Marshall Faulk

At 51 years old, Marshall Faulk has this physical status:

Marshall William Faulk (born February 26, 1973) is a former American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons.

He played college football for San Diego State University, and was a two-time consensus All-American.

He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the second overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, and he also played professionally for the NFL's St. Louis Rams.

Faulk was a member of the Greatest Show on Turf, a name given to the St. Louis Rams team that appeared in two Super Bowls and won Super Bowl XXXIV.

In 2000, Faulk was named the Most Valuable Player of the NFL.

Faulk is one of only three NFL players (Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber being the others) to reach at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards; he is the only one to amass 12,000 yards rushing and 6,000 yards receiving.

Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

He was an analyst for various programs on the NFL Network until December 2017.

Early years

Faulk was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Carver High School in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, where he played for the Carver Rams high school football team. Also a standout track sprinter, Faulk was timed at 10.3 seconds in the 100 meters, 21.74 over 200 meters and 49.4 in the 400 meters. Growing up, Faulk sold popcorn at New Orleans Saints games in the Louisiana Superdome.

During his final two years at Carver High, Faulk rushed 1,800 yards and scored thirty-two touchdowns. In his senior season, he also played defensive back, intercepting 11 passes and returning six of them for touchdowns.

Personal life

Faulk was married to Lindsay Stoudt from 2006 to 2014. He has six children, including three with Stoudt. His son, Marshall Faulk Jr., played running back for the Central Washington Wildcats.

Faulk has a charitable foundation in San Diego, California. Faulk's childhood friend Tyrone Wilson helped him start his foundation. Faulk is a cousin of Kevin Faulk, a former NFL running back.

In 2009, Faulk was inducted into the San Diego Hall of Champions.

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College career

Faulk had been heavily recruited by several major universities, but most of them had recruited him for the cornerback role due to his outstanding record on defense. However, Faulk still aspired to play in college for the running back position. "I didn't love playing cornerback," Faulk told Sports Illustrated Kids, "I knew I wouldn't be as successful in that situation." To be a celebrity, you have to really love what you do." He eventually accepted a football scholarship to San Diego State University because the first team to offer him a scholarship to play running back.

In just his second collegiate game, one of his career's finest performances of his career came against the University of the Pacific on September 14, 1991, in just his second collegiate game. He was led by 386 yards and seven touchdowns in 37 attempts, both records for rookies (the 386 yards were a new NCAA record). "Faulk had scoring runs of 61, 7, 47, 9, 5, 8, and 25 yards." That performance sparked one of the best freshman seasons in NCAA history, with 1,429 passing, 23 total touchdowns (21 rushing), and 140 points scored. In his sophomore year, Faulk had a career with a running record of 1,600 yards. With 1,530 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, Faulk's junior season, he was finally able to demonstrate his all-purpose skills by catching 47 passes for 640 yards and 3 touchdowns. Faulk finished third in the country in all-purpose yardage this year, and second in scoring. Faulk left San Diego State University with several of the school's offensive records, including 5,562 all-purpose yards and 62 career touchdowns, the eighth most in NCAA history.

Faulk finished second in the Heisman Trophy award voting in 1992, losing to quarterback Gino Torretta in what was regarded as a major snub in the event's history. Torretta's 1992 Miami Hurricanes football team was undefeated in the regular season and ranked No. 1 in the nation's Top 100. Faulk's team finished with a 5–1 record before the Heisman nominations, extending a trend of the Heisman to the nation's top players. Analyst Lee Corso led a campaign for Torretta for the Heisman and left Marshall Faulk off the ballot. Faulk was a Heisman finalist both in 1991 (9th) and 1993 (4th).

Diverse: Issues In Higher Education, 1992, Faulk was named Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Jr.

