Mike Ulufale

Mike Ulufale
No. 93
Position: Defensive tackle / Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1972-02-01) February 1, 1972
Place of birth: Honolulu, Hawaii
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 277 lb (126 kg)
Career information
College: Brigham Young
NFL Draft: 1996 / Round: 3 / Pick: 95
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR
Player stats at ArenaFan.com

Michael Fuimaono Ulufale (born February 1, 1972 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Brigham Young University and was drafted in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft.

Early years

Ulufale attended James Campbell High School, where he lettered in football, baseball and basketball. As a senior, he was named a first-team West All-Star as a quarterback and linebacker. In basketball he was named second-team West All-Star.

Because of poor grades, he attended San Bernardino Valley College where he remained as a two-way player (defensive end and tight end). As a sophomore he earned first-team All-American honors on defense and second-team on offense. He also was named Foothill Conference Defensive MVP.

Ulufale transferred to Brigham Young University but was medical redshirted in 1993, because of a shoulder injury. He became a starter at right defensive tackle as a junior and was third on the team in sacks (six) and tackles for a loss (11). As a senior, he was suspended for the first four games for breaking the school's honor code.[1] He eventually played in six games (three at left defensive end) registering 24 tackles (3 for loss).

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

He was drafted in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He suffered a knee injury in the third game of his rookie season, that placed him on the injured reserve list on November 21, 1996.[2]

The next year he suffered from a strained neck injury sustained during mini-camp practices. He was waived before the season started and filed a grievance for being released with an existing injury (strained neck).[3]

San Jose SaberCats (AFL)

Ulufale signed with the San Jose SaberCats in 2000, and earned AFL All-Rookie honors when he registered four sacks, two interceptions, 11 passes batted down and six tackles in ten games. The next year he finished with 3 sacks and 11 tackles in eight games, while being named second-team All-AFL. In 2002, he helped the team win the ArenaBowl XVI championship.

Los Angeles Avengers (AFL)

On October 30, 2002, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Avengers and finished the season with 15 tackles, 11 passes batted down and tied for the team lead with 3 sacks.[4]

Philadelphia Soul (AFL)

On February 24, 2004, the Philadelphia Soul traded Jeriod Johnson to the Los Angeles Avengers in exchange for Ulufale.[5]

Personal life

In January 2004, his brothers Tali and Semeri died in a span of 24 hours of natural causes.[6]

He is currently the football head coach for Saint Francis School.[7]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/9/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.