Dominic Raiola

Dominic Raiola

No. 51     Detroit Lions
Center
Personal information
Date of birth: December 30, 1978 (1978-12-30) (age 32)
Place of birth: Honolulu, Hawaii
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	Weight: 295 lb (134 kg)
Career information
College: Nebraska
NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50
Debuted in 2001 for the Detroit Lions
Career history
Detroit Lions (2001–present)
Career highlights and awards
Dave Rimington Trophy (2000)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2010
Games played	156
Games started	140
Stats at NFL.com

Dominic Raiola ( /ˈdɒmɨnɪk raɪˈoʊlə/; born December 30, 1978 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is an American football center with the Detroit Lions; his younger brother, Donovan Raiola, plays center for the Washington Redskins.

High school career

Raiola was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and attended Saint Louis School. Their football team went undefeated in his last three years at the school; in 1996, his senior year, the team won its 11th straight Prep Bowl. That same year, St. Louis High was rated as the 15th best team in the US.

College career

He attended the University of Nebraska. In his first year, he became the first freshman offensive lineman to start a game for the Cornhuskers since Rob Zatechka in 1991. In 1999, he became the first sophomore center for the team since Dave Rimington to participate in postseason play and set a school record for knockdowns, which he bettered in 2000. He was selected as an All-American in 2000.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Raiola was drafted by the Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft in the second round. He started to get game time as a replacement center in the latter half of the season in a game against the San Francisco 49ers in November; it was his first game in that position. He was selected as a member of Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie squad during that season.

In 2002, Raiola started all 16 games of the season, winning the Chuck Hughes Most Improved Player award. He was a key member of the offensive line which allowed only 20 quarterback sacks for the season, the lowest in the NFL and then a franchise record. Raiola protected both quarterback Joey Harrington and running back James Stewart.

In 2003, Raiola was a sixteen-game starter and a key part of the offensive line in 2003 During that season, the offensive line allowed just 11 sacks, a new record for the franchise. He also played more special teams, and became the long snapper when Bradford Banta broke his clavicle against the San Diego Chargers.

In 2004, Raiola started at center in all 16 games. The Lions' offensive line helped the team's rushing attack to be ranked second for the seven last games of the season. He again became responsible for long snapping after Jody Littleton incurred a hamstring injury against the Washington Redskins in the middle of November. His reliability and strong performance led to the Lions offering him a five-year contract extension in March 2005.

On December 9, 2008, he was fined $7,500 by the Lions organization after he made an obscene gesture towards heckling Lions fans after Detroit fell to 0-13 with a 20-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. The money will be donated to a local charity.^[1]

On June 26, 2009 the Lions signed Raiola to a four-year, $20 million extension through 2013. The deal includes $9 million in guarantees.

On November 1, 2009, he had another small run in with fans who were heckling rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. Raiola had a few choice words to some fans in the stands as he defended his teammate from their jeers.^[2]

Following the 2009 season, members of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association and the Detroit chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association named Raiola 2009 Detroit Lions Good Guy or media-friendly award winner.

References

1. ^ "Lions fined Dominic Raiola for Gesture to Fans", Sports Illustrated, December 9, 2008, http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/football/nfl/12/09/lions.raiola.ap/index.html ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "Dominic Raiola Wants Detroit Fans to Lay Off Matthew Stafford", NFL Fanhouse, November 2, 2009, http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2009/11/02/dominic-raiola-wants-detroit-fans-to-lay-off-matthew-stafford/ 

External links

• Detroit Lions Raiola biography
• NFL Raiola player page
• NFL Players Raiola biography