:Itula Mili
{{Short description|American football player (born 1973)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Itula Mili
| number = 49, 89, 88
| position = Tight end
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1973|4|20}}
| birth_place = Kahuku, Hawaii, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 260
| high_school = Kahuku
| college = BYU
| draftyear = 1997
| draftround = 6
| draftpick = 174
| pastteams =
- Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|1997|2006}})
| highlights =
- First-team All-American (1996)
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 164
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 1,743
| statlabel3 = Receiving touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 13
| pfr = MiliIt00
}}
Itula Mili (born April 20, 1973) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 10-year career as a tight end for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars,{{Cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/player/itulamili/2502087/profile|title=Itula Mili|website=NFL.com|language=en|access-date=July 1, 2018}} earning first-team All-American 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/football/article/Meet-the-Seahawks-Itula-Mili-1151479.php|title=Meet the Seahawks: Itula Mili|work=seattlepi.com|access-date=July 1, 2018}}
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 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.{{Citation needed|date=July 2018}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/2003/9/16/19784575/mili-still-maturing#seattle-seahawks-tight-end-itula-mili-scooting-by-washington-defenders-in-a-game-last-year-has-matured-and-improved-after-suffering-a-severe-knee-injury-in-his-final-game-at-byu-the-1996-wac-championship-game-against-wyoming|title=Mili still maturing|date=September 16, 2003|website=deseretnewscom|access-date=August 27, 2019}} 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.{{cite web |url=http://www.cougarstats.com/players/m/miliitula.html |title=CougarStats: BYU Football Players: Itula Mili |accessdate=December 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110222951/http://cougarstats.com/players/m/miliitula.html |archivedate=November 10, 2011 }}
Professional career
He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1997 NFL draft by the Seahawks.{{Cite web |title=1997 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1997/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MiliIt00.htm|title=Itula Mili Stats {{!}} Pro-Football-Reference.com|website=Pro-Football-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=July 1, 2018}} He played on a Seahawks Super Bowl team that consisted of Walter Jones, Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck, Mack Strong, Steve Hutchinson, and fellow Samoan teammate Lofa Tatupu. On January 4, 2007, Mili was released from the Seahawks to make room for Ben Obomanu on the roster.{{Cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/sports/football/article/Itula-Mili-s-NFL-career-may-be-over-1224393.php|title=Itula Mili's NFL career may be over|work=seattlepi.com|access-date=July 1, 2018}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Seahawks1997DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mili, Itula}}
Category:American football tight ends
Category:BYU Cougars football players
Category:Seattle Seahawks players
Category:Latter Day Saints from Hawaii
Category:American sportspeople of Samoan descent
Category:American Mormon missionaries in New Zealand
Category:Players of American football from Honolulu County, Hawaii
Category:Pacific Islander American players of American football