Mike Utley

Last updated
Mike Utley
Mike Utley.jpg
Utley in Detroit in 2014
No. 60
Position: Guard
Personal information
Born: (1965-12-20) December 20, 1965 (age 57)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:288 lb (131 kg)
Career information
High school: John F. Kennedy Catholic (Burien, Washington)
College: Washington State
NFL Draft: 1989  / Round: 3 / Pick: 59
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games Played:32
Games Started:17

Michael Gerard Utley (born December 20, 1965) is a former American football player. He played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1989 through 1991, when he was paralyzed during a game.

Contents

Early life and college career

A graduate of Kennedy Catholic High School near Seattle, Utley attended Washington State University in Pullman and was a senior on the 1988 Cougar team which triumphed at the Aloha Bowl, [2] Washington State's first bowl victory since the 1916 Rose Bowl. He was also named MVP; that season, he earned consensus All-American honors, [3] only the second Cougar to do so. In 2004, Utley was elected into the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame, [4] and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016. [5]

NFL career

Utley was an offensive lineman with the Detroit Lions, picked in the third round of the 1989 NFL Draft, 59th overall. [6] [7] In his rookie year, Utley became the starting right guard for the Lions. He started the first five games, but was injured in the fifth game against the Minnesota Vikings. Utley was put on injured reserve for the rest of the year.

In his second year in 1990, he fractured two ribs in the third preseason game, and was sidelined for the last preseason game and the first three regular season games. Utley came off the bench by playing in the second half of the next two games. Utley started in the sixth game, but dislocated his shoulder in the third quarter. He finished the season playing only in the second half of games.[ citation needed ]

Paralysis

In 1991, Utley started every game and was the full-time right guard until a paralysis injury on November 17 forced him to retire (he took part in 11 games up to that point). [8] On the first play of the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams, an injury to his sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae occurred while he was blocking the Ram's David Rocker. [9] [10] [11] Although he would later learn he was largely paralyzed from the chest down, [12] Utley flashed the crowd a "thumbs up" as he was being taken off the field. The thumbs up sign has become the symbol for the Mike Utley Foundation, a foundation created in 1991 by Utley and his agent Bruce Allen to help seek a cure for paralysis.

Utley began rehabilitation at Craig Hospital, which specializes in spinal cord injuries. [13] While the location of his injury makes him a quadriplegic by the standard medical definition, he has essentially complete use of his upper extremities, making him functionally a paraplegic.

Mike Utley Foundation

The mission of the Mike Utley Foundation is to financially support an effective function-restoring treatment for spinal cord injuries, to encourage through education that of adopting a rehabilitative lifestyle for the spinal cord injured and a public awareness of spinal cord injuries. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Olerud</span> American baseball player (born 1968)

John Garrett Olerud, Jr., nicknamed "Johnny O", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1989 through 2005, most notably as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays team that won two consecutive World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. He also played for the New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Hanson</span> American football player (born 1970)

Jason Hanson is an American former professional football player who was a kicker who spent his entire 21-year career with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football with the Washington State Cougars, he was selected by the Lions in the second round of the 1992 NFL Draft with the 56th overall pick. Hanson holds the NFL record for the most seasons played with one team and also holds multiple kicking and scoring records. Due to his longevity and statistical success, even on many non-playoff teams, Hanson is often cited as one of the most-loved players in Detroit Lions franchise history.

Michael Bruce Price is a former American football coach. He was the head coach at Weber State College from 1981 to 1988, Washington State University from 1989 to 2002, and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) from 2004 to 2012. Price returned to UTEP as interim head coach for the final seven games of the 2017 season. He was hired at the University of Alabama in December 2002, but was fired before coaching a game in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Erickson</span> American football coach (born 1947)

Dennis Brian Erickson is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) league. He was also the head coach at the University of Idaho, the University of Wyoming (1986), Washington State University (1987–1988), the University of Miami (1989–1994), Oregon State University (1999–2002), and Arizona State University (2007–2011). During his tenure at Miami, Erickson's teams won two national championships, in 1989 and 1991. His record as a college football head coach is 179–96–1 (.650).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Cougars</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Washington State University

The Washington State Cougars are the athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic program comprises ten women's sports and six men's intercollegiate sports, and also offers various intramural sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Cougars football</span> Football team of Washington State University

The Washington State Cougars football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the FBS and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Known as the Cougars, the first football team was fielded in 1894.

