Wikipedia

Marcus Pollard

Marcus LaJuan Pollard (born February 8, 1972) is an American former professional football tight end who is currently the director of player engagement and youth football for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with four teams, the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, and Atlanta Falcons. Pollard was also an off-season member of the New England Patriots.

Marcus Pollard
refer to caption
Pollard in 2012
Jacksonville Jaguars
Position:Director of player engagement and youth football
Personal information
Born: (1972-02-08) February 8, 1972 (age 52)
Lanett, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Valley (Valley, Alabama)
College:
Undrafted:1995
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:349
Receiving yards:4,280
Receiving average:12.3
Receiving touchdowns:40
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Marcus Pollard was born in Lanett, Alabama and attended Valley High School in Valley, Alabama. He played both football and basketball while in high school.[1]

College career

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Seward County Community College

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Pollard began his college basketball career at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kansas from 1990 to 1992. While at Seward, Pollard averaged 12.3 points per game and won 28 total games. As a sophomore, Pollard averaged 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.[2]

Bradley University

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Pollard transferred to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois for his junior and senior seasons.[3] Pollard started 49 of 58 games at Forward during his two years with Bradley, where he averaged 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game with a 49.7% field goal percentage.[4] In the 1993–94 season, Pollard helped Bradley complete a turnaround from their previous 11–16 record. Bradley finished with a 23–8 record, having reached the third round of the National Invitational Tournament.[5]

Pollard was inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2017.[6][5]

Professional career

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Indianapolis Colts (1995-2004)

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Despite not having played college football,[7] Pollard was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 1995. He spent 10 seasons with the Colts, initially as a blocking tight end. However, Pollard quickly developed into a reliable pass-catching tight end, and ended his time in Indianapolis with a total of 263 receptions for 3,391 yards and 35 touchdowns.[8]

Pollard's breakout season with the Colts came in 1998. He started 11 of 16 games and had 24 receptions for 309 yards and four touchdowns. The 2001 season was Pollard's best, when he totaled 47 receptions for 739 yards and eight touchdowns.[8] On November 11, 2004, Pollard caught two touchdowns to help the Colts to a 31–28 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.[9]

After the emergence of tight end Dallas Clark in Indianapolis left Pollard expendable, Pollard was released following the 2004 season.

Detroit Lions (2005-2006)

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Pollard spent two seasons with the Detroit Lions, where he started 21 of 31 games. His most productive season in Detroit came in 2005, where Pollard started all 16 games and recorded 46 receptions for 516 yards and three touchdowns. He was released by the Lions following the 2006 season.[10]

Seattle Seahawks (2007)

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The Seattle Seahawks signed Pollard for the 2007 season, his only year in Seattle. Pollard started 10 of the 14 games he appeared in, with 28 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns.

New England Patriots (2008)

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Pollard signed with the New England Patriots prior to the 2008 season. However, he was released in August before the regular season began.[11]

Atlanta Falcons (2008)

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After being released from the Patriots, Pollard was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons at the beginning of the 2008 season. He was there for one year before retiring.[1]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yards Avg Lng TD
1995 IND 8 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1996 IND 16 4 6 86 14.3 48 1
1997 IND 16 6 10 116 11.6 28 0
1998 IND 16 11 24 309 12.9 44 4
1999 IND 16 12 34 374 11.0 33 4
2000 IND 16 14 30 439 14.6 50 3
2001 IND 16 16 47 739 15.7 86 8
2002 IND 15 15 43 478 11.1 41 6
2003 IND 14 13 40 541 13.5 70 3
2004 IND 13 13 29 309 10.7 31 6
2005 DET 16 16 46 516 11.2 86 3
2006 DET 15 5 12 100 8.3 22 0
2007 SEA 14 10 28 273 9.8 22 2
2008 ATL 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
Career 192 135 349 4,280 12.3 86 40

Postseason

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Year Team Games Receiving
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1995 IND 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1996 IND 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
1999 IND 1 1 1 10 10.0 10 0
2000 IND 1 1 1 13 13.0 13 0
2002 IND 1 1 1 16 16.0 16 0
2003 IND 3 3 10 156 15.6 32 1
2004 IND 2 2 3 30 10.0 25 0
2007 SEA 2 2 1 3 3.0 3 0
2008 ATL 1 0 2 7 3.5 6 0
Career 14 10 19 235 12.4 32 1

Front office career

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Since 2013, Pollard has served as the Director of Player Engagement and Youth Football for the Jacksonville Jaguars.[12][13]

Personal life

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Pollard and his wife, Amani, were cast members of the reality television show The Amazing Race 19.[14] They finished the competition in third place out of 11 teams. They have four children.[15] Pollard's son, Micah, currently plays college football for the University of Michigan.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b O'Halloran, Ryan (August 3, 2013). "Art of listening: Jaguars' Marcus Pollard knows his role as head of player development". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "Marcus Pollard". Seward Saints Men's Basketball. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Steinberg, Jacob (October 2, 2020). "How Marcus Pollard's unconventional NFL career started on the Hilltop". The Bradley Scout. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  4. ^ "Marcus Pollard". Sports Reference CBB. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Hall of Fame: Marcus Pollard". Missouri Valley Conference. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "1993-94 Basketball (M) Roster, #3 Marcus Pollard". Bradley Braves. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Mihoces, Gary (April 20, 2005). "NFL seeks best players on the court or mat". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  8. ^ a b Wilson, Philip B. (July 17, 2013). "Indianapolis Colts' best undrafted free agents: No. 1, tight end Marcus Pollard". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  9. ^ Duo break NFL's quarterback-receiver completions record
  10. ^ Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (March 3, 2007). "Lions trade Hall, eye White". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Transactions". Longview Daily News. August 20, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Gene Frenette: Jaguars' draft still up for discussion | Jax Air News". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  13. ^ "Marcus Pollard". Jaguars.com. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  14. ^ Ross, Dalton (August 31, 2011). "'Survivor' winners Ethan and Jenna head up new 'Amazing Race' cast. Plus: New twists revealed! -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  15. ^ "Marcus Pollard". Jacksonville Jaguars. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016.
  16. ^ Sang, Orion (July 12, 2021). "3-star LB Micah Pollard, nephew of Braylon Edwards, commits to Michigan football". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
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