Marshall Faulk

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.

College career

Faulk received an athletic scholarship to attend San Diego State University, and played as a running back for the San Diego State Aztecs football team. One of the best performances of his career was against the University of the Pacific on September 14, 1991 in just his second collegiate game. In 37 carries, he amassed 386 yards and scored seven touchdowns, both records for freshmen (the 386 yards were a then-NCAA record). "Faulk had scoring runs of 61, 7, 47, 9, 5, 8 and 25 yards." [4] That performance sparked one of the greatest freshman seasons in NCAA history, gaining 1,429 yards rushing, with 23 total touchdowns (21 rushing), and 140 points scored. Faulk went on to better 1600 yards rushing in his sophomore year. In Faulk's junior season in 1993, he was finally able to showcase his all-purpose ability by catching 47 passes for 640 yards and 3 TDs to go with 1530 yards and 21 TDs on the ground. These numbers put Faulk 3rd in the nation in all-purpose yardage that year, and 2nd in scoring. Faulk left San Diego State University with many of the school's offensive records, among them 5,562 all-purpose yards and 62 career touchdowns, which is the 8th most in NCAA history.

After his 1992 season at SDSU, Faulk finished second in the Heisman Trophy award voting, losing to quarterback Gino Torretta in what was considered a notable snub in the history of the award: Torretta's 1992 Miami Hurricanes football team had gone undefeated in the regular season and was ranked No. 1 in the country before the Heisman balloting, Faulk's team finished with a middling 5-5-1 record, continuing a trend of the Heisman going to the most notable player on one of the nation's best teams. ESPN analyst Lee Corso led a campaign supporting Torretta for the Heisman and left Marshall Faulk off of his ballot. He was a Heisman finalist as well in 1991 (9th) and 1993 (4th).

1994 NFL Draft

Along with defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson and quarterbacks Heath Shuler and Trent Dilfer, Faulk was regarded as "one of the four players who rank well above the others in this draft". On February 14, 1994, at the NFL Scouting Combine Faulk ran a 4.28 forty-yard dash. and on March 31, he ran a 4.35 forty-yard time at the San Diego State Pro Day. The Bengals held the No. 1 pick in the 1994 NFL Draft, and contemplated combining their heavy-duty runner Harold Green with the explosive Faulk, but eventually picked Wilkinson, leaving Faulk for the Indianapolis Colts.

Indianapolis Colts (1994–1998)

Faulk was drafted 2nd overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, who were in desperate need of a running game. On July 25, 1994, Faulk signed a seven-year $17.2 million contract and received a $5.1 million signing bonus. Faulk responded by rushing for 1,282 yards, 11 touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown. The Colts improved to 8-8. Marshall Faulk, later that season, would become 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. He was also the first rookie to win Pro Bowl MVP.

The next season Faulk rushed for 1,078 yards and 14 total touchdowns. The Colts made the postseason, going 9-7, and narrowly missed the Super Bowl after a close loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game which Faulk missed due to a nagging toe injury.

The next year was a miserable one for Faulk. Because of a toe injury he suffered earlier in the season, he rushed for only 587 yards, with a 3 yards-per-carry average. He led the Colts in yards from scrimmage with 1,015. He recovered from the injury and rushed for 1,000+ yards in each of the next two seasons, setting a new personal high with 1,319 in 1998. He also caught 86 passes for 906 yards that year and was the AFC & NFL's leader in total yards from scrimmage with an astounding 2,227, beating out Denver's MVP running back Terrell Davis by 2 yards, while also finishing 4th in the league in receptions. It would also be the first of an NFL-record 4 consecutive 2,000+ total-yard seasons.

St. Louis Rams (1999–2005)

Faulk was traded to the St. Louis Rams the following season due to, according to his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, having outplayed his contract. Faulk had missed practices and was considering holding out for a new contract. Colts president Bill Polian did not want his young team's chemistry damaged, so he traded Faulk for second- and fifth-round picks in the upcoming draft (used to draft LB Mike Peterson and DE Brad Scioli). The Colts moved on at the position, drafting Edgerrin James in the first round. Faulk held out for twelve days as the details of his contract were worked out. On August 4, 1999, Faulk signed a seven-year, $45.2 million contract with the Rams, which was the biggest deal in team history at the time. In it Faulk was guaranteed $9.6 million including a $7-million signing bonus. The problem in negotiations was the proposed fifth year, in which Faulk would get $7 million in salary and a $5-million roster bonus. The deal was structured to prevent Faulk from ever being tagged a transition or franchise player.

In his first year in St. Louis, Faulk was the catalyst for "The Greatest Show on Turf", a nickname given to coordinator Mike Martz's aggressive Coryell-style offense. In this offense he put up some of the best all-purpose numbers in the history of the NFL. Faulk's patience and diligence in learning the Rams' offense paid off when he totaled an NFL record 2,429 yards from scrimmage, eclipsing Barry Sanders's record of 2,358 yards set in 1997 (Faulk's mark has since been broken by Chris Johnson in 2009). With 1,381 yards rushing (5.5 yards-per-carry average), 1,048 receiving yards, and scoring 12 touchdowns, Faulk joined Roger Craig as the only men to total 1,000+ yards in each category in a season. He also broke the NFL season record for most receiving yards by a running back, previously held by Lionel James. The Rams eventually went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV. In the game, Faulk was contained on the ground by Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher's defensive scheme, limiting him to just 17 rushing yards. This was perhaps due to the Titans' inability to stop the Rams' passing game, of which Faulk was a major part, recording 5 receptions for 90 yards. His 90 receiving yards were the second highest total by a running back in Super Bowl history. At the end of the season, he received the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award and was a starter for the NFC squad in the 1999 Pro Bowl.

