Mike Siani (American football)

Last updated

Mike Siani
No. 49, 45
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1950-05-27) May 27, 1950 (age 73)
Staten Island, New York City, New York, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school: Staten Island (NY) New Dorp
College: Villanova
NFL draft: 1972  / Round: 1 / Pick: 21
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
As an administrator:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:158
Receiving yards:2,618
Receiving TDs:17
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Mike Siani (born May 27, 1950) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland Raiders and Baltimore Colts.

Contents

Career

Siani was a high school football star with the New Dorp High School "Centrals", in New Dorp, Staten Island, New York City, New York, graduating in 1968. At New Dorp, Siani played for legendary coach Sal Somma. Somma and Siani have been inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame.

Siani attended Villanova University, where he not only played football but also excelled in baseball. Between 1968 (when he was still in high school) and 1972, Siani was selected on four occasions by three Major League organizations (the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Texas Rangers), but he never signed. [1]

On the football field Siani wore number 88 and earned close to 30 achievement awards. He was selected to the 1971 College Football All-America Team. [2] Siani was inducted into the Villanova University Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Siani was the first round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders. In 1972, his first year in Oakland, he set multiple rookie team records for receiving and finished as the runner-up to Franco Harris as NFL Rookie of the Year. He played for the Raiders through 1977, appearing in 74 games with 32 starts, and he caught 128 passes for 2,079 yards and 13 TDs. With the Raiders having a surplus of wide receivers, the team traded Siani along with a 1979 third-round selection (72nd overalltraded to Houston Oilers) to the Colts for Raymond Chester and a 1979 second-round pick (33rd overalltraded to Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Dave Pear) on July 21, 1978. [3] [4] Siani played three seasons with the Colts before finishing his NFL career in 1980. [5]

When his playing career ended, Siani was an indoor football coach for several teams, being named the interim head coach for the Myrtle Beach Stingrays, Fayetteville Guard and Florence Phantoms. He was named the head coach of the Atlantic City CardSharks in 2004, and the Richmond Raiders of the American Indoor Football Association in 2010. Siani has been employed as a scout for the New Orleans Saints, and was the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach for the Princeton Tigers Varsity Sprint Football program in 2009. [6]

The Cincinnati Reds' 2018 draft choice with the same name is a distant relative of Siani's.

Books

“Cheating is Encouraged: A Hard-Nosed History of the 1970s Raiders” was authored by Mike Siani and Kristine Setting Clark. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XV</span> 1981 Edition of the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1980 season. The Raiders defeated the Eagles by the score of 27–10, becoming the first wild card playoff team to win a Super Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Brown (American football)</span> American football player (born 1966)

Timothy Donell Brown is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to do so. He spent sixteen years with the Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders, during which he established himself as one of the NFL's greatest wide receivers of all time. Brown has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2015, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashley Lelie</span> American football player and coach (born 1980)

Ashley Jovon Lelie is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos 19th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Tatum</span> American football player (1948–2010)

John David Tatum was an American professional football safety who played 10 seasons, from 1971 through 1980 with the Oakland Raiders and the Houston Oilers in the National Football League (NFL). He was popularly known as "the Assassin" because of his playing style. Tatum was voted to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1973–1975) and played on one Super Bowl-winning team in nine seasons with the Raiders. He’s also known for a hit he made against New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley in a 1978 preseason game that paralyzed Stingley from the neck down. He won a national championship at Ohio State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Thompson</span> American football player and executive (1953–2021)

Ted Thompson was an American professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). He was the general manager of the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2017. Thompson had a 10-year playing career in the NFL as a linebacker and special teams player with the Houston Oilers from 1975 to 1984.

Derek Steven Hagan Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Hagan has also previously played for the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills and Oakland Raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Chandler</span> American football player (1949–1995)

Robert Donald Chandler was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons.

Vincent Tobias Evans is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was the most valuable player (MVP) of the 1977 Rose Bowl after the team's 14–6 victory over Michigan. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1977 NFL draft.

Raymond Tucker Chester is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). After graduating from Douglass High School in Baltimore, Maryland, Chester played college football at the historically Black university Morgan State. He was a member of the Morgan State Bears’ 1968 undefeated team, scoring the Bears’ only touchdown in their historic victory over Grambling at Yankee Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Raiders</span> Former professional American football team

The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raiders. Between 1982 and 1994, the team played in Los Angeles as the Los Angeles Raiders.

Hard Knocks is a reality sports documentary television series produced by NFL Films and HBO. First broadcast in 2001, the show typically follows a National Football League (NFL) team through its training camp and covers the team's preparation for the upcoming football season. Beginning in 2021, the show has also dedicated an additional season of television to following an additional team throughout the NFL regular season.

Gloster Van Richardson was a professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Cleveland Browns. He played college football at Jackson State College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrius Heyward-Bey</span> American football player (born 1987)

Darrius Ramar Heyward-Bey is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, and was selected by the Oakland Raiders seventh overall in the 2009 NFL draft. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Thomas William MacLeod is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 1973 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacoby Ford</span> American gridiron football player (born 1987)

Jacoby Ford is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was also an accomplished track and field athlete. He played college football as a wide receiver and return specialist for the Clemson Tigers at Clemson University, where he competed in sprinting events. During his stint in the NFL, Ford was widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the league. He has one of the top 100 meter times by NFL players.

Sanjay Lal is an American football coach who is the wide receivers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martavis Bryant</span> American gridiron football player (born 1991)

Martavis Alexander Bryant is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. Bryant has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, the Dallas Cowboys, the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Massachusetts Pirates of the Indoor Football League (IFL), the Beasts of Fan Controlled Football (FCF), and the Vegas Vipers of the XFL.

Michael Thomas Levenseller is a former American football wide receiver who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington State. Levenseller was also a member of the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taywan Taylor</span> American football player (born 1995)

Taywan Marshawn Taylor is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted in the third round by the Tennessee Titans in 2017 and he played college football at Western Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Oakland Raiders season</span> 60th season in franchise history, final one in Oakland

The 2019 season was the Oakland Raiders' 60th since they were founded, their 50th in the National Football League (NFL) and their second under head coach Jon Gruden since his rehiring by the organization. It was the Raiders’ and NFL's last season in Oakland. The Raiders finished the season 7–9, improving on the prior season 4–12 record, but failing to make the playoffs for the third straight year and the 16th time in the last 17 years.

References

  1. "Player Register", Baseball Reference
  2. "Villanova Mike Siani 1969". Helmet Hut. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  3. Miller, Jim. "Colts Trade Chester To Oakland For Siani," The Baltimore Evening Sun, Friday, July 21, 1978. Retrieved October 28, 2020
  4. 1979 NFL Draft Pick Transactions, May 3 (Rounds 16) & 4 (Rounds 712) Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved October 28, 2020
  5. "Raiders - Mike Siani". Raiders.com. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  6. "Raiders hire Siani as Head Coach". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. September 15, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  7. Eide, Paul. "Tales From The Black Hole: Mike Siani And The Renegade Raiders of The 1970's". I80sportsblog.com/. Retrieved 15 April 2019.