Mike Crawford (born October 29, 1974) is a former American football player. He played professionally as a linebacker with of the Miami Dolphins on the National Football League (NFL) and the Las Vegas Outlaws of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

High school

Crawford attended

George Whittell High School George Whittell High School is located in Zephyr Cove, Nevada, near the South Shore of Lake Tahoe. As of 2021, the school housed grades 6 through 12. The school is named after late millionaire George Whittell, Jr. who purchased the Nevada side of ...

Zephyr Cove, Nevada Zephyr Cove is a community and census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. The population was 565 at the 2010 census. Prior to 2010 it was part of the Zephyr Cove–Round Hill Village CDP. History Before Zephyr Cove ...

. He was named all-conference and all-state honors. His freshman year, he did not make the football team due to his size. He played

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and was known for his aggressiveness and was asked by the football coaches to join the team next season. His senior year his team won the Nevada state championship. Besides playing football, Crawford played varsity basketball and was a member of the golf team for two years.

College

His freshman year (1993), Crawford was a walk-on for the Nevada Wolf Pack. In 1994, his sophomore year, Crawford saw playing time in 10 games. As a junior in the 1995 season, Crawford was named second-team All Big West with 110 tackles. He recorded 17 tackles against San Diego State. He recorded 111 tackles and was named MVP of the

1996 Las Vegas Bowl The 1996 Las Vegas Bowl was the fifth edition of the annual college football bowl game. It featured the Nevada Wolf Pack, the champions of the Big West Conference, and the Ball State Cardinals, the champions of the Mid-American Conference. This b ...

Pro

Crawford was drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins in the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

. Crawford was cut, re-signed and moved from practice squad to active roster multiple times his rookie year. He appeared in 7 games his rookie season and registered four tackles. He was a member of the Dolphins in 1998 and again become the teammate of former Nevada Wolfpack Quarterback John Dutton, who was drafted in the

1998 NFL Draft The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...

. In 2000, Crawford was signed by the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL. In the 2001 season he recorded 25 tackles. In 1999 Mike returned to UNR for one semester to receive his bachelor's degree. In 2001 Mike was picked up by Dennis Greene of the Minnesota Vikings. Mike played the 2001–2002 season with the Vikings but experienced a career ending injury during the pre-season; he finished the season on the IR list.

Personal

Crawford was known for being a daredevil in his early life. He was notorious for jumping off buildings or cliffs into snowbanks and water features. Even on the day he was drafted by the Dolphins, Crawford allegedly jumped off his mother's roof into a pond due to his excitement. When Crawford was a member of the Dolphins he made a fashion statement with bright Chalk-White dyed hair. According to Crawford and his friends, during a camping trip near

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...

, he had an interaction where he wrestled a bear.

References

External links

Las Vegas Outlaws profile
* 1974 births Living people American football linebackers Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL) players Miami Dolphins players Nevada Wolf Pack football players People from Douglas County, Nevada Players of American football from Reno, Nevada {{Linebacker-1970s-stub