four days later, signing with the New England Patriots.^[11] He started 10 of the first 11 games for the Patriots, recording 69 tackles before breaking his right arm while making a tackle in a game against the Chicago Bears. He was placed on injured reserve on November 27.

On May 21, 2007, Seau re-signed with the New England Patriots for the 2007 season. In September 2007 Seau was named one of the Patriots' seven captains.^[12] He was a prominent contributor to the Patriots undefeated regular season that year.^[9] He started four of the 16 games he played in for the Patriots in 2007, and then started the Patriots' two playoff games before Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants. New England's undefeated streak ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Giants.

After the Patriots had a number of injuries late in the 2008 season, they re-signed Seau. He started two of four games he played.^[13] On December 22, 2008, a fan was arrested for trespassing and assault and battery for tackling Seau as he stood on the New England sideline during a home game against the Arizona Cardinals. Seau stated that he did not feel threatened by the fan; he thought that the fan was happy and excited and got carried away.^[14]

On October 7, 2009, NFL Network reported that the New England Patriots had an "agreement in principle" with Seau for a fourth one-year deal; Seau took physicals and worked out with the team.^[15] He officially signed on October 13.^[16] He was active for 7 games for the Patriots in 2009, recording 14 tackles as a reserve linebacker.

Second retirement[link]

Seau announced his intention to retire for a second time on the television program Inside the NFL on January 13, 2010.^[17]

Beyond football[link]

His restaurant in Mission Valley, California—Seau’s The Restaurant, which opened in 1996—was his most successful business venture. Seau also had a clothing line, Say Ow Gear.^[18][19] The restaurant was closed May 16, 2012, just two weeks after his death; the trustees of his estate explained that "Without Seau's charismatic leadership, it was felt that the future profitability of the restaurant could be in question."^[20]

Sports Jobs with Junior Seau premiered on December 2, 2009, on Versus. The show followed Seau as he did the jobs that make sports work. Ten episodes aired through January 27, 2010.

Seau was actively involved with community work through Samoan "sister city" projects within San Diego county.

Junior Seau Foundation[link]

In 1992, Seau created the Junior Seau Foundation with the mission to educate and empower young people through the support of child abuse prevention, drug and alcohol awareness, recreational opportunities, anti-juvenile delinquency efforts and complimentary educational programs.

The 20th Anniversary Junior Seau Celebrity Golf Classic was held March 10–12, 2012, at the world-famous La Costa Resort and Spa.

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
• 2009 — Legend of the Year — Charlie Joiner
• 2010 — Legend of the Year — John Lynch
• 2011 — Legend of the Year — Bill Walton

Personal[link]

Seau married Gina Deboer in 1991. The couple had three children together, a daughter and two sons,^[5] before divorcing in 2002.^[4][21][22]

Seau sustained minor injuries in October 2010 when his SUV plunged down a 100-foot cliff hours after he had been arrested for domestic violence following an incident reported to the police by his girlfriend.^[8] Seau maintained he had fallen asleep at the wheel, and was never charged in the domestic incident.^[1]

Seau's nephew, Ian Seau, committed to play at Kansas State,^[23] and another nephew, Micah Seau, committed to play for San Diego State.^[24]

Death[link]

Media and fans at a memorial outside Seau's house the day after his death

On May 2, 2012, Seau's girlfriend found him dead with a gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Oceanside, California. The death was ruled a suicide by the San Diego County medical examiner's office.^[25][26][27] Seau had no prior reported history of concussions,^[25][28] but his ex-wife said he did sustain concussions during his career.^[29] "He always bounced back and kept on playing," Gina Seau said. "He's a warrior. That didn't stop him."^[30] Seau had insomnia for at least the last seven years of his life, and he was taking Ambien, a prescription drug commonly prescribed for sleep disorders.^[31]

His death recalled the 2011 suicide of former NFL player Dave Duerson, who left a note asking his brain be studied for brain trauma.^[32][33] Seau's family considered allowing researchers to study his brain for possible damage^[34][35][36] due to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition traced to concussion-related brain damage with depression as a symptom. Research candidates included the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy of Boston University and the Brain Injury Research Institute.^{[34][37][38][39]} The family did not disclose their final decision.^[31][37][40]

Legacy[link]

Seau was known for his passionate playing style, including a fist-pumping dance he performed after big plays.^[1][2] Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News said Seau "probably was the most dynamic player of his era".^[41] NFL head coach Norv Turner, who coached Seau as well as faced him as an opponent, said, "The No. 1 thing about Junior was that he was such an explosive player he’d defeat one-on-one blocks and he was a great tackler."^[41] Seau's quickness allowed him to freelance, which sometimes put him out of position. "People say he gambled a bit, but in reality, his insight led him to the ball ... Even when he was wrong, you had to account for him and that created problems for offensive coordinators. You’d better have somebody blocking him," said former NFL coach Tom Bass.^[41]

He was praised by teammates for his work ethic and leadership. He would play when hurt, and often refused to leave games.^[2] "He played the game the way it was meant to be played," said retired Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway.^[19] Bill Belichick, his coach at New England, praised Seau’s leadership and willingness to accept any role.^[13]

Seau was inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame on November 27, 2011, as part of Alumni Day ceremonies at a sold-out game against the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium. Fellow Chargers Hall of Famer Dan Fouts introduced Seau before a crowd of nearly 71,000.^[42]

Chargers President Dean Spanos honored Seau after his death as "...An icon in our community. He transcended the game. He wasn’t just a football player, he was so much more."^[18] The Chargers retired his No. 55 during his public memorial.^[43]

On Wednesday, May 16, 2012, the city council of Oceanside, CA voted to name the city's beach community center and pier amphitheater after Seau^[44]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	National Football League portal

• List of suicides

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • Pro-Football-Reference
• Junior Seau Foundation
• New England Patriots bio