Michael George Vrabel was born August 14, 1975, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Mary and Mike Sr. At the age of 11, Vrabel and his family moved to Columbus, Ohio where he attended Thomas Worthington High School.

In high school football, as a senior Vrabel amassed 152 tackles and was recognized as a high school All-American by Super Prep magazine and was also named an All-American by Blue Chip Illustrated along with being named the MVP of the state playoffs that year.

Mike Vrabel played linebacker at Ohio State University, where he won consensus All-American accolades. In 1997, he was selected by the New England Patriots as the second overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Over his career, he has been selected for three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections.

Michael Vrabel, who announced his retirement on July 10 after six seasons in the NFL, has joined Urban Meyer’s staff at Ohio State as a defensive assistant coach.

A member of three Super Bowl-winning teams, Vrabel was part of New England’s three title runs during his nine-year career. “I decided to retire from playing and pursue a coaching opportunity at the University of Ohio State,” Vrabel said. “While this is the right decision for me and my family at this time, I will miss playing football and the great game that it is played at all levels.”

After just one season with the team, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed linebacker Mike Vrabel to a new contract. It is a one-year, $3 million deal that will make him the second-highest-paid linebacker on the team, behind Derrick Johnson.