Jamir Malik Miller (born November 19, 1973) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who was a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
for nine seasons in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...
, earning consensus
All-American honors. A first-round pick in the
1994 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
and
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
of the NFL.
Early years
Miller was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
.
[National Football League, Historical Players]
Jamir Miller
Retrieved February 11, 2012. He graduated from
El Cerrito High School
El Cerrito High School is a four-year public high school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is located on Ashbury Avenue in El Cerrito, California, United States and serves students from El Cerrito, a portion of eastern Richm ...
in
El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito ( Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 census. El Cerrito was founded by refugee ...
,
[databaseFootball.com, Players]
Jamir Miller
. Retrieved February 11, 2012. where he played for the El Cerrito Gauchos
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
team.
College career
Miller attended UCLA, where he played for the
UCLA Bruins football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles, in college football as members of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The Bruins play their home games at the ...
team from 1991 through 1993. As a junior in 1993, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, after which he decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the NFL Draft. He finished his college career with 35 tackles for loss and 23.5 quarterback sacks.
Professional career
The Arizona Cardinals selected Miller in the first round (tenth pick overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played for the Cardinals from to .
[Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players]
Jamir Miller
Retrieved February 11, 2012. He played for the Cleveland Browns from to .
[
On August 10, 2002, in a preseason game against Minnesota, Miller ruptured his right achilles tendon. He attempted to rehab the injury and return the following year, but an middling April 2003 workout (by his admission) and advice from his doctors convinced him to announce his retirement on May 16.]
Up until 2007, he was the only Browns player to be selected to the Pro Bowl since the team re-entered the NFL in 1999. In 2007, seven Browns players were nominated to the 2008 Pro Bowl.
Miller was one of four linebackers selected to the Associated Press All-Pro team in 2001. (The other 3 were Jason Gildon
Jason Larue Gildon (born July 31, 1972) is a former outside linebacker for the National Football League's Pittsburgh Steelers (1994–2003) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2004). He was selected to three Pro Bowl teams from 2000, 2001, and 2002, and i ...
, Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher (; born May 25, 1978) is an American former football linebacker who spent his entire 13-season career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, where h ...
, and Ray Lewis
Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played co ...
.)
Miller was carted off the field after tearing his right Achilles tendon in a 27–15 preseason victory over the Minnesota Vikings to start the 2002 pre-season. He was placed on injured reserve August 13, 2002, but the severity of his injury led to him being waived on February 22, 2003, the end of the 2002 campaign. Afterwards he retired.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Jamir
1973 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American Conference Pro Bowl players
American football linebackers
Arizona Cardinals players
Cleveland Browns players
UCLA Bruins football players
El Cerrito High School alumni
People from El Cerrito, California
Players of American football from Contra Costa County, California