Michael Andrew Seidman (born February 11, 1981) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
. He was a
1998 ''USA Today'' high school football first-team All-American. 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 ...
at
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, where he was All-
Pac-10
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
First-team, and set a UCLA record for most receiving yards in a season by a
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
. His NFL career was cut short by two
ACL knee injuries.
Early life and high school
Seidman was born in
Westlake Village, California
Westlake Village is a city in Los Angeles County on its western border with Ventura County. The City of Westlake Village incorporated in 1981 becoming the 82nd municipality of Los Angeles County.Baker, Pam (2002). ''Thousand Oaks Westlake Vill ...
, to Gary and Debra Seidman, and is Jewish.
[Rosen, Harvey (September 15, 2005).]
Keep your eyes out for these pro-footballers
". ''The Jewish Ledger''. Retrieved June 2, 2010 His mother is Jewish and his father is Catholic (his paternal grandfather had also been Jewish), and Seidman was raised with "little religion".
He has an older sister, Lisa.
He played youth football for the Pop Warner Westlake Braves. Seidman played high school football at
Westlake High School in Westlake Village, California (1995–98).
His teammates included Robby Solomon, his mentor and inspiration to be the greatest Tight End in Jim Benkert's reign of terror over the Westlake High School football program. Despite a torn ACL which sidelined Seidman during his sophomore season in 1996, Solomon dedicated his senior season to Seidman. Solomon's motives were driven by an opportunity to get a date with Seidman's sister Lisa, who Solomon found to be very attractive, but a Lisa kindly rejected Solomon's request to be his date to Homecoming 1996. Other teammates included Zac Wasserman, a former
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
quarterback recruit and
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
long snapper
In American football, the long snapper (or deep snapper) is a center on special teams whose duty is to snap the football over a longer distance, typically around 15 yards during punts, and 7–8 yards during field goals and extra point attempt ...
, and fellow tight end Joe Boskovich (who was injured with an
ACL tear during his and Seidman's senior season). He was a
1998 ''USA Today'' high school football first-team All-American, ''
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...
''
All-American, rated the No. 14 player in the nation by ''
The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'', a member of ''
PrepStar
''PrepStar College Recruiting'', known also as ''PrepStar'', is an online magazine at www.prepstar.com, which was established in 1982. It provides information on the top football and basketball prospects in the United States. The online magazin ...
'' Dream Team, rated the No. 2
tight end
The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
in the nation by PrepStar, rated nation's No. 11 player and No. 3
receiver (No. 2 tight end) by Bobby Burton/
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, rated the nation's No. 30 player by ''
SuperPrep
''Super Prep'' is a sports magazine based in Laguna Beach, California, published in since 1985. It was founded and is published by Allen Wallace, a lawyer. Its main focus is to provide recruiting information on high school football players.
In 19 ...
'', a SuperPrep All-American, SuperPrep ranked him the nation's No. 2 tight end and the No. 5 player in the California/Arizona/Hawaii region, named a first-team All-
CIF
Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries.
Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...
Southern Section, selected All-CIF Division IV, and named first-team ''
L.A. Daily News'' All-Valley.
He also lettered three years in track and one year in basketball.
College career
Seidman 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 ...
at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
(UCLA) ('02; Sociology) 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). ...
, where he played mostly on
special teams
In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
as a
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
. He played in 10 out of 11 games his first year; he would not miss another game the rest of his
college career.
He led the team in yards-per-catch average in his junior year in 2001, as he averaged 20.8 yards per reception.
As a senior in 2002, he was one of the three finalists for the
John Mackey Award
The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, ac ...
, which is given to the best tight end in the nation.
He was the team's
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
, received All-
Pac-10
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...
First-team honors, and set a UCLA record for most receiving yards in a season by a tight end (631).
He was also named All-Conference.
NFL career
At the 2003
NFL Scouting Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...
Seidman ran the
40-yard dash
The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...
in 4.80, and performed 20 225-pound
bench press
The bench press, or chest press, is a weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench. Although the bench press is a full-body exercise, the muscles primarily used are the pectorali ...
reps.
Seidman was selected in the third round (76th overall) of the
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936 NF ...
by the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
. He signed a three-year contract, and received a
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $512,575 ($ in current dollar terms), and base salaries of $225,000 (2003), $305,000 (2004), and $380,000 (2005).
He appeared in 12 games and registered five catches for 35 yards.
He then
tore his ACL in his left knee in December, and spent the rest of the
2003 season
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
.
Seidman returned from injury at the start of the
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.
With New England as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Hurricanes forced the rescheduling o ...
, and scored the first two touchdowns of his career against the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The tea ...
and the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
; the second came while lying on his back in the
end zone
The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field. ...
.
He appeared in 16 games for the Panthers in 2004, and was starting.
He was on the team roster for
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) c ...
, but was on the injured reserve list.
In January 2005 it was announced that he had suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in September 2004, and might miss the season.
He appeared in 12 games for the Panthers in 2005.
He tore his ACL in his right knee again in September 2006, after starting three games, and was out for the rest of the season.
He was cut from the Panthers in the offseason.
He then signed with the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
on May 8, 2007.
In early August 2007 it was reported that Seidman injured a knee the first day of camp.
Seidman was placed on the injured reserve on August 4, 2007.
Honors
In 2018 he was inducted into the
Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, in Beverly Hills, California, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring American Jewish athletes, other sports personalities, and teams from Southern California who have distinguished themselves ...
.
Post-football life
Seidman is now a broker with real estate firm
Cushman & Wakefield
Cushman & Wakefield plc is a global commercial real estate services firm. The company's corporate headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois.
Cushman & Wakefield is among the world's largest commercial real estate services firms, with revenues ...
in Los Angeles.
Seidman was charged with felony
vehicular manslaughter
Vehicular homicide is a crime that involves the death of a person other than the driver as a result of either criminally negligent or murderous operation of a motor vehicle.
In cases of criminal negligence, the defendant is commonly charged ...
in October 2020.
See also
*
List of select Jewish football players
References
External links
NFL.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seidman, Mike
1981 births
Living people
Jewish American sportspeople
Players of American football from California
People from Westlake Village, California
American football tight ends
UCLA Bruins football players
Carolina Panthers players
Indianapolis Colts players
Sportspeople from Ventura County, California
21st-century American Jews