Mike Junkin
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Michael Wayne Junkin (born November 21, 1964) 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 three 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) with 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 ...
and 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. He played in 20 games over the course of his NFL career. Junkin played four years of
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
Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...
. In the
1987 NFL draft The 1987 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 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Ma ...
, the Cleveland Browns traded up to select him with the fifth overall pick. He played in parts of two seasons for the Browns, both of which ended early due to injury. Junkin was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth-round selection and played in five more games. After his release from the Chiefs, he did not play another game in the NFL. His failure to establish himself in the NFL has caused him to be regarded as a
draft bust A draft is a process used in some countries (especially in North America) and sports (especially in closed leagues) to allocate certain players to teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players. When a team selec ...
.


High school and college

Junkin was born in
North Little Rock, Arkansas North Little Rock (often abbreviated "NLR") is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Located on the north side of the Arkansas River, it is the Twin cities, twin city of Little Rock, Arkansas, Little Rock. In the late nineteenth ce ...
, to Kirk, a
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
pilot, and Doris, a substitute teacher. His brother Trey Junkin was an NFL player as well. Junkin attended Belvidere High School in
Belvidere, Illinois Belvidere is a city in and the county seat of Boone County, Illinois, United States. It is settled on the Kishwaukee River in far northern Illinois. Known as the 'City of Murals', Belvidere is home to several public art installations througho ...
, and played
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 ...
on the football team. In 1982, his senior year, he was the team's MVP and captain. He was named to the Belvidere Bucs Football Hall of Fame in 2013. After graduating from high school, Junkin 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 ...
at
Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
. He played in three games for the Blue Devils as a freshman. In one game against
North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...
, Junkin had 25 tackles en route to a 27–26 Duke victory; head coach Steve Sloan stated afterwards that it was "one of the best games I have ever seen a freshman play." Between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Junkin went from 205 pounds to 240 to help get more playing time. As a sophomore, he spent the 1984 season as one of five starting linebackers on a modified Duke defense, which normally would have three or four linebackers. In his junior season, he was again a starting linebacker and finished the season with 162 tackles despite playing on an injured knee. Junkin started off his senior year with 15 tackles against Northwestern despite battling a head cold. Three weeks later in a game against
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
, Junkin had 18 tackles and was named
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
defensive player of the week. Junkin graduated from Duke after the 1986 season as the school record-holder for career tackles with 512. Due to his performance his senior year, Junkin was named to the Second Team College Football All-American.


Professional career

Junkin was selected in the first round with the fifth overall pick in the
1987 NFL draft The 1987 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 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Ma ...
by 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 ...
. To acquire him, the Browns traded Chip Banks along with their first and second-round picks to 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 ...
for their first and second-round picks. In regards to the selection, head coach
Marty Schottenheimer Martin Edward Schottenheimer (; September 23, 1943 – February 8, 2021) was an American professional football linebacker and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He was the head coach of the Cl ...
stated that scout Dom Anile had watched him play, and compared his playing style to "a mad dog in a meat market." However, Anile saw him as a second-round talent despite the quote, and felt he was not worth the fifth overall selection, but Schottenheimer overruled his scouts and selected Junkin with that pick. The Browns'
archrival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
, the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, were surprised at the pick as they had expected the Browns to select Shane Conlan after trading up for the pick; the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
selection of
Kelly Stouffer Kelly Wayne Stouffer (born July 6, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorado State Rams. Stouffer was selected in the firs ...
and the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
selection of Conlan eventually allowed the Steelers to select future
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
cornerback
Rod Woodson Roderick Kevin Woodson (born March 10, 1965) is an American former professional football player for 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Widely considered one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Woodson holds the NFL record fo ...
, haunting the Browns for years. Entering the 1987 season, Junkin was projected to be the starting
outside 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 lin ...
opposite Clay Matthews, Jr. despite playing
inside 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 lin ...
in college, which generated criticism around the league as a transition that would be difficult for him to make. After a 16-day holdout, the Browns and Junkin agreed to a four-year deal worth nearly $2 million. After missing the first preseason game against the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
, he made his debut against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. In that game, he played the second half and failed to record a tackle. By the end of training camp, due to struggles learning the outside linebacker position, he made the roster, but lost the starting job to
Anthony Griggs Anthony G. Griggs (born February 12, 1960) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 1982 NFL draft. Griggs was born in Lawton, Oklahoma ...
. After the Browns moved to a 4-3 defense for the second game against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, Junkin made his debut, and the plan was for him to gradually see more playing time each week. In early November, due to a combination of a players' strike and an injured wrist, Junkin was placed on the
injured reserve list 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 t ...
and replaced on the active roster by David Grayson. Due to a combination of the Browns drafting Clifford Charlton and Junkin's desire to move back inside, the Browns planned to move him back to inside linebacker for the 1988 season. He spent training camp competing with Eddie Johnson for the second inside linebacker position alongside
Mike Johnson James Michael Johnson (born January 30, 1972) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 56th speaker of the United States House of Representatives since 2023. A member ...
, and by the end of preseason play, Junkin had won the starting job. In his first career start 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
, Junkin had six tackles, including the first one of the game in a 6–3 Browns win. A month later, Junkin injured his knee, and was forced to miss several games. He returned to the team in early November, but Johnson had played so well in Junkin's absence that he spent the next few weeks as the backup inside linebacker. He was given the starting job again to end the season, but missed tackles and a lack of impact plays led to his second season being considered a disappointment. In early 1989, Schottenheimer was fired as Browns head coach, and took the head coaching job with the Kansas City Chiefs. He still had faith in Junkin, unlike the Browns, and traded a fifth-round pick to bring him to Kansas City. Two weeks after the trade, a report came out that Junkin had taken steroids provided by a doctor to treat an injured ankle, and had failed a drug test at the scouting combine as a result. Entering the 1989 season, Junkin competed with Walker Lee Ashley for the second inside linebacker spot alongside Dino Hackett. Ashley won the job, and Junkin played five games before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He was released from the Chiefs after season's end, and retired after not being signed by any team through the 1990 season. Junkin became known as a
draft bust A draft is a process used in some countries (especially in North America) and sports (especially in closed leagues) to allocate certain players to teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players. When a team selec ...
due to his unproductive career. An
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
article in 2008 noted Junkin noted as the eighth biggest draft bust of all time. He was also named one of the Cleveland' Browns worst three draft picks from 1995 or earlier.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Junkin, Mike 1964 births Living people Players of American football from Little Rock, Arkansas American football linebackers Duke Blue Devils football players Cleveland Browns players Kansas City Chiefs players Sportspeople from Belvidere, Illinois Players of American football from Illinois