Cato June

Cato Nnamdi June (born November 18, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who is an assistant linebackers coach for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL).

When June was a sophomore, he and Marjani Dele, his mother, moved to the northwest section of Washington, D.C. in 1995.

Following the move, she enrolled him in a summer college prep program, where he met Troy Stewart, son of Anacostia head coach Willie Stewart.

Troy, an assistant coach at Anacostia, and his father recruited June to Anacostia High School.

That season, he played cornerback, wide receiver, and kickoff returner.

On Thanksgiving Day, Anacostia won the DCIAA championship game, known as the Turkey Bowl, by a 40–31 score over Dunbar High School.

In the game, June intercepted a pass late in the first half and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown to enable his team to take an 8–7 lead.

That season, he earned a selection to The Washington Post's 1995 All-Met Football team as a defensive back.

The following spring, he played shortstop and pitcher for the school baseball team.

Prior to winning the city championship, Anacostia had played football on a barren field that was described by The Washington Post as "rugged prairie known by players across the city as the 'dust bowl'".

In 1996, Mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry, helped the team acquire new topsoil and 500 rolls of Brute Bermuda sod worth about $60,000 ($0 today).

As a junior, June, who wore #1, rushed for 90 yards and scored two touchdowns in the DCIAA semi-final game.

In the championship game, June fumbled on the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, leaving the door open for Cardozo Senior High School to score a touchdown in the waning seconds to secure a victory.

He played as a linebacker in the NFL after being selected by the Colts in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL Draft.

June spent a year on special teams before becoming a starter during the 2004 NFL season.

During the 2005 NFL season, he began the year with a record-setting rate of interceptions for a linebacker to help his team start out 13–0 and head to the 2005–06 NFL playoffs.

He was a Pro Bowler that year and finished seventh in the NFL in tackles the next as the Colts won Super Bowl XLI.

After four seasons with the Colts, he signed with the Buccaneers where he became the first person to displace 11-time Pro Bowler Derrick Brooks from the lineup.

A 2006 Pro Bowl choice, June was a member of the Super Bowl XLI champion Colts that defeated the Chicago Bears.

During the Super Bowl championship season, June was the Colts' leading tackler.

In addition to his tenure with the Colts, he played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Before becoming a professional, he played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was an outstanding athlete in high school football, basketball, track and field and baseball at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C. As a senior, he was widely regarded to be the best high school football player in the District of Columbia.

He led Anacostia to the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) football championship title as a sophomore and in two subsequent championship games.

He was city champion in the triple jump as a junior.

As a senior, he earned all-league recognition in basketball and earned numerous honors in football, including District of Columbia Player of the year awards from Gatorade, USA Today and The Washington Post as well as a Parade All-American.

He was also co-class president, salutatorian and a member of the National Honor Society.

He was widely recruited for his all-around abilities as an athlete, scholar and leader.

He attracted dozens of scholarship offers but chose the University of Michigan.

He was a member of the defending national champions' recruiting class, which was considered to be the best in the country.

He became a starter towards the end of his redshirt freshman year, but missed the entire next season due to injury.

He returned as a fourth-year junior starter.

He continued starting as a safety until an injury slowed him down late in his fifth-year senior season.

Despite senior season injuries, he was named as an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference player and was chosen to play in the Senior Bowl.

After two seasons with the Buccaneers, he signed with the Houston Texans but broke his forearm during 2009 training camp and was released before the regular season.

He signed with the Bears in the middle of the season only to be released after 2 weeks.

Since retiring from the NFL, he has become a football coach at his high school alma mater.

June was raised in the Great Plains of Oklahoma.

As a high school freshman, June attended Muskogee High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he was a veritable "Okie from Muskogee".

According to The Washington Post, he envisioned himself eventually playing football for either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State.

His high school football team had a large following with regular attendance of 8,000.