Mike Wallace (American football)

Burnell Michael "Mike" Wallace III (born August 1, 1986) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ole Miss, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round, 84th overall of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Miami Dolphins. Wallace has been widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the NFL.

Early years

Wallace was born to his parents Burnell and Sonjia Wallace in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in the Cut-Off section of the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. He attended O. Perry Walker High School, where he played football on both offense and defense and his teammates included future New Orleans Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis. After seeing limited playing time as a junior (four receptions while playing mostly on defense), Wallace had an outstanding senior season, catching 60 passes for 1,039 yards with 19 touchdowns. He received first team All-State honors as a wide receiver, earned league and district MVP honors as well as All-league, All-Metro, All-West Bank and All-West Bank MVP following his senior season. He also returned four punts and four kickoffs for touchdowns, giving him 27 for the season and 162 points, with seven more scores called back due to penalties. Wallace set the school records for total points and kick return touchdowns.