No. 24, 39, 45 | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Safety | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Chicago Heights, Illinois, U.S. | November 14, 1963||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights, Illinois) | ||||||||
College: | Illinois State | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 1985 / Round: 7 / Pick: 176 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Player stats at PFR |
Michael Robert Prior (born November 14, 1963) is a former American football safety who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers . He played college football at Illinois State. Prior currently serves as the Football Development Commissioner for the Indianapolis Colts.
Mike Prior was born on November 14, 1963 in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Prior attended Marian Catholic High School where he played football, baseball, and wrestling. [1] In football, Prior starred at running back and defensive back. In his senior season, he was selected to the Chicago All-Area Football Team on both offense and defense. [2]
Prior played both football and baseball at Illinois State, setting the school record for batting average at .388. [3] In football, he set the school record in punt return yardage and had his No. 15 jersey retired. [4] Immediately following his college career, Prior was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round of the 1985 NFL draft. [4] [5] He was also drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 18th round of the 1984 draft and by the Houston Astros in the fourth round of the 1986 secondary draft. [6] Prior chose football because it would be easier to raise a family and involve less traveling than working through baseball's minor leagues. [7] He graduated from Illinois State with a degree in business administration. [8]
Prior played his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1985. [7] He almost made the starting lineup at safety, but the late add of David Greenwood relegated Prior to mainly special teams action as a member of the Bucs. [9] A fractured wrist sustained in a preseason game against the Washington Redskins landed him on injured reserve; [10] he was waived from that list in October. [11]
Prior joined the Indianapolis Colts in February 1987. [12] He was cut by the team on September 1, but later returned as a replacement player in the 1987 NFL Strike, starting three games. After the strike ended, the team retained him, initially utilizing Prior on special teams but later moving him up to a defensive starter. [13] In 1989, Prior intercepted a Bernie Kosar pass and returned it for a touchdown in overtime to help the Colts defeat the Cleveland Browns. [14] He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his exploits. [15] In 1990, Prior caught his first NFL pass on a successful fake punt attempt. [16] Prior was injured early in the 1991 season, and was placed on the injured reserve list in October. [17] He stayed with team through the 1992 season and then became a free agent. [18]
Prior signed with the Green Bay Packers in April 1993. [18] The team brought him on as a replacement for the recently departed Chuck Cecil. [19] In his debut season, Prior moved into the punt returner role late in the year when Robert Brooks was injured. [20] Injuries in the defensive backfield led to an increased late-season role in 1994. [21] Prior nabbed an interception in Super Bowl XXXI. [3] He was released by the team before the 1998 season but was quickly re-signed. [22] The Packers did not re-sign Prior after the season. [23]
Prior returned to Indianapolis after retiring from the NFL. He served as the athletic director for St. Luke School Catholic School before returning to the Colts in 2005 as the Youth Football Commissioner (now Football Development Commissioner). [3] [24] Prior also serves as an assistant football coach at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. [25] Prior has three daughters. [26]
Duane Clair Bickett is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, and Carolina Panthers. Bickett played college football at USC.
Thomas Joseph Tupa Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a punter and quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was selected in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft to the Phoenix Cardinals. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Redskins.
Matthew Victor Giordano is a former American football safety. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft. Giordano grew up in Clovis, California, and played college football at Fresno City College and University of California, Berkeley.
Michael T. Scifres is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers and is included on the Chargers 50th Anniversary Team.
Anthony Darelle "Booger" McFarland is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft. McFarland also played for the Indianapolis Colts, and won two Super Bowl rings in his career: one with the Buccaneers and another with the Colts. He was an analyst for Monday Night Football in 2018 and 2019, before joining as a pregame analyst on Monday Night Countdown in 2020.
Robert Dean Boyd was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). Boyd spent his entire nine-year career as a cornerback for the Baltimore Colts from 1960 to 1968. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Jon Thomas Hand is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. Hand was selected by the Colts with the fourth overall pick in the 1986 NFL draft. He played college football at Alabama.
Albert Timothy Bentley is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and the United States Football League (USFL). Bentley began his professional career in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers and Oakland Invaders from 1984 to 1985. After the USFL folded, he played for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers from 1985 to 1992. Bentley played college football for the Miami Hurricanes.
Shane Andrus is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Murray State.
Blaise Winter is an American motivational speaker as well as a former football player and coach. Winter played professionally as a defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and Green Bay Packers on the National Football League (NFL), and coached college football for the UCF Knights.
Robbie Martin is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). Martin was selected out of California Polytechnic State University by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 1981 NFL draft. He played for the Detroit Lions from 1981–1984 and the Indianapolis Colts from 1985-1986.
Melvin Laverne Agee Jr. was a professional football player who played defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL), NFL Europe, and the Arena Football League (AFL). In his 10-year professional career he played for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts (1991–1992) and Atlanta Falcons (1992–1995), NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy (1998), and the AFL's Tampa Bay Storm (1998–2002). Agee played college football at the University of Illinois.
Jeremy D. Kapinos is a former American football punter. He was first signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Penn State.
Timothy James Masthay is a former American football punter who played for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kentucky. Masthay was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He later won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers over his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Masthay was nicknamed "Ginger Wolverine" by his Packers teammates for his long red sideburns.
Scott Jeffery Kellar is a former American football nose tackle who played two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Colts in the fifth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northern Illinois University and attended Lake Park High School in Roselle, Illinois. Kellar was also a member of the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Ottawa Rough Riders.
Tremon Smith is an American football cornerback and kick returner for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Arkansas, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Gerhard de Beer is a South African former gridiron football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and XFL. He played college football at Arizona and was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has also played for the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Roughnecks, and St. Louis BattleHawks.
Michael Pittman Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he was named a consensus second-team All-American as a senior, and was selected by the Colts in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Amari Jai Rodgers is an American football wide receiver for the Birmingham Stallions of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Clemson and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. He has also played for the Houston Texans.
Maurice T. Drayton is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach of The Citadel Bulldogs. He has previously coached the Charleston Swamp Foxes, Seinajoki Crocodiles, Goose Creek High School, South Carolina State Bulldogs, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, Montreal Alouettes, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, and Las Vegas Raiders.