Mel Kaufman

Melvin Kaufman (February 24, 1958 – February 7, 2009) was an American professional football player who spent his entire eight-year career as a linebacker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Cal Poly Mustangs.

Early life Kaufman was born in Los Angeles, California and attended Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California, where he earned two varsity letters while playing high school football.

College career Kaufman played four seasons of college football at Cal Poly after being redshirted in 1976. In 1978, he recovered a blocked punt against Portland State.

During Cal Poly's 1980 national championship season, Kaufman returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown against Cal State Northridge.

Kaufman earned his bachelor's degree in social science and industrial relations at Cal Poly in 1984.

Starting ahead of the 2010 season, Cal Poly created the Mel Kaufman Award, presented annually to the team's player who most exemplified Kaufman's virtues.

Professional career Kaufman was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Washington Redskins in 1981, along with former Cal Poly teammate LeCharls McDaniel, by Redskins general manager Bobby Beathard. and five fumble recoveries. He then became a mental health counselor and football, basketball and baseball coach at Masada High School in Gardena, California from 2000–05 and a football official (youth and high school games) in the Pacific Coast Conference in 2006 and 2007.

Kaufman had been out of football at the college and professional levels for about 10 years before he was hired as linebackers coach at Cal Poly in Spring 2008. He helped guide the Mustangs to an 8-3 record, a Great West Conference title and a berth in the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. about three weeks shy of his 51st birthday. An autopsy performed by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office revealed the cause of death as an intra-abdominal hemorrhage due to hemorrhagic pancreatitis.