He played college football for the Pacific Tigers and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1982 NFL draft.
Merriweather was born in Albany, New York, and attended Vallejo High School in northern California,[1] where he played football, baseball, and basketball.
[4] In 1984, Merriweather was fifth in the NFL with fifteen sacks (Mark Gastineau led the league with 22), and was named first-team all-NFL that year.
[6] After a salary dispute which saw him sit out the entire 1988 season, Merriweather was traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a first-round pick.
Vikings' placekicker Rich Karlis had scored a then-record seven field goals, accounting for all 21 points that sent the game into overtime.