Mark Fields (linebacker)

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Mark Fields
No. 55, 58
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1972-11-09) November 9, 1972 (age 51)
Los Angeles California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:244 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school: Washington Preparatory (Los Angeles)
College: Washington State
NFL draft: 1995  / Round: 1 / Pick: 13
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:769
Sacks:34.5
Interceptions:5
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Mark Fields (born November 9, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He had a ten-year career with the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, and the Carolina Panthers before missing the 2005 NFL season due to being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma for the second time in three seasons and subsequently retiring.

Contents

Early years

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Fields attended Washington Preparatory High School, Southwest College, and Compton College. He transferred to Washington State University in Pullman, and played middle linebacker under head coach Mike Price. As a senior in 1994, he was All-Pac-10, [1] and its Defensive Player of the Year. [2] [3] [4]

NFL

Fields was the thirteenth overall selection in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, taken by the New Orleans Saints. [5] [6] [7] He played six years in New Orleans, leading or coming close to the team lead in tackles. He later played one year with the St. Louis Rams, appearing in Super Bowl XXXVI (losing to the New England Patriots) then signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2002.

However, before the start of the 2003 season, he learned he had Hodgkin's disease, and he was forced to sit the season out. Both he and linebackers coach Sam Mills were sources of inspiration for the team, which made it to Super Bowl XXXVIII, but Fields again lost to the New England Patriots. Fields returned to play in 2004

Fields learned before the start of the 2005 season that his Hodgkin's had returned, and so he turned down a new contract offer from Carolina. [8]

NFL career statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
1995 NOR 163403191.0---0--0000
1996 NOR 161510785222.0---0--11200
1997 NOR 161510888208.0---0--42281
1998 NOR 151510982276.0---0--11361
1999 NOR 14148063174.07200052100
2000 NOR 16148363202.03000010000
2001 STL 14126348150.0413003060000
2002 CAR 151510376277.51413703070200
2004 CAR 14106250124.01011401431100
13611375558616934.5385810302298842

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLIntYdsTDLngPDFFFRYdsTD
2000 NOR 217520.01--0--0000
2001 STL 302200.00--0--0000
519720.01----00000

Personal life

On August 10, 2010, Fields was arrested for assaulting the mother of his then-six-year-old daughter while she was picking her daughter up from daycare. Mark would be charged for aggravated assault, endangerment, disorderly conduct, and interfering with an educational institution as a result. [9]

His son, Mark Fields II played cornerback in the NFL. [10]

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References

  1. "WSU puts four on Pac-10 team". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 29, 1994. p. 2D.
  2. "WSU dominates defensive stars". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). staff and wire reports. November 29, 1994. p. C3.
  3. "WSU's Fields earns honor". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. November 29, 1994. p. 1D.
  4. "Fields tabbed Pac-10's top defensive player". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). staff and wire reports. November 29, 1994. p. 1C.
  5. "1995 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  6. Grummert, Dale (April 23, 1995). "Saints take Fields". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1D.
  7. Miedema, Laurence (April 25, 1995). "Fields goes in the first round". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). p. 1C.
  8. "Doctors discover Hodgkin's disease has returned". ESPN. May 6, 2005. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  9. "Ex-NFL Star Accused of Beating, Choking Baby Mama". TMZ. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  10. "Report: Chiefs trade CB Mark Fields to Vikings". ChiefsWire. August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.