Ernie Mills

Ernest Lee "Ernie" Mills, III (born October 28, 1968) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons in the 1990s. Mills played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL.

Early years
Mills was born in Dunnellon, Florida in 1968. He attended Dunnellon High School, and played high school football for the Dunnellon Fighting Tigers.

College career
Mills received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a four-year letterman for coach Galen Hall and coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football teams from 1987 to 1990. Memorably, in 1990, he caught a 70-yard pass thrown by quarterback Shane Matthews from the Gators' own 2-yard-line, setting up a crucial field goal in the Gators' 17–13 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. As a senior, Mills was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, and a team captain of the Gators squad that finished with a 9–2 overall win-loss record and a best-in-the-SEC record of 6–1.

Mills graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport sciences in 1990.

Professional career
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Mills in the third round (seventy-third pick overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft, and Mills played for the Steelers for six seasons from 1991 to 1996. He had his best NFL season in 1995, when he caught thirty-nine passes for 679 yards and eight touchdowns, helping the Steelers gain a berth in Super Bowl XXX. Mills subsequently played for the Carolina Panthers in 1997, and the Dallas Cowboys in 1998 and 1999. He finished his nine-year NFL career with 196 receptions for 2,934 yards and twenty touchdowns.

Life after the NFL
Mills is currently the wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Dolphins football team that represents Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida.