Ernie Mills
Encyclopedia
Ernest Lee "Ernie" Mills, III (born October 28, 1968) is a former American college and professional football
player who was a wide receiver
in the National Football League
(NFL) for nine seasons during the 1990s. Mills played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers
, the Carolina Panthers
and the Dallas Cowboys
of the NFL.
in 1968. He attended Dunnellon High School, and played high school football
for the Dunnellon Fighting Tigers.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he was a four-year letterman for coach Galen Hall
and coach Steve Spurrier
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1987 to 1990. Memorably, in 1990, he caught a 70-yard pass thrown by quarterback Shane Matthews
from the Gators' own 2-yard-line, setting up a crucial field goal in the Gators' 17–13 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide
. As a senior
, Mills was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
(SEC) selection, and a team captain
of the Gators squad that finished with a 9–2 overall win-loss record and a best-in-the-SEC record of 6–1.
Mills graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
in exercise and sport sciences in 1990.
, and Mills played for the Steelers for six seasons from to . He had his best NFL season in , when he caught thirty-nine passes for 679 yards and eight touchdown
s, helping the Steelers gain a berth in Super Bowl XXX
. Mills subsequently played for the Carolina Panthers in , and the Dallas Cowboys in and . He finished his nine-year NFL career with 196 reception
s for 2,934 yards and twenty touchdowns.
in Jacksonville, Florida
.
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 who was a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
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...
(NFL) for nine seasons during the 1990s. Mills played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
of the NFL.
Early years
Mills was born in Dunnellon, FloridaDunnellon, Florida
Dunnellon is a city in Marion County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,898 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 1,951...
in 1968. He attended Dunnellon High School, and played high school 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....
for the Dunnellon Fighting Tigers.
College career
Mills received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he was a four-year letterman for coach Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
and coach Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier is an American college football coach and player. Spurrier is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks football team. He is also a former professional player and coach...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1987 to 1990. Memorably, in 1990, he caught a 70-yard pass thrown by quarterback Shane Matthews
Shane Matthews
Michael Shane Matthews is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League for all or part of fourteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played...
from the Gators' own 2-yard-line, setting up a crucial field goal in the Gators' 17–13 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide
1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 1992 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 1992 college football season. This was the team's third season under head coach Gene Stallings. They played their home games at both Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Legion Field in Birmingham,...
. As a senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
, Mills was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) selection, and a team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
of the Gators squad that finished with a 9–2 overall win-loss record and a best-in-the-SEC record of 6–1.
Mills graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in exercise and sport sciences in 1990.
Professional career
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Mills in the third round (seventy-third pick overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft1991 NFL Draft
The 1991 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan, New York...
, and Mills played for the Steelers for six seasons from to . He had his best NFL season in , when he caught thirty-nine passes for 679 yards and eight touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s, helping the Steelers gain a berth in Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
. Mills subsequently played for the Carolina Panthers in , and the Dallas Cowboys in and . He finished his nine-year NFL career with 196 reception
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
s for 2,934 yards and twenty touchdowns.
Life after the NFL
Mills is currently the wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Dolphins football team that represents Jacksonville UniversityJacksonville University
Jacksonville University is a private university in Jacksonville, Florida, on the banks of the St. Johns River. The school was founded in 1934 as a two year college and was known as Jacksonville Junior College until 1958, when it shifted its focus to four-year university degrees and adopted its...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- Florida Gators football, 1990–1999
- List of Carolina Panthers players
- List of Dallas Cowboys players
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of Pittsburgh Steelers players
- List of University of Florida alumni