Stephen Neal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the United States congressman, see Stephen L. Neal.
| Stephen Neal | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | October 9, 1976 |
| Place of birth | San Diego, California |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| College | Cal State-Bakersfield |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 2002-current | New England Patriots |
Stephen Neal (born October 9, 1976 in San Diego, California) is an American football offensive lineman for the New England Patriots of the National Football League.
He was signed by the New England Patriots on July 23, 2001. He didn't play at all that year, or in 2003, but due to injuries on the offensive line, he was thrust into the starting lineup for the 2004 season. He became a great run blocker and a good pass protector. Neal re-signed with the Patriots after testing the free-agency market following the 2005 season.
Neal is a native of San Diego, California. He did not play football in college. Rather, he was a championship wrestler at Cal State-Bakersfield. As a wrestler, he compiled a 156-10 record and won two NCAA Division I titles, the 1999 title via a win over future WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. In 1999, Neal won the Dan Hodge Award - known as the Heisman Trophy of wrestling - following a year in which he won the U.S. Freestyle Championship, the Pan-American Games title and the World Championships at 286 pounds. His 1999 season led up to the 2000 Olympic try-outs where Kerry McCoy edged him for the trip to Sydney. After the tryouts, Neal retired from amateur wrestling.
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