Junior Miller
{{Short description|American football player (born 1957)}}
{{about|the football player|the radio host|Craig Miller (broadcaster)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Junior Miller
| number = 80, 84
| position = Tight end
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|11|26}}
| birth_place = Waco, Texas, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 239
| draftyear = 1980
| draftround = 1
| draftpick = 7
| high_school = Robert E. Lee {{nowrap|(Midland, Texas)}}
| college = Nebraska
| teams =
- Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1980}}–{{NFL Year|1983}})
- New Orleans Saints ({{NFL Year|1984}})
- Dallas Cowboys ({{NFL Year|1986}})*
| highlights =
- 2× Pro Bowl (1980, 1981)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (1980)
- Unanimous All-American (1979)
- Third-team All-American (1978)
- 2× First-team All-Big Eight (1978, 1979)
| statlabel1 = Receptions
| statvalue1 = 122
| statlabel2 = Receiving yards
| statvalue2 = 1,409
| statlabel3 = Touchdowns
| statvalue3 = 14
| pfr = MillJu00
}}
Selvia Miller Jr. (born November 26, 1957) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1980s. Miller played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and earned All-American honors. He was selected in the first round of the 1980 NFL draft, played professionally for the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints of the NFL, and was twice selected to the Pro Bowl.
Miller was born in Midland, Texas. He attended Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, and was a standout high school football player for the Lee Rebels. He was the nephew of Navy Cross winner Doris Miller.
He attended the University of Nebraska, where he played for coach Tom Osborne's Conhusker teams from 1976 to 1979. As a senior in 1979, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.
The Atlanta Falcons chose Miller in the first round (seventh pick overall) of the 1980 NFL Draft, and he played for the Falcons from {{NFL Year|1980}} to {{NFL Year|1983}}. He was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1980 and 1981. Miller previously held the Atlanta Falcons' franchise record for most receiving touchdowns by a rookie with 9, it was broken in 2018 by Calvin Ridley who had 10. He played his fifth and final NFL season for the New Orleans Saints in {{NFL Year|1984}}.
NFL career statistics
class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
Bold
| Career high |
= Regular season =
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||
rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="5"| Receiving | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
1980 | ATL
| 16 || 14 || 46 || 584 || 12.7 || 36 || 9 | ||||||
1981 | ATL
| 16 || 16 || 32 || 398 || 12.4 || 37 || 3 | ||||||
1982 | ATL
| 9 || 9 || 20 || 221 || 11.1 || 39 || 1 | ||||||
1983 | ATL
| 15 || 6 || 16 || 125 || 7.8 || 19 || 0 | ||||||
1984 | NOR
| 15 || 0 || 8 || 81 || 10.1 || 22 || 1 | ||||||
colspan="2"| | 71 | 45 | 122 | 1,409 | 11.5 | 39 | 14 |
= Playoffs =
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | |||||||
rowspan="2"| Year
!rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="5"| Receiving | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |
1980 | ATL
| 1 || 1 || 3 || 48 || 16.0 || 26 || 0 | ||||||
colspan="2"| | 1 | 1 | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 26 | 0 |
{{1979 NCAA Division I-A College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1980 NFL Draft}}
{{FalconsFirstPick}}
{{Atlanta Falcons 1980 draft navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Junior}}
Category:All-American college football players
Category:American football tight ends
Category:Atlanta Falcons players
Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
Category:New Orleans Saints players
Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players
Category:Legacy High School (Midland, Texas) alumni
Category:Players of American football from Midland, Texas
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
{{Tightend-1950s-stub}}