Michael Fuimaono Ulufale (born February 1, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Brigham Young University and was selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft.
| No. 93 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | February 1, 1972 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 277 lb (126 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | James Campbell (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) | ||||
| College: | BYU | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1996 / round: 3 / pick: 95 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
| Stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||
Early years
editUlufale 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 was 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 was also named the Foothill Conference Defensive MVP. He finished his 2 seasons with 131 tackles and 26 sacks.
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 (6) and tackles for loss (11).
As a senior, he was suspended for 4 games in the middle of the season for breaking the school's honor code.[1] He eventually played in six games, starting three at left defensive end, while registering 24 tackles (3 for loss).
Professional career
editDallas Cowboys
editUlufale was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft.[2] He suffered torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a practice, that placed him on the injured reserve list on November 21, 1996.[3]
The next year, he suffered from a strained neck injury sustained during mini-camp practices. He was waived before the season started, so he filed a grievance for being released with an existing injury (strained neck).[4]
San Jose SaberCats (AFL)
editUlufale 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)
editOn 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.[5]
Philadelphia Soul (AFL)
editOn February 24, 2004, the Philadelphia Soul traded Jeriod Johnson to the Los Angeles Avengers in exchange for Ulufale.[6]
Personal life
editIn January 2004, his brothers Tali and Semeri died in a span of 24 hours of natural causes.[7]
Ulufale is currently the football head coach for Saint Francis School.[8]
References
edit- ^ "WILL SUSPENSIONS AFFECT PSYCHE?". Deseret News. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "1996 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ "COWBOYS SIGN TE JOHNNY MITCHELL". Associated Press. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "The high cost of winning". Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "ALL-ARENA LINEMAN MIKE ULUFALE SIGNS WITH L.A. AVENGERS". October 31, 2002. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "PHILADELPHIA SOUL ACQUIRE ALL-ARENA OL/DL MIKE ULUFALE". February 25, 2004. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "Avengers' Ulufale Mourns Loss of Two Brothers in Short Span". Los Angeles Times. February 7, 2004. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ "St. Francis ready to unveil first varsity football team". July 27, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2017.