His heritage in Colorado dates back five generations. So, it made sense when Mike Newell graduated from Littleton High School that he wanted to stay in Colorado despite football scholarships from many other schools.

He quickly became Colorado State’s starting center and along with being part of an offensive line that did not allow a sack for two straight seasons and a Holiday Bowl win over Missouri, Mike racked up a number of impressive accolades. He was eventually inducted into the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Along with Mike’s great play, came some injuries, including a misdiagnosed back injury his senior season. Mike needed surgery and instead of going to the Senior Bowl and NFL combine, he went under the knife. Thankfully, the pain was gone after surgery, but a tough physical and mental road laid ahead as an undrafted free agent in the NFL.

Over the course of 5 seasons, Mike was with the Packers, NFL Europe, Rams and Texans. The grind was real, and yet he never played a down in a regular season NFL game. When his career was over, he was relieved.

Today, Mike still lives in Colorado, is an elementary school PE teacher and father to three very active teens. He continues to support the Rams and barely recognizes the guy who used to play center for CSU.