Professional career

Faulk was named as "one of the top four players in this draft" by defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson and quarterback Heath Shuler and Trent Dilfer. He ran a 4.35-yard time at the San Diego State Pro Day on March 31. The Bengals had the No. No. 1 in the world. In the 1994 NFL Draft, one pick in the draft considered combining their heavy-duty running Harold Green with the explosive Faulk, but Wilkinson was eventually picked over by Faulk, leaving Faulk for the Indianapolis Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts drafted Faulk second overall in the 1994 NFL Draft, putting the Indianapolis Colts in dire need of a running game. Faulk signed a seven-year $17.2 million contract on July 25, 1994, gaining a $5.1 million signing bonus. Faulk responded by rushing for 1,282 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown. The Colts have grown to 8-8. Marshall Faulk will be the first NFL player to win both the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and the Pro Bowl's Most Valuable Player Award in the same season later this season. He was also the first rookie to win Pro Bowl MVP.

Faulk rushed for 1,078 yards and 14 total touchdowns in the 2014 season. After a close loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, which Faulk missed due to a nagging toe injury, the Colts made the postseason and went 9–7, and barely escaped the Super Bowl.

Faulk's next year was a miserable one. He rushed for 587 yards on a 3 yard-per-carry average, owing to a toe injury he sustained earlier in the season. With 1,015, he led the Colts in yards from scrimmage. In each of the next two seasons, he recovered from the injury and rushed for 1,000+ yards, setting a new personal record of 1,319 in 1998. He had 86 passes for 906 yards last year (playing alongside rookie quarterback Peyton Manning) and was the NFL's highest passer in total yards from scrimmage with 2,227, trouncing Denver's MVP running back Terrell Davis by 2 yards and finishing fourth in the league in receptions, finishing fourth in the league in receptions. It would also be the first season of an NFL-record four straight seasons.

Faulk missed practices and was considering a new deal, and Colts president Bill Polian did not want his young team's chemistry to be harmed (especially with the budding Manning at the quarterback position).

In the forthcoming draft, Faulk was traded to the St. Louis Rams for second- and fifth-round picks (which the Colts used to draft LB Mike Peterson and DE Brad Scioli). In the first round, the Colts advanced to the position, drafting Edgerrin James. Faulk's deal was postponed for a year as the specifics of his employment were not known. Faulk signed a seven-year, $45.2 million deal with the Rams on August 4, 1999, the most significant trade in team history at the time. Faulk was promised $9.6 million as part of the program, as well as a $7-million signing bonus. The issue in talks was the planned fifth year, in which Faulk would receive $7 million in salary and a $5 million roster bonus. The contract was designed to prevent Faulk from being identified as a player or franchisee.

Faulk was the catalyst for "The Greatest Show on Turf" in his first year in St. Louis, a term given to coordinator Mike Martz's ferocious Coryell-style offense. He had one of the highest all-purpose numbers in the game's history. Faulk's patience and perseverance in learning the Rams' offense paid off when he finished with a NFL record 2,429 yards from scrimmage, beating Barry Sanders' record of 2,358 yards set in 1999 (Faulk's record was now broken in 2009). Faulk joined Roger Craig as the only man at that time to pass 1,381 yards (5.5 yards-per-carry average), 1,048 receiving yards, and scoring 12 touchdowns. He also tied for the most receiving yards by a running back in the NFL season, beating Lionel James in the first round. The Rams then went on to win Super Bowl XXIV. Faulk was contained on the ground by Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher's defensive scheme, restricting him to only 17 rushing yards in the game. This was possibly due to the Titans' inability to stop the Rams' passing game, in which Faulk was a key figure, with 5 receptions for 90 yards. His 90 receiving yards were the second-most total yards by a running back in Super Bowl history. He was named as the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award at the end of the season and served as a starter for the NFC team in the 1999 Pro Bowl.

