NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 9 - Seth Miller, Auburn

The No. 9 player on our list was a ballhawk extraordinaire who would have ended up much higher on this list in a more enlightened time.

Seth Miller of Auburn was one of the area's greatest all-around athletes. He was a track conference champion in the 220-yard dash and 180-yard low hurdles and ran a leg on the 880-yard relay team that finished fourth at the 1966 IHSA state track meet.

He was even better in basketball. He was a two-time all-conference forward for the Knights basketball teams that went 37-12 in his final two years on varsity. The Rockford Register-Republic picked him for its all-state teams as a senior. 

In football, he was all-Big Eight as a wide receiver as a junior and then all-conference as a running back as a senior. He was fourth in the conference in receiving yards as a junior and seventh in rushing yards as a senior. The Knights were just 4-5 his senior year, but he showed enough that he was named to the Champaign News-Gazette all-state team.

He had the rare combination of size (6-4, 200 pounds) and speed to excel in either football or basketball in college. His best offer came from Arizona State where he joined a football program on the rise under coach Frank Kush.

Kush moved Miller all over his first couple of years. His sophomore year, he had 26 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving. Finally, Kush moved Miller to safety as a junior and he responded with one of the best individual seasons by any NIC-10 football player in college ever.

In 1969, Miller led NCAA Division I in interceptions with 11 in 10 games. With Miller wreaking havoc in the secondary, the Sun Devils went 8-2 and won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Arizona State was an impressive 24-6 in Miller's final three seasons at ASU.

The Atlanta Falcons picked Miller in the eighth round of the 1970 NFL draft. Miller didn't stick with Atlanta, but he did catch on with the Hamilton TigerCats of the Canadian Football League in 1971. In his first three games, he had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

Unfortunately, Miller and two teammates were caught in a minor marijuana bust. Canada legalized marijuana in 2001 and it's increasingly legal in the United States, but in the early 1970s it was still considered a big deal. Hamilton released Miller and his two teammates immediately, and the drug bust likely was a factor in unsuccessful tryouts with the Denver Broncos and Toronto Argonauts.

Miller returned to Rockford to find work and he kept in playing shape by playing with the Rockford Rams of the semi-pro Central States Football League.

In 1974, his pro dreams were revived when the World Football League came into existence. Miller caught on with the Memphis Southmen, who featured future Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White.

Miller again showed a remarkable nose for the ball. He finished second in the WFL with nine interceptions for a team that finished with a league-best record of 17-3. In 1975, Memphis added Miami Dolphins stars Jim Kiick, Larry Csonka and Paul Warfield. Miller was second in the league with five interceptions for a 7-4 team when the league folded because of a lack of TV revenue.

In 34 professional football games, Miller had 18 interceptions. Still, the NFL signed none of the former WFL players.

Miller returned to Rockford, got a job at UPS and stayed with the company until he died in 2010 after a 12-year battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

No. 9 - Seth Miller, Auburn
Year	Level	Team	Accomplishments	Points
1964	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Conference	2
			Winning Team	1
1965	High School	Auburn	First Team All-Conference	2
			All-State	1
1966	College	Arizona State	Letter Winner on Division 1	2
1967	College	Arizona State	Letter Winner on Division 1	4
			Winning Team	1
1968	College	Arizona State	Letter Winner on Division 1	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
1969	College	Arizona State	Letter Winner on Division 1	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			All-WAC	1
			NCAA Leader	1
			Career Record Holder (Int)	1
1970	NFL	Atlanta	8th Round Pick	3
1971	CFL	Hamilton	Played in CFL	2
			Starter	1
1973	NFL	Denver	Free Agent Contract	1
1974	WFL	Memphis	Played in WFL	2
			Starter	1
			Playoff Team	1
1975	WFL	Memphis	Played in WFL	2
			Starter	1
Totals				42

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players