Ovie Mughelli

Ovie Phillip Mughelli (born June 10, 1980 in Boston, Mass.) is an American football fullback for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. He signed a 6-year, $18 million contract with a $5 million signing bonus on March 2, 2007 with the Falcons. The contract was the largest given to a fullback in NFL history.

High school career

Mughelli attended the exclusive Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina and was a good student and a letterman in football, basketball, tennis, and track & field. In football, he rushed for more than 4,500 yards and scored 69 touchdowns during his career at Porter-Gaud, and he rushed for 2,167 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior. He was named the team's MVP for three years, was a three-time All-Conference selection, and as a senior, he was also named the State Player of the Year in his classification and was a Regional All-Star selection in all division. He also led the team to a state title in 1996 and state runner-up honors during his senior year in 1997.

College career

Mughelli attended Wake Forest University and was a letterman in football.

Professional career

Baltimore Ravens

Mughelli was selected with the 134th overall pick (fourth round) of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens; the choice was a compensatory pick. He was the second fullback selected in Baltimore's franchise history (the first was Steve Lee in the 6th round of the 1997 draft); he was also the first Wake Forest player selected in the history of the team.

2003 season

In 2003, Mughelli saw action in 6 regular season games and 1 postseason game as a rookie and recorded 5 special teams tackles (adding 1 in the postseason). He was inactive the first two weeks of the season and saw his first NFL action on special teams in week 3 against San Diego on September 21 where he posted 1 solo special teams tackle.

2004 season

Mughelli saw action in 3 games, recording 2 special teams tackles in 2004. In week 3, he played on special teams before leaving the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and was inactive in weeks 4-8. On November 14, Mughelli returned to play on special teams, netting 1 tackle against the New York Jets.

2005 season

Posting his first 5 career starts in 2005, Mughelli, helped pave the way for Baltimore to rush for 1,605 yards. He also pulled in 3 receptions for 13 yards and finished 4th on the team with 16 special teams tackles. His season highlights include starting and helping protect QB Kyle Boller, allowing him to throw for a season-high 289 yards and 3 TDs against Minnesota on December 25. He also helped pave the way for the Ravens to rush for 88 yards, and caught a pass for 6 yards against the Vikings. Mughelli saw action off the bench and helped pave the way for the Ravens to rush for a season-high 182 yards, including 105 by Jamal Lewis in the 48-3 victory against Green Bay on December 19. He led the team with 4 special teams tackles in an 16-13 OT victory against Pittsburgh on November 20. Mughelli also saw action from scrimmage and on special teams, recording 2 tackles and earning a special teams game ball in against the New York Jets on October 2.

2006 season

It was during the 2006 season that Mughelli recorded his first ever NFL touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons

2007

In 2007, Mughelli signed with the Atlanta Falcons to block for running backs Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood.

Trivia

Mughelli's name is pronounced OH-vee muh-HAY-lee.
Mughelli is of Nigerian descent.
Mughelli attended the Annual Football 101 Festival event for women, which teaches practical football skills in November 2005.
Along with Ravens teammates, Mughelli helped refurbish homes with Sandtown Habitat for Humanity in fall 2006.
In February 2006, Mughelli took part in the Harvard Graduate Business School's Business education program for NFL players. The program is part of an ongoing NFL-NFLPA initiative to assist players in preparing for their post-playing careers.