THIS YEAR: A leader on the Cougar defense, redshirt junior Greg Neale is expected to be an impact player for a re-tooled defense ... Noted for his strength and tenacity ... Looking for a breakout season.
2007: Played in 8 of the Cougars' 11 games as a 2007 sophomore ... Started the season-opener vs. MidAmerica Nazarene ... Registered 9 tackles (2 solo) ... Also played on special teams.
2006: Appeared in 3 games during his 2006 redshirt freshman season, collecting 3 tackles along the way ... Registered a pair of tackles vs. Southern Oregon.
2005: Redshirted his first season at Azusa Pacific.
HIGH SCHOOL: Lettered 2 seasons of varsity football for head coach Ernie Cooper at prep power Granite Bay (Calif.) High, playing both linebacker and defensive end ... As a 2004 senior, was seventh on the team with 41 tackles ... Named All-Metro Conference and all-city first team ... Registered a career-high 9 tackles (5 solo) in a loss to Sonora High ... Led the team in quarterback sacks ... His senior class was the first in school history to go 4 years without a losing a conference game (25-0) ... As a 2003 junior tallied 34 tackles, including 2 sacks, to go along with 1 fumble recovery ... Was a key member of a Grizzly program that went 20-5-1 during his 2 years, which included capturing back-to-back Metro League championships.
PERSONAL: Born June 24, 1987, in Fullerton, Calif., to Greg (maintenance) and Chrissy (auditor) Neale ... Has 4 younger sisters (Patricia, Erica, Rebecca, Cassandra) and a younger brother (Christopher) ... Majoring in sociology ... Grandfather and great-grandfather played minor league baseball ... Enjoys most water sports, including knee-boarding and tubing.
