Dominic Raiola

Dominic Raiola (born December 30, 1978) is an American football center for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Nebraska, earned All-American honors, and was recognized as best college center. He was a second-round pick of the Detroit Lions in the 2002 NFL Draft, and has played his entire pro career for the Lions.

Early years
Raiola was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He attended Saint Louis High School in Honolulu, and played for the Saint Louis Crusaders high school football team. The Crusaders were undefeated in his last three years at the school; in 1996, his senior year, the team won its 11th straight Prep Bowl. That same year, St. Louis High was nationally ranked as the 15th-best team in the United States.

College career
He attended the University of Nebraska, where he played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team from 1998 to 2000. In his first year, he became the first freshman offensive lineman to start a game for the Cornhuskers since 1991. In 1999, he became the first sophomore center for the team since Dave Rimington to participate in postseason play, and set a school record for knockdowns, which he bettered in 2000. Following his junior season in 2000, he won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.

Detroit Lions
Raiola was drafted by the Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft in the second round. He started to get game time as a replacement center in the latter half of the season in a game against the San Francisco 49ers in November; it was his first game in that position. He was selected as a member of Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie squad during that season.

In 2002, Raiola started all 16 games of the season, winning the Chuck Hughes Most Improved Player award. He was a key member of the offensive line which allowed only 20 quarterback sacks for the season, the lowest in the NFL and then a franchise record. Raiola protected both quarterback Joey Harrington and running back James Stewart.

In 2003, Raiola was a sixteen-game starter and a key part of the offensive line in 2003 During that season, the offensive line allowed just 11 sacks, a new record for the franchise. He also played more special teams, and became the long snapper when Bradford Banta broke his clavicle against the San Diego Chargers.

In 2004, Raiola started at center in all 16 games. The Lions' offensive line helped the team's rushing attack to be ranked second for the seven last games of the season. He again became responsible for long snapping after Jody Littleton incurred a hamstring injury against the Washington Redskins in the middle of November. His reliability and strong performance led to the Lions offering him a five-year contract extension in March 2005.

On December 9, 2008, he was fined $7,500 by the Lions organization after he made an obscene gesture towards heckling Lions fans after Detroit fell to 0-13 with a 20-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. The money will be donated to a local charity.

On June 26, 2009 the Lions signed Raiola to a four-year, $20 million extension through 2013. The deal includes $9 million in guarantees.

On November 1, 2009, he had another small run in with fans who were heckling rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford. Raiola had a few choice words to some fans in the stands as he defended his teammate from their jeers.

Following the 2009 season, members of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association and the Detroit chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association named Raiola 2009 Detroit Lions Good Guy or media-friendly award winner.

Personal
Raiola's younger brother, Donovan Raiola, plays center for the Washington Redskins.