Mike Pouncey

Mike Pouncey

refer to caption

Pouncey in 2011
No. 51 Miami Dolphins
Position: Center
Personal information
Date of birth: (1989-07-24) July 24, 1989
Place of birth: Ardmore, Oklahoma
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 299 lb (136 kg)
Career information
High school: Lakeland (FL)
College: Florida
NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2016
Games played: 74
Games started: 74
Player stats at NFL.com

James Michael Pouncey (born July 24, 1989) is an American football center for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, was a member of a BCS National Championship team, and earned All-American honors. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Early years

Pouncey was born in Ardmore, Oklahoma.[1] He attended Lakeland High School, where he was a standout lineman for the Lakeland Dreadnaughts high school football team.[2] As a senior in 2006, he helped lead Lakeland High to its third consecutive Florida Class 5A state championship and second straight USA Today national championship.[2]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com,[3] Pouncey was listed as the No. 16 offensive guard in the nation in 2007.[4] He chose Florida over offers from Florida State, Clemson, Miami and Michigan.

College career

Pouncey accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,[2] where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2007 to 2010.[5] As a freshman in 2007, he started the season as an offensive lineman but had to move to the defensive line as replacement when several defensive starters were injured.[2]

Pouncey started four of thirteen games as a freshman, recording eight tackles and an interception.[2] As a sophomore in 2008, he moved back to the offensive line and started all fourteen of the Gators' games at right guard,[2] including the Gators' 24–14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.

After his junior season in 2009, Pouncey was named an Associated Press honorable mention All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection and a Pro Football Weekly first-team All-American.[2] As a senior team captain in 2010, he moved from guard to center for the Gators,[2] replacing his twin brother Maurkice Pouncey at center,[6] after Maurkice entered the 2010 NFL Draft following his junior year.[7]

Professional career

Pouncey (right) works with fellow Dolphins center Joe Berger in 2011.

Pouncey graded out as the top center and guard prospects in the 2011 NFL Draft.[8] He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first round with the 15th pick overall,[9] and started all sixteen regular season games of his rookie season.[10]

In February 2014 the NFL released the "Wells Report" finding that Pouncey, along with Dolphins teammates Richie Incognito and John Jerry, had bullied and harassed lineman Jonathan Martin, another unnamed player, and an assistant trainer. The harassment of the assistant trainer, in which Pouncey took part, included racial insults.[11][12]

On April 29, 2014, the Dolphins exercised the fifth year option on his rookie contract.[13] Pouncey underwent hip surgery to repair a torn labrum with an expected recovery time of three months on June 23.[14] He would go on to play the entire 2014 season at Guard and was named to his second Pro Bowl, becoming the third Dolphin in team history to earn Pro Bowl honors at two different positions (Cameron Wake, Randy Starks).

On April 10, 2015 Pouncey signed a 5-year contract extension with the Dolphins worth $52.15 million with $22 million guaranteed.[15]

Personal

Pouncey's identical twin brother Maurkice Pouncey was selected 18th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2010 NFL Draft.[1] He is one minute older than Maurkice.[16] Pouncey has two children, a daughter, Janiyah (born 2008),[16] and a son, Kayden (born July 6, 2013).[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Football League, Current Players, Maurkice Pouncey. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 GatorZone.com, Football History, 2010 Roster, Mike Pouncey. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ Michael Pouncey Recruiting Profile
  4. ↑ Rivals.com offensive guards 2007
  5. ↑ 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 89, 95, 97, 98, 103, 125, 185 (2011). Retrieved August 14, 2011.
  6. ↑ GatorZone.com, Football History, 2009 Roster, Maurkice Pouncey. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ Scott Brown, "Pouncey a tough act to follow for identical twin," Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (August 30, 2010). Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  8. ↑ NFLDraftScout.com, Mike Pouncey. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Panthers make Cam Newton top pick," ESPN.com (April 28, 2011). Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  10. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Mike Pouncey. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  11. ↑ Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, "Report to the National Football League Concerning Issues of Workplace Conduct at the Miami Dolphins," NFLDolphinsReport.com (February 14, 2014). Retrieved February 14, 2014.
  12. ↑ Steve Eder and Ben Shpigel, "Two Dolphins' Paths to a Bullying Scandal," The New York Times (February 24, 2014). Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ Alper, Josh (April 29, 2014). "Dolphins exercise 2015 option on Mike Pouncey's contract". NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  14. ↑ Coppinger, Mike (June 23, 2014). "Mike Pouncey could miss 3 months after hip surgery". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Pouncey sign 5-year contract extension". bleacherreport.com.
  16. 1 2 Dave Curtis, "Identical twins Mike and Maurkice Pouncey will make formidable front for UF foes," TCPALM (April 11, 2008). Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  17. ↑ You guys welcome kayden Pouncey my newborn son!. Twitter. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mike Pouncey.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.