Detroit Lions vs atLanta faLcons JOHNSON'S Mega-PURSUIT 2012 ...
Detroit Lions vs atLanta faLcons JOHNSON'S Mega-PURSUIT 2012 ...
Detroit Lions vs atLanta faLcons JOHNSON'S Mega-PURSUIT 2012 ...
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siLas<br />
mckinnie<br />
Regional<br />
Scout<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 10<br />
silas McKinnie enters his 10th season as personnel scout with<br />
the <strong>Lions</strong>. Prior to joining the club in 2003, McKinnie spent five nFL<br />
seasons (1997-2002) as a regional scout with the Minnesota vikings.<br />
Before joining the vikings, McKinnie concluded a 20-year career as<br />
a college basketball coach, including a three-year stint as an assistant<br />
coach for the university of Miami (1994-96).<br />
McKinnie played football at the university of iowa from 1965-67,<br />
where he earned all-Big 10 honors as a running back. he graduated in<br />
1968 with a bachelor’s degree in speech and dramatic arts. Following<br />
graduation, McKinnie played five seasons of professional football with<br />
the saskatchewan Rough Riders of the canadian Football League<br />
(1968-71, ’73). he signed with the st. Louis cardinals in 1972, but<br />
played the season with the atlanta Falcons and the Kansas city chiefs.<br />
silas anthony McKinnie was born in detroit. he attended<br />
Robichaud high school in dearborn, Mich., where he earned all-state<br />
honors in both football and basketball. he has a daughter, ixchel,<br />
and a son, Lance.<br />
Dave<br />
sears<br />
Regional<br />
Scout<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 6<br />
dave sears joined the team as a regional scout in May 2007 after<br />
spending seven seasons with the houston texans organization. he<br />
joined the texans’ personnel department in May 2000 to scout the<br />
central region.<br />
Prior to his stint in houston, sears spent three seasons (1997-<br />
2000) working with Washington’s scouting department. he started<br />
with the Redskins as an intern in January 1997 and was hired as their<br />
scouting administrator in May. sears was promoted as the Redskins’<br />
BLEsto scout in May of 1998. he also spent time interning for the<br />
springfield Falcons in the american hockey League.<br />
sears earned a bachelor degree in sports management from<br />
springfield (Mass.) college and he was a four-year linebacker for<br />
springfield’s football team. he attended hauppauge high school in<br />
his hometown of hauppauge, n.Y., and lettered in football, basketball<br />
and lacrosse.<br />
sears is married to wife, nancy and together they have a<br />
daughter, delaine.<br />
Dave<br />
uyrus<br />
National<br />
Scout<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 13<br />
dave uyrus joined the <strong>Lions</strong>’ personnel department as an area<br />
scout in June 2000, and 2011 marks his 13th season with the club.<br />
Prior to joining the club’s scouting staff, uyrus spent seven years<br />
(1994-2000) with new England. he started as their assistant director<br />
of pro scouting (1994-96) and then was director of pro scouting for<br />
three years (1997-99). uyrus worked as a national scout for the<br />
Patriots in 2000.<br />
uyrus has been coaching and scouting in the collegiate and<br />
professional ranks for nearly 40 years, beginning with his first job<br />
in 1974 as freshman coach of his alma mater, Middlebury college.<br />
in 1975 he coached the varsity tight ends at Brown university and<br />
the following year he was an assistant coach at Lee high school<br />
in Lee, Massachusetts. he then joined dick MacPherson’s staff at<br />
executives & coaching<br />
<strong>Detroit</strong>lions.com<br />
Media.<strong>Detroit</strong>lions.com<br />
Massachusetts as a graduate assistant in 1977-78 before moving on to<br />
american international in 1979 and Merchant Marine academy in 1980.<br />
Following those stints, uyrus then re-joined MacPherson’s staff at<br />
syracuse in 1981. he spent 10 seasons (1981-90) with the orangeman,<br />
six as the tight ends and special teams coach (1985-90). he moved into<br />
the professional ranks after MacPherson was named the head coach of<br />
the Patriots in 1991. he spent the 1991-92 campaigns as the Patriots’<br />
assistant defensive line and special teams coach before coaching the<br />
tight ends and special teams at cornell in 1993.<br />
as a player, uyrus earned honorable mention Little all-american,<br />
all-Ecac and all-new England small college honors as a junior at<br />
Middlebury.<br />
he and his wife, heidi, have two daughters: haley and gwendolyn.<br />
ceDric<br />
saunDers<br />
Vice President of<br />
Football Operations<br />
Years with <strong>Lions</strong>: 7<br />
cedric saunders is in his seventh year with the <strong>Lions</strong> and was<br />
named vice president of football operations september 24, 2008. in<br />
2007, saunders was promoted to director of football operations in<br />
his second season with the club. he came to detroit after spending<br />
the previous five seasons with tampa Bay.<br />
saunders works closely with Executive vice President of Football<br />
operations and general Manager Martin Mayhew and oversees<br />
the team’s football operations, including the coordination of the<br />
year-round football calendar. among his football operations duties,<br />
saunders oversees the <strong>Lions</strong>’ player development department, video<br />
department, equipment operations, team travel, athletic training<br />
staff, strength and conditioning, cafeteria operations, security<br />
department and human resources. along with the coordination of those<br />
departments, he handles the annual budgets for the coaching staff,<br />
coaching support staff and player personnel department.<br />
he also assists with player personnel, including the development<br />
of the team’s roster, college scouting and on-campus visits and pro<br />
talent evaluation. saunders plays a role in the coordination of the<br />
team’s free agency and draft agenda, including free agent and draft<br />
eligible visits.<br />
Each season, saunders is responsible for interviewing and hiring<br />
coaching interns as part of the nFL Minority coaching Program.<br />
in addition to his various football operations responsibilities, he<br />
also assists with contract negotiation.<br />
While directing the player development department in tampa<br />
Bay, saunders helped get players involved in continuing education<br />
programs, off-season internships and jobs to prepare for possible<br />
post-nFL careers. he was also the main contact between the players<br />
and the club’s community relations department and encouraged player<br />
involvement in charities and community activities.<br />
Prior to joining the Buccaneers, saunders spent the previous<br />
two seasons as an area scout for the Kansas city chiefs, evaluating<br />
college talent in the Midwest. a native of sarasota, Fla., saunders<br />
was in training camp for three seasons with tampa Bay (1994-96), and<br />
saw action on both the practice squad and active roster in 1995 as a<br />
tight end and special teams player. he also played with the scottish<br />
claymores of nFL Europe in 1997.<br />
a four-year starter at ohio state, saunders posted 68 career<br />
receptions for 853 yards for the Buckeyes. he recorded 27 catches<br />
and earned second-team all-Big 10 honors as a senior in 1993 and<br />
was an honorable mention selection as a junior.<br />
saunders and his wife, Bashi, have two daughters, Reegan and<br />
charlie Bleu, and two sons, cayden and Kai.