Education
He attended Cypress Creek High School in suburban Houston, where he played high school football for the Cypress Creek Cougars.
He attended Cypress Creek High School in suburban Houston, where he played high school football for the Cypress Creek Cougars.
He played college football for the University of Texas, and earned All-American honors. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and played for the Broncos during his entire pro football career. Neil was a candidate for the Texas House of Representatives in the 2010 general election.
Neil was born in Houston, Texas.
He accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Texas at Austin, and played for the Texas Longhorns football team from 1993 to 1996. As a senior in 1996, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.
The Denver Broncos selected Neil in the third round (67th pick overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft, and he played for the Broncos from 1997 to 2004. After seeing limited playing time as a rookie in 1997, he became a reliable starter on the Broncos" offensive line, starting in 104 of 108 games over the next seven seasons.
He played on the Broncos" NFL championship teams in Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII.
In 2010, Neil was the Republican nominee for the 48th District of the Texas House of Representatives.
The election returns showed Howard winning by 16 votes. Neil challenged the results in the Texas House. Neil dropped the challenge on March 18, 2011, nearly halfway into the legislative session.
Prior to pursuing political aspirations, Neil co-hosted "The Morning Rush" with Erin Hogan in Austin"s Entertainment and Sports Programming Network Radio affiliate, 104.9 The Horn.