Rogers Field was an outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. It was the home venue of the WSU Cougars football and track teams until severely damaged by a fire in April 1970. Partially demolished in early 1971, Rogers Field was replaced by the concrete Martin Stadium, which was built on the same site and opened in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2002 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 2002 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University as a member of Pacific-10 Conference the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by Mike Price in his 14th and final season as head coach, and played its home games on campus at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idaho Vandals football</span> Football team representing the University of Idaho

The Idaho Vandals are the college football team that represents the University of Idaho and plays its home games at the Kibbie Dome, an indoor facility on campus in Moscow, Idaho. Idaho is a member of the Big Sky Conference in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The new head coach in 2022 is Jason Eck, who succeeded Paul Petrino (2013–2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Detroit Lions season</span> NFL team season

The 1997 Detroit Lions season was their 68th in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Washington Huskies football team</span> American college football season

The 2000 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 2000 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Huskies were led by second-year head coach Rick Neuheisel and played their home games on campus in Seattle at Husky Stadium. Washington lost only once, on the road at Oregon, and won the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day to finish with an 11–1 record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 1992 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fourth season under head coach Mike Price, the Cougars were 8–3 in the regular season, won their bowl game, and outscored their opponents 337 to 281.

The 1988 Eagle Aloha Bowl was a college football bowl game, the fourth of seventeen in the bowl season of the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The seventh edition of the Aloha Bowl, it was played on December 25 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game matched the #14 Houston Cougars of the Southwest Conference against the #18 Washington State Cougars of the Pacific-10 Conference.

Tim Lappano is an American football coach, most recently the offensive coordinator for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football. He has coached a variety of positions at both the collegiate and professional levels, such as coaching Brandon Pettigrew as the tight ends coach and Calvin Johnson as the wide receivers coach of the Detroit Lions through the 2013 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1986 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 1986 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their ninth and final season under head coach Jim Walden, the Cougars compiled a 3–7–1 record (2–6–1 in Pac-10, eighth place) and were outscored 312 to 221.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 1990 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Mike Price, the Cougars compiled a 3–8 record, and were outscored by their opponents 381 to 286.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 1976 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-8 Conference (Pac-8) during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. In their only season under head coach Jackie Sherrill, the Cougars compiled a 3–8 record, and were outscored 331 to 240.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 1989 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their first season under head coach Mike Price, the Cougars compiled a 6–5 record, and outscored their opponents 351 to 268.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

The 1993 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Mike Price, the Cougars compiled a 5–6 record, and outscored their opponents 271 to 248.

The 1989–90 Washington State Cougars men's basketball team represented Washington State University for the 1989–90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by third-year head coach Kelvin Sampson, the Cougars were members of the Pacific-10 Conference and played their home games on campus at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman, Washington.

References

  1. ↑ "Ex-Cougar Utley wins Camp honor". The Seattle Times. January 8, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Mike Utley honored with alumni award". wsu.edu. October 30, 2007.
  3. ↑ Bergum, Steve (April 23, 1989). "Tale of two 'student-athletes'". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D4.
  4. ↑ WSU Athletic Hall of Fame — Mike Utley
  5. ↑ O'Hara, Mike (January 15, 2016). "Mike Utley elected to college football HOF". Detroit Lions . Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  6. ↑ Grummert, Dale (November 19, 1991). "Detroit picks Utley in third round". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  7. ↑ Gerheim, Earl; Bergum, Steve (April 24, 1989). "Mickel, Dyko go today". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. C1.
  8. ↑ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/U/UtleMi20.htm) Archived 2019-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Kole, Bill (November 19, 1991). "Utley still paralyzed, career probably over". Ludington Daily News. (Michigan). Associated Press. p. 7.
  10. ↑ Sylvester, Curt (November 19, 1991). "Doctors wait to see if Utley spends life in wheelchair". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). Knight-Ridder. p. C1.
  11. ↑ "Utley remains paralyzed". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 19, 1991. p. 1B.
  12. ↑ Mike Utley Foundation – Finding a Cure for Paralysis
  13. ↑ Raley, Dan (August 28, 2008). "Where Are They Now: Mike Utley". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  14. ↑ "Our Mission - Foundation for Spinal Cord Injuries | Mike Utley Foundation". www.mikeutley.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.