Central Jersey
Long Branch native Sam Mills elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame
Mills was announced as a member of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 on Thursday night at the NFL Honors.
New Jersey native Sam Mills has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Sam Mills Hall of Fame
Mills was announced as a member of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 on Thursday night at the NFL Honors.
He’s joined by Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli, Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour, Packers safety LeRoy Butler, and 49ers defensive tackle Bryant Young.
He was elected in his third and final year of eligibility as a modern candidate.
High school
Sam Mills hall of fame induction is well deserved.
A native of Long Branch, N.J., Mills was a star defensive player at Long Branch High School who cemented records and led the football team to a championship in the 1976 – 1977 season.
Collegiately, Mills played for Montclair State University, a small school in New Jersey.
Sam Mills : His professional career
After a stellar high school and college career, Mills began training for a spot on a professional football team.
His 5ft9in stature would be an obstacle for the linebacker but he never gave up. His dream finally came to fruition.
Mills was teaching photography at a New Jersey high school when he tried out for the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars and made the team. When the Stars coach moved to the New Orleans Saints in 1986, he took Mills with him. The Saints never had a single winning season until Mills got there.
Mills played for The Saints from 1986 – 1994. He then went on to play for the Carolina Panthers in 1995.
Mills leadership made an immediate difference, and in just their second season, the Panthers made it to the NFC Championship Game. He joined the team as a coach after his retirement following the 1997 season, and continued to make his presence felt mentoring players and passing along the lessons learned in a football life.
Mills was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2005 at the age of 45.
The Class of 2022 will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Photo : Carolina Panthers/NFL