Sam Mills was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.
23 Facts About Sam Mills
1.
2.
Sam Mills attended college at Montclair State College and made the football squad as a walk-on.
3.
Sam Mills was a three-time NJAC First Team All-Star and was named the New Jersey Collegiate Writers Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons.
4.
Sam Mills signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 1981 but was released after the conclusion of preseason.
5.
Sam Mills wore number 41, the one of the two times he didn't wear number 51, the other being with the Stars.
6.
In 1982, Sam Mills signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League but was released before the season.
7.
Bevacqui told Rutigliano that Sam Mills was the best linebacker that he had ever seen play the game.
8.
Sam Mills then tried out with the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts but did not make the team.
9.
Sam Mills called an old friend, Carl Peterson, general manager of the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League, and suggested that he give Mills a look.
10.
Sam Mills led the Stars to two USFL championships, was named to three All-USFL teams and is a member of the USFL's All-Time Team.
11.
Sam Mills has been described as arguably the best defensive player in the short history of the league.
12.
Sam Mills was a member of the vaunted "Dome Patrol," the stellar linebacking corps that led a ferocious Saints defense in the early 1990s.
13.
Sam Mills earned four Pro Bowl appearances with the Saints in 1987,1988,1991, and 1992.
14.
Sam Mills became a free agent at the end of the 1994 NFL season.
15.
Sam Mills became a veteran leader for the young team, the only player to start every game during the Panthers' first three seasons.
16.
Sam Mills played 12 seasons in the NFL and recorded 1,319 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 11 interceptions and four touchdowns while starting 173 of 181 games.
17.
Sam Mills was named to the NFL All-Pro team three times, in 1991,1992, and 1996.
18.
Sam Mills was elected to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame, the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey and the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.
19.
Sam Mills became a defensive coaching assistant for the Panthers in 1998, before being promoted to linebackers coach in 1999.
20.
Sam Mills continued to coach the team until his death from cancer complications on April 18,2005.
21.
Mills was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009, with his son Sam Mills III accepting the award on his father's behalf.
22.
Sam Mills III was the defensive line coach for the Washington Commanders.
23.
Sam Mills was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.