Itula Mili (born April 20, 1973) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who spent his entire 10-year career as a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

BYU Cougars The BYU Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Brigham Young University (BYU), located in Provo, Utah. BYU fields 21 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) varsity athletic teams. They are a member of the Big 12 C ...

, earning first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 1996.

Early life

Mili attended Kahuku High School and lived in Lā'ie, Hawai'i, where he starred in football, basketball, and track. In football, he was an All-State selection. In track and field, Mili was the state high jump champion as a junior.

College career

Mili chose to attend BYU where he majored in business management. Mili played tight end and half-back for the Cougars during his football career. He began his freshman season in 1991 and was second string the season after Ty Detmer's

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

season for the cougars. In 1994, his sophomore season, Mili filled in two games for the injured starter Chad Lewis. At the start of his junior season, Mili was moved to the half-back position. During his senior year in 1996, Mili was named by the AFCA to the first-team All-American team and selected to play in both the Hula and Senior Bowl. However, he was unable to play due to surgery to repair a knee injury that was sustained during the 1996 Western Athletic Conference championship game against Wyoming. Mili finished his college career with 125 receptions for 1,763 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Cougars, along with 13 carries for 50 yards.

Professional career

He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL draft by the Seahawks. He played on a Seahawks Super Bowl team that consisted of Walter Jones,

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, Mack Strong, Steve Hutchinson, and fellow

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

n teammate

Lofa Tatupu Mosiula Mea'alofa "Lofa" Tatupu (born November 15, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for th ...

. On January 4, 2007, Mili was released from the Seahawks to make room for Ben Obomanu on the roster.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mili, Itula 1973 births American football tight ends BYU Cougars football players Living people Seattle Seahawks players Latter Day Saints from Hawaii American sportspeople of Samoan descent American Mormon missionaries in New Zealand People from Oahu Players of American football from Honolulu County, Hawaii Pacific Islander American players of American football