Mike Merriweather


Mike Merriweather is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers during the 1980s and 1990s.

Early life

Merriweather was born in Albans, New York and attended Vallejo High School, where he played football, baseball and basketball. He graduated from University of the Pacific, where he played college football. Merriweather is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Professional career

Merriweather was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1982 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His first professional season was 1982 with the Steelers and he was elected to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons: 1984, 1985, and 1986. In 1984, he was 5th in the NFL with 15 sacks, and was named first-team all-NFL that year. He was named Pittsburgh Steelers' Most Valuable Player in 1987.
After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire 1988 season, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a first-round pick. In 1989, his first season at Minnesota, he became the first player in NFL history to score the winning points in an overtime game with a safety when he blocked a punt out of the end zone in a game against the Los Angeles Rams for a final score of 23-21, the same game in which the Vikings' Rich Karlis had scored a then-record 7 field goals to get the 21 points that sent the game into overtime.
His last year at Minnesota was the 1992 season; he played his final season in 1993 for the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers.
In 1993, Merriweather was inducted into the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Vallejo Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, and was inducted into the Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2012.

Life after the NFL

After leaving the NFL, Merriweather worked as an insurance broker in Sacramento, California. In 2013, he became the athletic director at Vacaville Christian High School. He and his wife Sandra live in Stockton, California.