WASHINGTON, MULITALO TO PARTICIPATE IN NFL CAMPS

5/1/2009

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The professional football journey for two former Sacramento State football players begins today as Cyrus Mulitalo and Tony Washington will each participate in NFL Minicamps between May 1-3. Mulitalo is in camp with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers while Washington was signed by the Seattle Seahawks.

Both players earned All-America honors by The Sports Network following the 2008 season. The pair also garnered first team all-Big Sky Conference honors. They are also the first Hornets to be invited to an NFL camp since Brandon Smith competed with the Detroit Lions in 2006.

Mulitalo led the Hornets in 2008 with 96 total tackles, marking the third straight season in which he recorded the highest tackle total on the team. The middle linebacker also had two interceptions and broke up six passes. Mulitalo leaves Sacramento State ranked second in school history with 336 career tackles and is fifth with 32.0 tackles-for-loss. A versatile player, Mulitalo was occasionally used at running back during his career and scored two career touchdowns. He was also a two-time first team all-Big Sky Conference selection and was named second team as a sophomore.

A native of San Leandro, Calif., Mulitalo joined Charles Roberts as the only Sacramento State players to be recognized multiple times by The Sports Network.

In Pittsburgh, Mulitalo will battle with fellow free-agent signee and former Portland State linebacker Andy Schantz for a roster spot.

Washington enjoyed arguably the finest season by a receiver in school history. In just his second year with the team, he grabbed 83 passes for 1,279 yards to set the Sacramento State single-season record in both categories. The Simi Valley, Calif., native also had 12 receiving touchdowns to rank second in school history. Despite a short tenure in the Green and Gold (23 games), Washington is fourth all-time with 112 career receptions and 1,693 career receiving yards and tied for fourth with 15 career receiving touchdowns.

The senior also became the first offensive player for Sacramento State to be named All-America by The Sports Network since Roberts capped off his run of three-straight seasons in 2000 by being named third team. Roberts was also a first team selection in 1999 and a second team choice in 1998.

Washington will be under the tutelage of Seahawk offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, who played QB for the Hornets from 1982-85.