Mike Compton (American football)

Michael Eugene Compton (born September 18, 1970) is a former American college and professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. Compton played college football for West Virginia University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American center. He played professionally for the Detroit Lions, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, and started in Super Bowl XXXVI for the Patriots.

For other persons named Mike Compton, see Mike Compton (disambiguation).
Mike Compton
No. 74, 77
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1970-09-18) September 18, 1970
Richlands, Virginia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:307 lb (139 kg)
Career information
High school:Richlands
College:West Virginia
NFL Draft:1993 / Round: 3 / Pick: 68
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:151
Games started:119
Fumbles recovered:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Compton was born in Richlands, Virginia.[1] He graduated from Richlands High School,[2] where he played high school football, baseball and wrestled for the Richlands Blue Tornado.

College career

Compton attended West Virginia University, and he played for the West Virginia Mountaineers football team from 1989 to 1992. He began his college career at West Virginia in 1989 as a redshirt freshman. Compton was backup to senior center Jeff Price that season. In 1990, Compton's sophomore season, he became the starter at the center position. His game experience from his redshirt freshman year was key in his starting success. In 1991, as a junior, Compton was an all-Big East selection.

In 1992, his senior season, Compton earned consensus All-American honors. He was a finalist for the Lombardi Award, a first-team all-Big East selection, a selection to the CFA Scholar-Athlete Team, and a first-team Academic All-American.

In 2005, Compton was inducted into West Virginia University's Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 6+1⁄2 in
(1.99 m)		 297 lb
(135 kg)		 34 in
(0.86 m)		 10+1⁄8 in
(0.26 m)		5.35 s1.85 s3.06 s4.77 s21.5 in
(0.55 m)		8 ft 4 in
(2.54 m)		16 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3]

Compton was selected in the third round (68th pick overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.[4] He played for the Lions from 1993 to 2000.[5] He was the starter on the offensive line, blocking for Barry Sanders during his record-setting rushing seasons. During his time with the Lions, Compton also served as the team's long snapper for field goal and point after attempts. Linebacker Allen Aldridge served as the long snapper for punt coverage.

During his NFL career, Mike Compton displayed versatility along the offensive line, often playing multiple positions in any given season.[6]

  • In 1993, he played a reserve role at Center.
  • In 1995, he would start 2 games at LT then start 3 games at LG. He would start at LG for the final 3 games of the season.
  • In 1996, he would start 15 games at LG.
  • In 1997, he would start 14 games at LGDude and start 2 games at LT.
  • In 1998, he would start all 16 games at LG.
  • In 1999, he would start 15 games at C and the season finale at LT.
  • In 2000, he would start the opener and final 5 games at C. In between, he started at LG.
  • In 2001, he would start all 16 games at LG and take over at C in shotgun situations.
  • In 2002, he would start 15 games at LG and 1 game at C.

In 2001, Compton joined the New England Patriots squad. In his three seasons with the Patriots, Compton earned two Super Bowl rings. In 2004, Compton ended his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Coaching career

Compton was an assistant coach at Tazewell High School in Tazewell, Virginia during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In 2008, he was named head football coach at Patrick Henry High School in Glade Spring, Virginia.[7]

In 2011, Compton began his collegiate football coaching career as offensive line coach for Bluefield College.[8]

In 2013, Compton was the offensive line coach at Fairmont State.

in 2015, Compton was the offensive line coach at Concord University.

in 2016, Compton is the offensive line coach at UVA Wise.[9]

Compton and his family reside in Richlands, Virginia. He is married to LeTonya. Compton has three children, Jessica, Josh, and Sarah. He became a grandfather for the first time in November 2019.

References
  1. National Football League, Historical Players, Mike Compton. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  2. databaseFootball.com, Players, Mike Compton Archived 2012-10-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  3. https://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?i=24142
  4. "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  5. Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Mike Compton. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  6. http://archive.patriots.com/alumni/index.cfm?ac=alumnibiosdetail&bio=10272
  7. Bristol Herald Courier Retrieved on March 5, 2008.
  8. Jonathan Greene, "Compton to fulfill coaching dreams," Bluefield Daily Telegraph (July 23, 2011). Retrieved on February 16, 2012.
  9. "Mike Compton - Offensive Line Coach - Football Coaches". The University of Virginia's College at Wise Athletics. Retrieved 2020-03-21.


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