| WyomingAthletics.com | WEB |
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UW This Season: Mike Neuhaus will once again be an extremely valuable contributor to the Wyoming defense. A very athletic and versatile defensive lineman, he will forever be remembered in Wyoming Football history for his 55-yard interception return against Tennessee in 2008, which resulted in Wyoming scoring its first touchdown on way to a 13-7 road win over the Volunteers. Neuhaus will team with fellow senior defensive tackles/defensive ends John Fletcher and Mitch Unrein to form one of the most athletic and tenacious groups on the Wyoming roster in 2009. 2008: Neuhaus played in all 12 games as a junior, rotating with starters Fletcher and Unrein at the two outside defensive line positions in Wyoming's 3-4 defense. His most memorable game came at legendary Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. On Tennessee's first possession of the game, Neuhaus tipped a Volunteer pass at the line of scrimmage and returned it 55 yards to the UT four-yard line. UW scored one play later to take a 7-0 lead on way to a 13-7 victory. For the year, Neuhaus was credited with eight tackles, including two tackles for losses and his one legendary interception. 2007: Neuhaus played in all 12 games for the Cowboys in 2007, and proved to be a very effective pass rusher, Neuhaus originally began his Wyoming career as a linebacker, but switched positions during 2007 spring practice. The former inside linebacker moved to defensive end. He concluded his redshirt sophomore season with 16 total tackles, including nine solos and seven assists. He recorded 3.5 sacks in `07, broke up two passes, forced one fumble and had one fumble recovery, which he returned for 20 yards. That fumble recovery came right at the end of the game at Ohio and helped preserve a 34-33 Wyoming road victory. 2006: Neuhaus redshirted the 2006 campaign due to an injured right hamstring. He had been one of only a few true freshmen to play for the Wyoming Cowboys in 2005. 2005: Neuhaus appeared in all 11 games for Wyoming, playing primarily on special teams. He recorded six tackles as a true freshman, and earned his first varsity letter. Neuhaus came to Wyoming after spending the 2004 season at Naval Academy Prep in Newport, R.I. He enrolled at UW in January of 2005, and participated in `05 spring drills. Naval Academy Prep: Attended the Naval Academy Prep School where he ranked second in defensive points from his outside linebacker position, led the team in sacks, with 15, and was twice named Defensive Player of the Week. He was also elected a team captain, and helped lead Navy Prep to a 7-3 record. He was coached at Naval Academy Prep by Clayton Kendrick-Holmes. High School: Neuhaus was named to the list of "Area Top Players" by the Chicago Sun Times his senior year as a strong safety at Shepard High School in Alsip, Ill. He also earned All-Area honors from the Regional and Reporter newspaper as both a junior and senior from his strong safety position. In addition to playing strong safety, he played wide receiver on offense and earned All-Conference Special Mention honors as a wideout. His senior season, Neuhaus recorded 67 tackles; broke up three passes; intercepted one pass, which he returned 23 yards for a touchdown; recovered one fumble, which he also returned for a TD; blocked a kick; and had one sack. He caught 35 passes for 394 yards and four touchdowns. His versatility as an athlete was evident in that he also returned 10 punts for 91 yards and ran back 19 kickoffs for 291 yards. He served as a team captain for both his high school football and basketball teams. He also was a pitcher in baseball. An outstanding student, he was an Academic All-State honoree, and was a member of the National Honor Society both his junior and senior years. He achieved High Honors academically all four years of high school. His high school football coach was Nick Bax. He was also recruited by Cincinnati, Navy, Northwestern and several Ivy League schools. Personal: Born April 18, 1986, he is the youngest of two children of Peg and Mike Neuhaus. Neuhaus is majoring in communications. |
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