Maslowski’s pro football journey began in 1997 and includes two NFL teams, a stint in the Arena Football League, a season in NFL Europe and two trips to ELITE Regional Combines. Mike first attended an ELITE Combine in 1997 after his senior year at Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He did well and was signed as a rookie free agent by the San Diego Chargers. Unfortunately, he was released during training camp.
In his first season as a full-time NFL starter in 2002, Mike shattered LB Gary Spani’s franchise single-season tackle record, which had stood since 1979, racking up a remarkable 162 stops (109 solo).
Mike was slowed by injury last season, missing the last 6 games, but still recorded 79 tackles (65 solo) and five passes defensed, one QB pressure, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
The hard-working Maslowski earned the respect of his peers in the NFL with his “throwback” approach to the game. His attitude and determination are typified by his selection to USA Today’s 2000 “All-Joe” Team, a squad that recognizes the league’s top blue-collar performers, and his selection to Dr. Z’s Sports Illustrated 2000 All-Pro team for his special teams efforts.
He then returned to an ELITE Combine in 1998 and performed even better. This time he landed a contract with the San Jose SaberCats in the Arena Football League. There he served as a team captain and earned Team Ironman honors as a linebacker, fullback and special teams performer during the 1998 season. The Chiefs noticed and signed him in early 1999 and allocated him to the Barcelona Dragons in NFL Europe. He terrorized NFL Europe in the spring of ’99 by setting a league single-season record with 105 tackles and earning the league Defensive MVP award.
He returned to the Chiefs in the fall for training camp and made the team. He quickly honed his special teams skills and finished second on the squad with 23 special teams tackles, the most by a Kansas City rookie since ’94, and was a landslide winner of the club’s prestigious Mack Lee Hill Award, presented annually to the Chiefs top first-year performer. Three years later he took over the starting MLB spot in the Chiefs defense.
