Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958, in Hokendauqua, Pennsylvania) is a former professional football player and executive in the National Football League. He was President and CEO of the Detroit Lions. His tenure as head of the franchise led to the worst eight-year record in the NFL (31-97) since World War II, and resulted in his termination on September 24, 2008.

Prior to running the Detroit Lions, Millen was a professional football linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins of the NFL. In Millen's 12-year NFL playing career, he played on four Super Bowl-winning teams. Millen won a Super Bowl ring with each of the three teams for which he played.

Following his NFL career, he was a football commentator for several national television and radio networks. His last job was as a member of the number two broadcast team for the NFL on FOX, as well as being the color commentator for Monday Night Football on Westwood One.

On September 24, 2008, Millen was confirmed to no longer hold his positions with the Lions. Whether he was dismissed or resigned was unclear.It was later reported by a team official that Millen was actually fired.

Biography

High school and college football

Millen grew up in Whitehall and attended Whitehall High School in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley region. He was a standout high school football player for Whitehall, which played in the East Penn Conference (now known as the Lehigh Valley Conference).

He was recruited out of Whitehall High School by Pennsylvania State University, where he became an All-American defensive tackle for the Nittany Lions.

NFL career

Following his career at Penn State, Millen entered the 1980 NFL Draft and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the draft's second round.

During his 12-year NFL playing career, Millen played for the Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Washington Redskins. He won a Super Bowl with each of these teams, including two with the Raiders (one when the team was based in Oakland and one during their stint in Los Angeles). He won one Super Bowl each with the 49ers and Redskins, though he was de-activated for Super Bowl XXVI while with the Redskins.

During his NFL career, he was selected to play in one Pro Bowl (in 1988). Millen finished his 12 NFL seasons with 11 sacks and 9 interceptions, which he returned for 132 yards, and 8 fumble recoveries. He also returned 7 kickoffs for 72 yards.

Television and radio career

Following his professional football career, Millen worked as a color commentator for CBS TV (which teamed him with Sean McDonough, Paul Olden, Mike Emrick, and Tim Ryan), and for Fox (which teamed him with Dick Stockton). He also provided game analysis for the radio broadcasts of Monday Night Football, working alongside Howard David on CBS's Westwood One radio network.

At Fox, Millen came to be considered the number-two analyst for its nationally-broadcast games, behind John Madden (who had been successfully teaming for years with Pat Summerall).

Millen would return to television as an instudio analyst for the NFL on NBC during Wild Card Saturday.

Competition committee

Millen was named to the NFL competition committee on August 4, 2006.

Detroit Lions management

In 2001, Millen left broadcasting to assume the job of the Detroit Lions' CEO and de facto general manager. At that time, Millen had no prior player development or front office experience.

Since Millen's arrival in 2001, the Lions were 31-84, 26 games below .500, and had lost nine or more games each season. During the early part of Millen's tenure (2001-2003), the Lions failed to win a road game for three years (0-24) before opening the season with a win at the Chicago Bears in 2004. Overall, the Lions are 8-50 on the road since 2001.Millen himself admitted to an interviewer in 2008 that the team's record under his leadership has been "beyond awful".The Wall Street Journal said that NFL executives admit in private that Millen "has made more bad draft decisions than anyone else in two centuries".

Despite the team's record on the field, Matt Millen was the second highest paid general manager in the NFL.[11] With a draft record that included a number of high first-round draft picks who were considered poor choices (Charles Rogers, Joey Harrington, and Mike Williams among them),and widespread disappointment among fans, the media, and even some players, Millen received a five-year contract extension from owner William Clay Ford, Sr. at the start of the 2005 season.Following the team's 3-13 performance in 2006, Ford announced that Millen would be retained as General Manager for at least another season, because according to inside sources to the Ford family, they still believed that Millen is the best GM that the Lions ever had.

"Fire Millen" movement
Angry Detroit Lions fans organizing a "Fire Millen" protest in 2005.

On December 4, 2005, a fan was tackled by security for his "Fire Millen" protest sign during a Lions home game against the Minnesota Vikings. After this incident, the slogan became a cultural phenomenon, repeated often in chants, signs and tee-shirts at Detroit sporting venues including the NBA, NHL, and Michigan State and Michigan basketball, football, and hockey games. It has even been heard at sports venues outside the state of Michigan.

The chant began to spread during a college basketball game between Michigan State and Wichita State at The Palace of Auburn Hills on December 10, 2005. It started when ousted Lions coach Steve Mariucci was shown on the big screen, prompting a standing ovation for Mariucci and a loud chant of "Fire Millen!" The following night in Los Angeles, in an NBA game between the Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers, the chant surfaced late in the 4th quarter at the Staples Center. The chant has also been heard during various Detroit Red Wings games, both home and away, as well as during a college basketball game between Michigan and UCLA. Pistons power forward Rasheed Wallace even took part in the chant during a late timeout in a December 16, 2005 game against the Chicago Bulls. A "Fire Millen" sign was shown in the background of a February 3, 2007 broadcast of ESPN College Gameday at the University of Kansas. Fire Millen signs are popular among the students of Grand Valley State University, a division II school in Allendale, MI.One large sign with the "Fire Millen" slogan was removed by NCAA officials at the football national championship in Florence, Alabama.

"Fire Millen" even turned up in a background sign in the sports-oriented comic strip Gil Thorp on February 20, 2006 ('Detroit News 'columnist Neal Rubin took over as the writer of Gil Thorp in 2004).
Rival Green Bay fans insisting the Lions "Keep Millen."

The "Fire Millen" chant returned in force to Ford Field during the second half of the 2006 Thanksgiving day game between the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins,[16] when former Lions quarterback and first round pick Joey Harrington (often a scapegoat for the Lions problems) led the Dolphins to a 27-10 hammering of Detroit, dropping the Lions' record to 2-9. More Fire Millen chants have been heard at wrestling event WWE's WrestleMania 23 held at Ford Field, and TNA's Bound for Glory. For 2008 The Fire Millen chants were back in force during the game against the Green Bay Packers.

Other protests

On December 6, 2005, Detroit sports talk radio station WDFN announced the "Angry Fan March" (also known as the "Millen Man March") in protest of Millen's contract extension.

On December 9, 2005, in protest of Millen's poor record, one Detroit Lions fan site, known as "The Lions Fanatics," led by owner Dan Spanos organized an "orange out" event, which encouraged Lions fans to show up at Detroit's Ford Field clad in hunter's orange,[18] the color of their opponent that week, the Cincinnati Bengals. According to reports, over 65% (42,250) of all fans attending this game were wearing orange in protest.
The sentiment has even been expressed on highway signs in northern Michigan. This is on M-65 in Alcona County.

On December 24, 2006 another group of fans planned a walkout protest towards the end of the first half in the game against Chicago, to express their disgust with the current management.

Terminated from the Lions

After a 0-3 start to the Lions 2008 season, Lions vice chairman and Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr., told reporters on September 22, 2008 if it was up to him, he would fire Millen.Despite this, the elder Ford claimed he had no plans to dismiss Millen.

However, on September 24, 2008 Matt Millen's tenure as team president and general manager ended.Lions owner William Clay Ford later announced that Millen had been relieved of his duties as Lions General Manager and Team President. An arbitration hearing for Millen will be heard sometime in 2009.