Dan Fike

Dan Clement Fike Jr. (born June 16, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the Florida Gators, and thereafter, he played in the NFL for the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Early life

Fike was born in Mobile, Alabama. He played youth football at the Myrtle Grove association. He attended Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida,databaseFootball.com, Players, . Retrieved March 23, 2011. and played high school football for the Pine Forest Eagles.

College career

Fike accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Charley Pell's Gators from 1979 to 1982. 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 96 & 181 (2011). Retrieved August 28, 2011. While he was an undergraduate, he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity (Alpha Epsilon chapter). As a freshman, he lived through the worst season in the history of the Florida football program in 1979,Norm Carlson, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia, pp. 95–97 (2007). when the Gators posted an 0–10–1 record.College Football Data Warehouse, Charley Pell Records by Year, 1979 . Retrieved June 1, 2010. The following season, Fike was part of one of the biggest one-year turn-arounds in Division I football history, when the 1980 Gators finished 8–4 after defeating the Maryland Terrapins in the Tangerine Bowl.College Football Data Warehouse, Charley Pell Records by Year, 1980 . Retrieved June 1, 2010. He was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection following his senior season in 1982.

Professional career

After graduating from Florida, Fike was selected in the 1983 USFL Territorial Draft by the Tampa Bay Bandits. The New York Jets selected Fike in the tenth round (274th pick overall) of the 1983 NFL draft. After being cut from the NFL's New York Jets, he signed with the Tampa Bay Bandits on November 13, 1984, and played two seasons as their left tackle starting all 36 regular season games and two playoff from 1984 to 1985. When the USFL ceased operations, Fike signed with the NFL Cleveland Browns. His coach while with the Bandits was Steve Spurrier.

He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 1985, and earned a position as a regular starter, playing at different times at offensive guard and offensive tackle, from 1985 to 1992. Fike arrived in Cleveland at an opportune time when the team was experiencing a competitive revival, and was a starter for five consecutive Browns playoff teams (1985–1989), including appearances in the three AFC Championship Games (1987, 1988, 1990).

Fike played his final NFL season for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1993, seeing only limited action in three games.National Football League, Historical Players, Dan Fike. Retrieved March 23, 2011. In his nine-season professional football career, he appeared in 141 games and started 138 of them.

Dan Fike

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