Faulk led his team in receptions for five years in a row (three in Indianapolis and two in St. Louis) during the following year. In addition,, he was the NFL MVP and then the Offensive Player of the Year in 2000. Despite missing two games due to injury, he had 1,359 yards in 14 games and set a new NFL record of 26 total touchdowns (a record that will be broken by Priest Holmes and then Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson) later this year. He also averaged 5+ yards per carry again, this time with 5.4. The Rams were unable to beat the previous year's record. Despite the fact that the offense was scoring the most points and yards on "The Greatest Show on Turf" in the '80s, the defense gave up 470 points.

The Rams returned to action in the Super Bowl next year as their defense returned to form, scoring only 273 points, and the offense added 500 points, totaling 503. Faulk had another great season, throwing 260 times for 765 yards (second in the NFL) and scoring 21 touchdowns despite losing two games due to injuries. For the third year in a row, Faulk gained the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award, but second in a close poll to teammate Kurt Warner in the MVP race. Faulk's career would come to an end in these years.

Faulk's injuries and age will soon catch up to him; 2001 was the last of his 1,000-yard running back, and although he was still employed as the Rams' primary running back after the 2001 season, he was no longer a player in his prime; despite being a respected and valuable player.

Faulk's two-year, $43.95 million deal with the Rams was signed on July 29, 2002. Faulk was about to enter the fourth year of his 1999 contract. Faulk's signing bonus was included in his new deal. In the 2002 season, the Rams struggled and finished the year at 7–9. Faulk played in 14 games and began 10 years as a quarterback and ended with 953 yards and 80 receptions. He appeared in and started 11 games, totaling 818 yards and 45 receptions as the Rams recovered with a 12–4 record.

Faulk won with rookie Steven Jackson in 2004 and played in 14 games and rushing for 774 yards. Faulk's resignation was reduced in February 2005 when he restructured his deal to minimize his employee cap number. In 2005, he was supposed to make $7.5 million. The new deal earned a total of $6 million over the next two years, as well as a $2 million signing bonus. Faulk's last season in the NFL was in 2005. He only passed for 292 yards on 65 attempts and scored 44 passes for 291 yards and one touchdown. This was the first time he did not have a rushing touchdown in his career.

The Rams announced on July 21 that Faulk would recover knee surgery and miss the entire 2006 NFL season. Faulk spent the season as an analyst for NFL Network's NFL Total Access.

Faulk was asked by one of the announcers, "So are you retired or not?" during a NBC Sunday Night Football halftime show. Faulk said he was still a Ram and will remain a Ram for the remainder of his life. He said back in March 26, 2007, Faulk announced his retirement from football as if the Rams would have him back.

The Rams revealed on November 29, 2007, that Faulk's number would be retired. On December 20, 2007, the ceremony took place halftime of the Pittsburgh Steelers' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Faulk was named the Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players of All Time in 2010 by the NFL Network's The Top 100: The Best Players of All Time.

In 2011, Faulk's first year of eligibility, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He finished first in receiving yards (6,875), second in pass receptions (767), second in receiving touchdowns (767), third in receiving yards (19,154), and tenth in running yards (12,280).

His seven two-point conversions are a NFL record. His five games of 250+ yards from scrimmage and 14 games of 200+ yards from scrimmage are also NFL records. Faulk is the only player to have 70+ rushing touchdowns and 30+ receiving touchdowns.

Post-NFL career

Faulk was a long-serving NFL Network analyst. He worked as an analyst on NFL Total Access, where he shared a player's view on the game today. He appeared on Thursday Night Football's pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows, as well as Sunday's NFL GameDay Morning. After sexual harassment charges were levied against the three celebrities by a former network wardrobe stylist, Faulk and fellow ex-player Heath Evans and Ike Taylor were banned from the network on December 12, 2017.

In season 1, episode 12 of Life in Pieces, Faulk appeared himself. This episode appeared on CBS on January 7, 2016.

In his first year of eligibility, Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011. During the week 15 game against the Houston Texans on December 15, 2013, he and Eric Dickerson, another former Colt running back (although in Los Angeles), were also inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor, as well as Eric Dickerson, another former Colt running back (who also played for the Rams, although not in Los Angeles).

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