Michael Antonio Hamilton (born December 3, 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 was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

for four seasons in 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), primarily with the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. He played

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for the North Carolina A&T Aggies Hamilton was born in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

. As a high school student he played basketball, football and participated in track and field. He won the state championship as a basketball player his senior year. In track and field he was also a state champion as a junior and senior in the 400-meter run and the 400-meter relay. Hamilton only played football his senior year in high school. He was a dominant defensive end and was named Southside High School's "Athlete Of The Year" in 1992. Despite only playing one year of high school football, Hamilton received a full athletic scholarship to

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' ...

. There, he majored in biology. As a redshirt freshman, Hamilton made an immediate impact as an outside linebacker. He was named the "Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week" four times. He was also an All Conference Player in his college career. In 1996, Hamilton received his Bachelor of Science with honors. After his collegiate career, Hamilton was selected in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. During his career in the NFL, Hamilton was a key Special Teams Player and understudy to the late NFL great

Junior Seau Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969 – May 2, 2012) was an American professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate ...

. He was named "Special Teams Player of the Game" in a matchup against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

in 1998 and the "Defensive Player of the Game" in a competition against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in 1999. Hamilton also scored his first NFL touchdown as a pro in a preseason game against the St. Louis Rams in 1998, scoring on a 75-yard interception return. After leaving the Chargers, Hamilton played with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

and

before officially retiring in 2004. Hamilton is the CEO and Founder of Big Kidd International Sports. In this role, he travels the world training athletes. The organization has held football training camps in

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city wa ...

. Hamilton is active with the NFL, the

NFL Players Association The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) is the labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. and president J ...

, and the alumni associations of the San Diego Chargers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Miami Dolphins. During his free time, Hamilton enjoys mentoring young student athletes, writing music, reading, playing classical and contemporary piano, studying foreign languages and traveling.

References

External links

Pro Football Reference page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Michael 1973 births Living people Players of American football from Greenville, South Carolina American football linebackers Cleveland Browns players San Diego Chargers players North Carolina A&T Aggies football players Miami Dolphins players