Former Memphis football player Anthony Miller shows off his NFC championship hat. Miller was drafted to the Chicago Bears in 2018.
Memphis is known for its “grit and grind.†The Memphis Grizzlies found a way of putting the “Memphian-life†into words and Memphians know they must work extremely hard for everything. Former Memphis Tiger and current wide receiver for the Chicago BearsAnthony Miller’s background is that Memphis ideal’s blueprint.Â
Coming out of Christian Brothers High School, Miller was a walk-on at the University of Memphis and solidified himself as one of the best wide receivers in the university’s football program’s history.
Miller entered the NFL 2018 draft and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round with the 51st pick. Since joining the Bears, he has made a significant impact on the offense and made history by finishing the season with seven touchdown carries, the most by a Bears’ rookie receiver since 1983.
“It’s just the beginning,†Miller said. “It feels good, man. I’ve come a long way. I am fortunate enough to be with a team like Chicago, and we’re doing it this year.â€
The Bears won the National Football Conference North Division and gained the number three seed in this season’s NFC Playoffs. Miller contributed to the Bears’ success this season by leading the team in touchdown receptions as a rookie. In the wild-card round, Miller only had three catches for 34 yards. The Bears lost 16-15 to the Philadelphia Eagles, ending the 2018 season for Anthony Miller and the Chicago Bears. But leading the team in touchdown receptions is nothing new for Anthony Miller.
In 2016, Miller set single-season records at University of Memphis with 95 receptions for 1,434 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2017, he broke the records for both career receptions and receiving yards, previously held by Duke Calhoun. He also broke Carlos Singleton’s school-record for most career touchdown receptions, and, on top of all the other broken records, broke his own record for most touchdown receptions in a season, a school-record he had set the year before.Â
Miller achieved these milestones in only three seasons playing for Memphis, but Miller was red-shirted in 2013 after he earned a spot as a walk-on. He also did not play in 2014 due to an injury to his shoulder. Despite having only three years of eligibility at Memphis, he still set six school-records, and broke another school-record in 2017 for the most touchdown receptions in single game with four.Â
The Bears saw both how dominant Miller was at Memphis and how he can make an immediate impact on a team. The type of records Miller set in college and the short amount of time he did it in lead the Bears to believe he could quickly help the Bears’ offense. Miller said he thought the same thing.
“I knew when we came and I had a few practices with guys that we are going to be a special group, and we are,†Miller said.
