Michael Wiley (American football)
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
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| Date of birth: | January 15, 1978 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Spring Valley, California | ||||||||
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| High school: | Monte Vista (CA) | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2000 / Round: 5 / Pick: 144 | ||||||||
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| Roster status: | Retired | ||||||||
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Michael Deshawn Wiley (born January 15, 1978) is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He spent his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Ohio State University.
Early years
Wiley attended Monte Vista High School before moving to Ohio State University. Although he never played the positions before college, in his first two years he started out being tried at wide receiver and cornerback, until the coaching staff decided that running back was a better fit.[1] He earned the starter tailback job as a junior and became the team's top rusher for the next two seasons (1,235 yards as a junior and 952 yards as a senior).
He scored touchdowns the first three times he touched the ball as a collegian while playing against Rice in 1996 (a 49-yard reverse and receptions of 51 and 60 yards). He was a great pass catcher out of the backfield, ranking third on the team in receptions as a junior (27) and senior (14).
Though he was only a two-year starter (22 starts), he finished a distinguished playing career after recording 2,951 rushing yards (509 attempts), 3,176 total offense yards, 4,194 all-purpose yards, ten 100-yard games, 56 receptions and 35 touchdowns. He also completed 10-of-11 career passing attempts for 225 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Professional career
Wiley was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft.
Because of his versatility, he was selected with the plan of converting him into a slot wide receiver.[2] The experiment didn't last long and he was named the third-string running back, used primarily on passing downs and special teams.
During his NFL career, he battled with injuries at different times. In 2003, after the Cowboys hired new head coach Bill Parcells, Wiley missed valuable preseason time with a rotator cuff injury and was waived on August 25.[3]
Personal life
Since his retirement from professional football, Wiley has been active in the Ohio Democratic Party.