Than Merrill

Than Merrill
No. 22
Position: Free Safety
Personal information
Date of birth: December 12, 1977
Place of birth: Fresno, California
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school: Fresno (CA)
College: Yale
NFL draft: 2001 / Round: 7 / Pick: 223
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 15
Games started: 0
Tackles: 7
Stats at NFL.com
Stats at pro-football-reference.com

Nathaniel "Than" Merrill (born December 12, 1977) is an American businessman, television personality, and former professional football player. He is the co-owner of the real estate company CT Homes and the real estate investing educational company FortuneBuilders Inc. He is featured in the A&E's Flip This House in seasons 3 and 4 as part of the "New Haven" team.

Football career

In high school Merrill was as an All-Far West Quarterback.[1] In college he started as a strong safety at Yale University, where he was named to Yale’s First-Team All-Ivy Selections[2] from 1999-2001. After graduating from Yale[3] he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 7th round of the 2001 NFL Draft,[4][5] but ultimately signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears for the 2001 season. He was later allocated by the Bears to the Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe.[6] In 2003, Merrill was signed by the Buccaneers and was allocated again to NFLE, this time to the Amsterdam Admirals.[7] He then spent one season with the Chicago Bears in 2001, and registered 7 tackles. In 2003, Merrill suffered a career-ending knee injury.

Real estate career

Merrill co-founded CT Homes, LLC in 2004. The residential real estate investment company purchases, redevelops, and sells residential, multi-family, and commercial property.[8]

Real estate educational career

Merrill and CT Homes caught the attention of the producers of Flip This House, a popular reality TV show featured on A&E, during their nationwide search for a real estate investing business. The show documented and educated prospective entrepreneurs on the intricacies of buying and selling real estate.[9] Merrill’s “New Haven” team was featured on the last three seasons, from 2007 to 2009.

Merrill helped open Realty National Inc., a San Diego Real Estate Brokerage affiliated with CT Homes, in 2011.[10] Realty National Inc. was established in Pacific Beach, San Diego and has continued to open other offices throughout California and the United States including; Orange County, Sacramento and Boston, MA.

Real estate author

Merrill wrote The Real Estate Wholesaling Bible: The Fastest, Easiest Way to Get Started in Real Estate, which is due to be released on April 21, 2014.[11]

Philanthropy

Merrill has helped foster several philanthropic initiatives. In 2010, he and his wife Cindy Phillips started the Equal Footing Foundation,[12] a charitable organization that provides scholarships and funding to young athletes who can’t afford to participate in local sports teams and clubs.

In addition to his own charity, Merrill founded a subsequent philanthropic initiative in 2012. Otherwise known as FortuneBuilders Gives,[13] this organization is an extension of FortuneBuilders.com. It consists of a group of individuals who continuously seek to support charities, humanitarian efforts and give back to the community. FortuneBuilders Gives has raised approximately $184,000 and worked with 129 charities on various food, clothing, and school supply drives.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Stanford Scout".
  2. ↑ "Yale All Ivy List".
  3. ↑ http://www.sparkplugging.com/sparkplug-ceo/than-merrill-from-throwing-a-football-to-flipping-houses/
  4. ↑ http://tam.scout.com/2/11327.html
  5. ↑ "ESPN Player Stats".
  6. ↑ Brian Danielewicz (May 21, 2002). "Ivy Leaguers Graduate To NFL". ivyleaguesports.com. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  7. ↑ "Scukanec Helps Claymores Run Wild". buccaneers.com. May 1, 2003. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  8. ↑ "About CT Homes".
  9. ↑ "Flip This House Video".
  10. ↑ "Realty National".
  11. ↑ "Amazon Book Listing".
  12. ↑ "Equal Footing Foundation".
  13. ↑ "FortuneBuilders Gives".

External links