Michael Wayne Pearson (born August 22, 1980) is an American former college and professional American football, football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) for five seasons. Pearson played college football for the University of Florida, and earned consensus All-American honors. A second-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL and the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL.

Early years

Pearson was born in Tampa, Florida in 1980.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Mike Pearson
Retrieved March 19, 2011. He attended Armwood High School in Seffner, Florida,databaseFootball.com, Players
Mike Pearson
. Retrieved March 19, 2011. where he played high school football for the Armwood Hawks.GatorZone.com, Football History, 2001 Roster

. Retrieved March 31, 2011.

College career

Pearson accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1999 Florida Gators football team, 1999 to 2001 Florida Gators football team, 2001.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 94, 97, 99, 103, 185 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011. After being red-shirted in 1998, he was a three-year letterman for the Gators, and he received the Gators' James W. Kynes Award, recognizing him as the lineman who "best exemplified mental and physical toughness and iron-man determination." He was also a two-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) Academic Honor Roll selection. Pearson played in thirty-five games with thirty-three starts, including two bowl games: the 2001 Orange Bowl (game), Orange Bowl and the 2000 Sugar Bowl. He was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2000 and 2001, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 2001. Pearson graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2001, and was inducted into the List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members, University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2013.

Professional career

Pearson was drafted in the second round (40th pick overall) in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he played for the Jaguars from through .National Football League, Historical Players
Mike Pearson
Retrieved March 19, 2011. His "break" came in his rookie season, when offensive tackle Maurice Williams (offensive tackle), Maurice Williams was injured. Pearson started at left tackle for thirty-one consecutive games, until he was injured on October 3, 2004 against the Indianapolis Colts; after knee surgery he was placed on injured reserve, and returned in 2005. He started two games in 2005, and was released. In 2006, he was signed by the Miami Dolphins, but released during training camp. He signed by the Houston Texans in November and was released in December. In June , he signed as a free agent with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. He began the season as the Argos' starting left tackle, but after two games, was moved to the injured reserved list with an infected right index finger.Rick Matsumoto,
Argos' Pearson hoping to return after frightening finger infection
" ''The Toronto Star'' (September 22, 2007). Retrieved July 9, 2010. Pearson was treated to intravenous therapy with serious concerns over whether the infection required finger amputation. He ultimately regained full health without any amputation and returned to his starting duties at left tackle on September 3, 2007 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. On November 3, 2007, Pearson suffered a season-ending injury when teammate Chad Folk fell on his ankle. On May 31, 2008, Pearson announced his retirement from professional football, after having played in nine regular season games for the Argonauts during 2007.CFLapedia.com, Players A–Z
Mike Pearson
Retrieved March 1, 2012.

References

Bibliography

* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). . * Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). . * Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). . * McCarthy, Kevin M.,
Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football
', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Mike 1980 births Living people All-American college football players American football offensive tackles American players of Canadian football Canadian football offensive linemen Florida Gators football players Houston Texans players Jacksonville Jaguars players Miami Dolphins players Players of American football from Tampa, Florida Players of Canadian football from Tampa, Florida Toronto Argonauts players

Early years

College career

Professional career

See also

References

Bibliography