No. 52 | |||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Jefferson, Iowa, U.S. | May 16, 1951||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 242 lb (110 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
College: | Iowa State | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1973 / Round: 14 / Pick: 344 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Mervin Floyd Krakau (pronounced KRO-ker) (born May 16, 1951) is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for six seasons for the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots. After a five-year hiatus, he played a seventh professional season with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL).
Krakau was a four-sport star at Guthrie Center High School. His versatility in track and field attracted the attention of Jimmy Johnson, then an assistant to Johnny Majors at Iowa State University. Krakau accepted Iowa State's scholarship offer in the spring of 1969. He played defensive end for the Cyclones, helping Iowa State reach its first two bowl games, the 1971 Sun Bowl and the 1972 Liberty Bowl. Krakau's best game of his 1972 senior campaign came in the regular season finale against Nebraska. Krakau made 11 tackles, sacked the quarterback twice, and caused and recovered two fumbles as the Cyclones ended Nebraska's 24-game Big Eight winning streak with a 23-23 tie. Krakau was named Big Eight Player of the Week and Sports Illustrated's national Lineman of the Week for his outstanding play. For the season, he was named first-team All-Big Eight and third-team All-American. Krakau is the first defensive player from Iowa State to be named All-American.
Krakau played six seasons in the NFL, from 1973 to 1978. His best season in Buffalo was 1976, when he started all 14 games at middle linebacker, led the team in tackles with 132, and was second in the NFL in fumble recoveries, with six. In 1983, he played for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL.
Krakau is a member of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Football Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was inducted into the Iowa State University Athletics Hall of fame.
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The 2002 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented the Iowa State University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team captains were Zach Butler, Jordan Carstens, Seneca Wallace, and Chris Whitaker. The Cyclones were quarterbacked by Seneca Wallace. Seneca is among many former Cyclones from the 2002 team to make it to the NFL. Others were Ellis Hobbs, Jordan Carstens, Jeremy Loyd. Iowa State would conclude its season by playing in the 2002 Humanitarian Bowl. It was Iowa State's third consecutive bowl appearance—the two previous bowls were the 2000 Insight.com Bowl and the 2001 Independence Bowl.
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