Michael Sellers
Encyclopedia
Michael Sellers is an American football
player in the National Football League
for the Washington Redskins
. He was the youngest import player to sign a CFL
deal in the history of the football league when he played at 19 years old for the Edmonton Eskimos
.
in Lacey, Washington
and was a letterman in football
, basketball and track. As a senior, he was named the Washington Prep Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year.
and earned junior college All-America honors as a linebacker.
, where he moved to fullback
and appeared for the Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
. With the Blue Bombers, he was the power half of what was then the league's most dangerous rushing duo, "Thunder and Lightning", with fleet-footed running back Charles Roberts.
, his first, starting at fullback for the National Football Conference
.
Sellers was involved in controversy after a 2009 exhibition game against the New England Patriots. As part of the pregame ceremonies, the last Washington Redskin player announced comes on to the field holding the American flag. This task fell to Sellers who took the flag to midfield before throwing it on the ground. This upset fans in attendance and caused Sellers to issue an apology the next day. He said it was a heat of the moment thing and not meant to be a sign of disrespect.
In a February, 2005 article in The Seattle Times
, Sellers was named as one of the 25 greatest running back
s in state history.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
. He was the youngest import player to sign a CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
deal in the history of the football league when he played at 19 years old for the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
.
High school years
Sellers attended North Thurston High SchoolNorth Thurston High School
North Thurston High School, located in the North Thurston Public Schools District in Lacey, Washington, is a comprehensive high school which first opened in 1955. North Thurston serves a portion of Lacey and northeast Thurston County. The school is accredited by the Washington State...
in Lacey, Washington
Lacey, Washington
Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Established as a suburb of Olympia, its population was 42,393 at the 2010 census out of a county population of 252,264.-History:...
and was a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball and track. As a senior, he was named the Washington Prep Player of the Year and the Offensive Player of the Year.
Junior College career
Sellers attended Walla Walla Community CollegeWalla Walla Community College
Walla Walla Community College is a multi-campus community college located in southeastern Washington.WWCC's main branch was established in Walla Walla in 1967 with a first class of 850 students and has grown to an average annual enrollment of over 13,000 students...
and earned junior college All-America honors as a linebacker.
Canadian Football League
Sellers attained some stardom in the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, where he moved to fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
and appeared for the Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
. With the Blue Bombers, he was the power half of what was then the league's most dangerous rushing duo, "Thunder and Lightning", with fleet-footed running back Charles Roberts.
Washington Redskins
In his tenth season, Sellers was selected to play in the 2009 Pro Bowl2009 Pro Bowl
The 2009 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2008 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8, 2009. This was the last time that a Pro Bowl game was held after the NFL Super Bowl game...
, his first, starting at fullback for the National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
.
Sellers was involved in controversy after a 2009 exhibition game against the New England Patriots. As part of the pregame ceremonies, the last Washington Redskin player announced comes on to the field holding the American flag. This task fell to Sellers who took the flag to midfield before throwing it on the ground. This upset fans in attendance and caused Sellers to issue an apology the next day. He said it was a heat of the moment thing and not meant to be a sign of disrespect.
Honors
In a 1999 article in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.), Sellers was listed as one of the 100 greatest athletes in Washington state history.In a February, 2005 article in The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, Sellers was named as one of the 25 greatest running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
s in state history.