Melvin Fowler

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Melvin Fowler

Buffalo Bills — No. 67
Center
Date of birth: March 31, 1979 (1979-03-31) (age 29)
Place of birth: Brooklyn, New York
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 310 lb (140 kg)
National Football League debut
2002 for the Cleveland Browns
Career history
College: Maryland
NFL Draft: 2002 / Round: 3 / Pick: 76
Teams: Cleveland Browns (2002-2004) Minnesota Vikings (2005) Buffalo Bills (2006-present)
Career highlights and awards
No notable achievements
Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
Games played	72
Games started	55
Stats at NFL.com

Melvin Thaddeus Fowler, Jr. (born March 31, 1979 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American football center who currently plays for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round (76th overall) of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Maryland.

[edit] High School

Fowler was an All-county and All-Long Island selection as a defensive lineman at Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, New York where he was chosen Long Island’s top lineman in a vote of area coaches. He was also a finalist for the 1996 Bob Zellner Award. He was a three-sport standout who also excelled in basketball and lacrosse.

[edit] College career

Fowler did not allow a quarterback sack in the four years as a starter at the University of Maryland. He took over center duties in his redshirt freshman year, despite having practiced at that position for only 10 days before earning the starting job. He was a model of consistency, as he started every game (44) he played in for Maryland.

[edit] NFL career

Fowler was drafted in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. In his rookie season with the Browns he was the backup center behind Dave Wohlabaugh and made his first career start at center against Tamps Bay, filling in for an injured Wohlabaugh. He dressed but did not play in three contests and was inactive for the remaining 12 regular season games and the AFC Wild Card Game at Pittsburgh. In 2003, his second season with the Browns, he provided depth at both the guard and center positions and ended up appearing in 14 games, including 10 starts. He started three games at left guard and started seven games at center. He began the season as the starting LG for the first three games. He played in 15 games for the Browns in 2004, and then was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for the 2005 season where he played in 10 games. On 21st March 2006 he signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills. Over his 40-game career, Fowler has 5.0 tackles and a fumble.