Merton Hanks
| No. 36 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 12, 1968 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 181 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Lake Highlands (Dallas) | ||||||||
| College: | Iowa | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1991 / Round: 5 / Pick: 122 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
Merton Edward Hanks (born March 12, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1990s, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers.[1] He was a five-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection with the 49ers, winning a Super Bowl (XXIX) with the team.
Hanks played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, earning All-American honors in 1990. He played eight seasons in the NFL with the 49ers and one with the Seattle Seahawks. He is currently a senior associate commissioner for the Pac-12.[2]
College career[edit]
Hanks attended Lake Highlands High School, where he was a district track-and-field champion. He attended the University of Iowa, earning all-Big Ten honors at cornerback. However, at the NFL scouting combine, his 40-yard dash times were very slow, and he was not drafted until the fifth round by the San Francisco 49ers.[3]
Professional career[edit]
Despite his low selection, Hanks was selected to four Pro Bowl and three All-Pro teams. He was well-known for his interceptions and returns, as well as his unique "chicken dance" celebrations that were later emulated by basketball star Shaquille O'Neal.[4][5] He was a member of the 1994 San Francisco team that won Super Bowl XXIX. Hanks finished his career with the Seattle Seahawks, retiring in 1999.
Executive career[edit]
Hanks was previously the assistant director of operations for the National Football League, and then the league's vice president of operations in charge of player conduct.[6] Hanks began his tenure as Conference USA senior associate commissioner in July 2016, a position in which he was responsible for the conference’s football and baseball operations, including officiating, scheduling, game operations, player conduct and safety.[7] On September 8, 2020, Hanks became the senior associate commissioner, football operations for the Pac-12 conference.
Hanks regularly embarks on speaking tours.[8]
NFL career statistics[edit]
Regular season[edit]
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 1991 | SF | 13 | 8 | 37 | — | — | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | SF | 16 | 5 | 64 | — | — | 0.0 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | SF | 16 | 14 | 67 | — | — | 0.0 | 3 | 104 | 34.7 | 67 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | SF | 16 | 16 | 72 | 65 | 7 | 0.5 | 7 | 93 | 13.3 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | SF | 16 | 16 | 63 | 54 | 9 | 0.0 | 5 | 31 | 6.2 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 69 | 1 |
| 1996 | SF | 16 | 16 | 63 | 54 | 9 | 0.0 | 4 | 7 | 1.8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | SF | 16 | 16 | 60 | 50 | 10 | 0.0 | 6 | 103 | 17.2 | 55 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 38 | 1 |
| 1998 | SF | 16 | 16 | 48 | 42 | 6 | 0.5 | 4 | 37 | 9.3 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | SEA | 12 | 1 | 22 | 15 | 7 | 2.0 | 2 | 30 | 15.0 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 137 | 108 | 496 | 280 | 48 | 3.0 | 33 | 410 | 12.4 | 67 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 107 | 2 | |
References[edit]
- ^ "Merton Hanks". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
- ^ "Pac-12 tabs ex-NFL star Hanks to run football ops". ESPN.com. August 20, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ "1991 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ Gwen Knapp (December 21, 1997). "Dances with Hanks". sfgate.com. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
- ^ "While the spotlight shines mostly on Kobe and Shaq, it's - 12.01.97 - SI Vault". October 29, 2013. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Michael David (October 19, 2013). "Merton Hanks: I fined Ndamukong Suh to get his attention". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ "Conference USA - Staff Directory". conferenceusa.com. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ "Hawkeye Sports News: Where are they now? Merton Hanks". July 11, 2011. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
- 1968 births
- Living people
- American football safeties
- American football cornerbacks
- Iowa Hawkeyes football players
- National Football League executives
- San Francisco 49ers players
- Seattle Seahawks players
- All-American college football players
- National Conference Pro Bowl players
- Players of American football from Dallas