Mel Bratton
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| Running back | |||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: February 2, 1965 | |||||||||||
| Place of birth: Miami, Florida | |||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: Miami (FL) Northwestern | |||||||||||
| College: Miami (Florida) | |||||||||||
| NFL Draft: 1989 / Round: 7 / Pick: 180 | |||||||||||
| Debuted in 1989 for the Denver Broncos | |||||||||||
| Last played in 1990 for the Denver Broncos | |||||||||||
Career history
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Career highlights and awards
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 1990 | |||||||||||
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| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |||||||||||
Melvin Torrance Bratton (born February 2, 1965) is a former American football running back and current sports agent. Bratton attended the University of Miami, where he played running back and starred in the national championship game at the 1988 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, where he blew out his knee.
He was subsequently drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1988, yet did not make the team and was drafted again in 1989 by the Denver Broncos and played for two seasons though never really recovering from his knee injury.
College
Bratton starred in the 1987 national championship game, the Orange Bowl, against the Oklahoma Sooners. However, he blew out his knee, an injury that may have cost him an estimated one million dollars in the NFL. At the end of his career, he held the Hurricanes' record for career touchdowns with 33.
Bratton was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentary The U, which premiered December 12, 2009 on ESPN.
NFL career
Bratton was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 1988 NFL Draft but never signed a contract with the Dolphins.[1]
In the seventh round of the 1989 NFL Draft, the Broncos drafted Bratton as the 180th overall pick.[2] He rushed for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns on 57 carries in his brief career. He also added 345 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on 39 catches. He also returned 5 kickoffs for total of 56 yards averaging 11.2 yards.[2] He scored the winning touchdown to beat the Pittsburg Steelers in the divisional playoff round after which he said, "I'm glad I got it. In the past, every time I score the winning touchdown, we lose." [3] At Super Bowl XXIV, in which the Broncos lost to the San Francisco 49ers 55-10, Bratton caught one 14-yard pass from John Elway.[4] He retired after the 1990 season, never really regaining his full abilities to run the ball from his knee injury in 1988 Orange Bowl.
Later career
In 1997, Bratton became a scout for the Atlanta Falcons. Bratton became coordinator of NFC pro personnel with the Washington Redskins in 2000.[5] After Redskins owner Dan Snyder fired him from the front office, Bratton founded sports apparel company College Throwback USA.[6]
Bratton became a sports agent after his playing career. Currently, Bratton is part of Vantage Management Group.[7] In 2008, the NFL began an inquiry into Bratton for contacting Andre Smith, then a college football player for Alabama.[8]
Personal life
Born in Miami, Florida, Bratton graduated from Miami Northwestern High School in 1983.[9] Bratton is a cousin of Geno Smith, starting quarterback at for the New York Jets.[10]
References
- ↑ Mell, Randall (February 8, 1989). "Dolphins Offer Makes Bratton Reconsider Draft". South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Mel Bratton". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ http://articles.latimes.com/1990-01-08/sports/sp-152_1_43-yard-field
- ↑ "San Francisco 49ers 55 vs. Denver Broncos 10 (Sunday, January 28, 1990)". pro-football-reference. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ Maske, Mark (February 18, 2000). "Redskins Sign Safety Carrier for 5 Years". Washington Post. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ Haugh, David (October 12, 2004). "The Bears' Bryan Johnson is grateful to former scout Melvin Bratton, who knew where the ex-Boise State linebacker belonged". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ "Our team". Vantage Management Group. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ Rapoport, Ian R.; Segrest, Doug (January 1, 2009). "Saban: Andre Smith's situation is not an NCAA matter". The Birmingham News. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ Long, Corey. "Miami finds success by looking locally". ESPN. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
- ↑ Harris, John (September 27, 2011). "WVU's Smith's loyalty runs deep". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
| Preceded by Alonzo Highsmith/Daryl Oliver |
Miami Hurricanes' Starting Running Back 1985-1987 (shared with Alonzo Highsmith and Warren Williams) |
Succeeded by Cleveland Gary/Leonard Conley |
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Template:Broncos1989DraftPicks