Sam Mills
| No. 51 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | June 3, 1959 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Neptune City, New Jersey | ||||||||||
| Date of death: | April 18, 2005 (aged 45) | ||||||||||
| Place of death: | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 232 lb (105 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| College: | Montclair State | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1981 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Tackles: | 1,319 |
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| Sacks: | 20.5 |
| Interceptions: | 11 |
| Touchdowns: | 1 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
Samuel Davis Mills Jr. (June 3, 1959 – April 18, 2005) was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers.
Sam Mills was born in Neptune City, New Jersey. While growing up in Long Branch, New Jersey, he loved to tag along with his older brother and play pickup football games with the bigger boys. Mills attended high school at Long Branch High School, where he was a standout football player and wrestler. In 1976 and 1977, Mills won District Championships at Long Branch as a wrestler. Long Branch High School honors him to this day by hanging his high school jersey and his NFL jersey in the school gym. Although considered a great athlete in high school, Mills' 5'9" frame did not interest college scouts.
Mills attended college at Montclair State College (now known as Montclair State University) and made the football squad as a walk-on. As of today, Mills is the all-time leader in career tackles at Montclair State with 501, tackles in a season (142) and tackles in a game (22). Mills played for Montclair State from 1977–1980. He was a three-time NJAC First Team All-Star and was named the New Jersey Collegiate Writers Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons (1978–1980).
Fred Hill, who coached Mills at Montclair State, said that many pro scouts loved his tape, but when they heard he was only 5'9", they lost interest. Just like after high school, Mills' lack of height held him back. After college, his Pop Warner Football coach Thomas Bevacqui Jr. was able to get Mills invited to the Cleveland Browns training camp after meeting with Browns coach Sam Rutigliano. Bevacqui told Rutigliano that Mills was the best linebacker that he had ever seen play the game. While Rutigliano admired Mills, he didn't think he had the size to play in the NFL and cut him. He then tried out with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts but did not make the team.
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