Mel Bratton

Melvin Bratton (born February 2, 1965 in Miami, Florida attended the University of Miami where he played running back for the Miami Hurricanes and starred in the national championship game at the 1988 Orange Bowl against Oklahoma, where he blew out his knee. He was subsequently drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1988, yet did not make the team and was drafted again in 1989 by the Denver Broncos and played for two seasons though never really recovering from his knee injury.

College

Bratton starred in the 1987 NCAA National Championship against the Oklahoma Sooners. However, he blew out his knee, an injury that may have cost him an estimated one million dollars in the NFL. At the end of his career, he held the Hurricanes' record for career touchdowns with 33.

Bratton was interviewed about his time at Miami for the documentary The U, which premiered December 12th, 2009 on ESPN.

NFL Career

Bratton was originally drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 6th round of the 1988 NFL Draft, but never signed a contract with the Dolphins . So he was drafted again in 1989 by the Denver Broncos in the 7th round. He played just two years in the NFL both of which were with the Denver Broncos. He rushed for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns on 57 carries in his brief career. He also added 345 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on 39 catches. He also returned 5 kickoffs for total of 56 yards averaging 11.2 yards. He retired after the 1990 season, never really regaining his full abilities to run the ball from his knee injury in 1988 Orange Bowl.