The following year, Faulk became the first running back in NFL history to lead his team in receptions five separate seasons (three in Indianapolis and twice in St. Louis). In addition, he was the NFL MVP and again the Offensive Player of the Year in 2000. He had 1,359 yards rushing in fourteen games and set a new NFL record with 26 total touchdowns, (a record that would soon be broken by Priest Holmes and then later by Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson), despite missing two games due to injury. He also averaged 5+ yards per carry again, this time with 5.4. The Rams, however were not able to replicate the record they had the year prior. Even with the offense scoring the most points and yards during "The Greatest Show on Turf" era, the defense gave up 470 points.

The Rams returned to the Super Bowl the next year as their defense returned to form, allowing only 273 points, and the offense once again scored over 500 points, with 503. Faulk had another excellent season, rushing 260 times for a career-high 1,382 yards (5.3 yards per carry), and catching 83 passes for 765 yards, for an NFC-leading total of 2,147 yards from scrimmage (second in the NFL only to Priest Holmes, who totaled 2,169 yards) and scoring 21 touchdowns despite once again missing 2 games to injuries. Faulk won, for the third year in a row, the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year award, but finished second in a close vote to teammate Kurt Warner in the MVP vote. These years would be the climax of Faulk's career.

Faulk's injuries and age would soon catch up to him; 2001 was the last of his 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and though he was still employed as the Rams' primary running back for several years following the 2001 season, he was no longer the player he had been in his prime, despite remaining a respected and effective player.

On July 29, 2002, Faulk signed a new seven-year, $43.95 million contract with the Rams. Faulk was about to enter the fourth year of his 1999 contract. In this new contract Faulk received a $10.7 million signing bonus. In the 2002 season the Rams struggled and finished the year at 7-9. Faulk played in 14 games and started 10 and ended with 953 yards and 80 receptions. The following season, he played in and started 11 games, finishing with 818 yards and 45 receptions as the Rams rebounded with a 12-4 record.

In 2004, Faulk split time with rookie Steven Jackson and played in 14 games and rushing for 774 yards. In February 2005, Faulk agreed to a restructured contract to reduce his contract cap number. He was scheduled to make about $7.5 million in 2005. In the new contract received a total of $6 million in the next two seasons and a $2 million signing bonus was included. The 2005 season was Faulk's last in the NFL. He rushed for only 292 yards on 65 carries and caught 44 passes for 291 yards and one touchdown. This marked the only time in his career where he did not have a rushing touchdown.

On July 21, the Rams announced that Faulk would undergo reconstructive knee surgery and miss the entire 2006 NFL season. During the season Faulk served as an analyst for the NFL Network's NFL Total Access.

During an NBC Sunday Night Football halftime show, Faulk was asked by one of the announcers, "So are you retired or not?" Faulk said that he was still a Ram, and would be a Ram for the rest of his life. He then said that if the Rams would have him back, he would play next year, as he was able to run full speed on his re-built knees, however on March 26, 2007, Faulk announced his retirement from football.

On November 29, 2007, the Rams announced that they would be retiring Faulk's number. The ceremony was during halftime of the Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 20, 2007. In 2010 on "NFL Network presents The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players", Faulk was voted the number 70 player of all time.

In 2011, Faulk's first year of eligibility, he was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a running back, he placed first in receiving yards (6,875), second in pass receptions (767), second in receiving TD's (36), third in yards from scrimmage (19,154), and tenth in rushing yards (12,280).

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

NFL records

Post-NFL career

Faulk is in his fifth season as an NFL Network analyst. He serves as an analyst on NFL Total Access, where he is relied on to provide a player’s perspective on today’s game. He also appears on Thursday Night Football’s Thursday Night Kickoff and Football Night on Thursday Presented by Lowes, Walmart, or Tostitos, Lexus Halftime Report, and Mazda Postgame Show. On NFL Sundays, Faulk can be seen on NFL GameDay Morning which kicks off NFL Network’s full coverage of the NFL on Sunday.

He also was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011; he accomplished the outstanding achievement of being a first ballot Hall of Famer. On July 30, 2012, it was announced that Faulk joined the board of advisors of the reborn United States Football League, and will be involved in business operations.

Faulk was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor during the week 15 game against the Houston Texans on December 15, 2013 along with Eric Dickerson, another former Colt running back.

Personal life

Faulk married Lindsay Stoudt in 2006. They divorced in 2014. 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.

Faulk has six children with four different women, including a son, Marshall Faulk, Jr., with Derek Fisher's ex-wife, Candace, and three children with his former girlfriend Helen Dunne. Faulk, Jr. played running back for the Central Washington Wildcats.