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.

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
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
1995 NOR 16 3 40 31 9 1.0 - - - 0 - - 0 0 0 0
1996 NOR 16 15 107 85 22 2.0 - - - 0 - - 1 1 20 0
1997 NOR 16 15 108 88 20 8.0 - - - 0 - - 4 2 28 1
1998 NOR 15 15 109 82 27 6.0 - - - 0 - - 1 1 36 1
1999 NOR 14 14 80 63 17 4.0 7 2 0 0 0 5 2 1 0 0
2000 NOR 16 14 83 63 20 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2001 STL 14 12 63 48 15 0.0 4 1 30 0 30 6 0 0 0 0
2002 CAR 15 15 103 76 27 7.5 14 1 37 0 30 7 0 2 0 0
2004 CAR 14 10 62 50 12 4.0 10 1 14 0 14 3 1 1 0 0
136 113 755 586 169 34.5 38 5 81 0 30 22 9 8 84 2

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2000 NOR 2 1 7 5 2 0.0 1 - - 0 - - 0 0 0 0
2001 STL 3 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 - - 0 - - 0 0 0 0
5 1 9 7 2 0.0 1 - - - - 0 0 0 0 0

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]

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.

External links

Pac-12 Football Player of the Year winners
1995 NFL Draft first-round selections
New Orleans Saints 1995 NFL draft selections
New Orleans Saints first-round draft picks
Best Comeback Athlete ESPY Award winners
Authority control databases
Categories