TEMPE, Ariz. — When BYU tight end Itula Mili suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first half of the 1996 Western Athletic Conference championship game against Wyoming, it was like Kryptonite to the Man of Steel.
"I almost felt like that (Superman) in college, with the hype I was getting," he said. "I knew I was a really good player, too."
Mili damaged the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and broke off a piece of bone that attaches to the ACL. With the injury went his hopes of cashing in on a lucrative NFL contract.
The nationally ranked Cougars went on to win the game without him and began preparing for a meeting with Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl.
Instead of preparing for the Cotton Bowl, Mili rehabbed his surgically repaired knee and contemplated his future.
"I worked on my character," Mili said. "I never had my character really challenged like that. A lot of things came easy for me in high school and college. My athletic ability was just natural to me. I always had that edge."
To him, the injury was a gigantic step backward, but the road back made him a better player. That decision to stare adversity in the face finally paid off.
Despite the injury, the Seahawks selected the all-WAC tight end and American Football Coaches Association first-team all-American as the 11th pick in the sixth round in the 1997 draft.
He spent the entire season on injured reserve. For him, it was more time to find his niche.
He knew he was no longer the same type of player that hauled in 126 catches for 1,777 yards and 11 touchdowns during his career at BYU.
"When this happened to me, I had to learn the game more and I had to understand it and be a smarter player," Mili said after Seattle's 38-0 victory over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday. "I can't play like I used to play. It brought me a long way."
He made up for his lack of speed and decreased athletic ability with instincts. He knew plenty of players relied on their talent alone, and he knew he could beat them with smarts.
"When you don't face reality, it hurts you. With me, becoming a better person meant facing reality," he said. "I was not as fast and as athletic as I used to be. Accepting that humbled me. There are other parts of the game that I have to improve in to become a good player. It came with being smarter on the field with technique."
In his first season in 1998 he played sparingly and had just one catch (against Dallas) before being placed on injured reserve again.
He returned in 1999 to catch four balls. In the subsequent offseason the Seahawks hired former BYU assistant Mike Holmgren as their general manager and head coach, which helped Mili.
In 2000 he hauled in 28 receptions for 288 yards.
"I'm learning from one of the best offensive people here in Mike Holmgren," he said. "When I came into this offense with Mike Holmgren, it was just like the set up we did with LaVell Edwards. . . . It was easy for me to flow into."
His numbers serve as proof.
After a rough 2001 with only eight catches, he set a career-high and Seattle franchise record for catches by a tight end with 43 for 508 yards. He played in 16 games last season, starting 12 of them.
"Over the past couple of years, I was behind a really good player, Christian Fauria," Mili said. "He's kind of my mentor. He's moved on, and I've taken the torch now. Last year was my first year to be that guy. I was able to do a lot of things and opened up the coaches' eyes."
For the first time in his seven years with the Seahawks, he likes the direction the team is heading. After Sunday's blowout win over Arizona, the Seahawks are 2-0 and lead in the NFC West Division standings.
He has just three catches this year, but he's fine with that.
"I really feel good about this system. I'm the starter here," he said. "I have set goals to be consistent in every game, and in every game I get better and better. We're excited about this year, too. We've got a real special team and I'm glad to be a part of it."
He's convinced he would not be with the Seahawks if it weren't for the injury.
"I probably wouldn't be as mature as I am now, relying solely on my abilities to do things rather than trying to learn to be a better person all around," he said.
Itula Mili bio:
Height: 6-4 Weight: 260
Pos: Tight End
Years pro: 7
College: Brigham Young
Drafted: 11th pick, 6th round, 1997
Career games: 73 (27 starts)Mili's stats
Year Team Games Catches Yards TDs
1997 Seattle 0 0 0 0
1998 Seattle 7 1 20 0
1999 Seattle 16 4 24 1
2000 Seattle 16 28 288 3
2001 Seattle 16 8 98 2
2002 Seattle 16 43 508 2
2003 Seattle 2 3 11 0
E-MAIL: jhinton@desnews.com