Mark Fields (linebacker)
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | November 9, 1972 Los Angeles California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 244 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Washington Preparatory (Los Angeles) | ||||||||
| College | Washington State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1995: 1st round, 13th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Mark Lee 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 life
[edit]Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Fields started his football career as a youth playing in the Junior All American Football League alongside another NFL notable teammate Curtis Conway. Coached by Thaddeus "Coach" Belloue Mark Fields was an exceptional player and an inspiration to his team. Mark 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
[edit]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
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| Bold | Career high | |
Regular season
[edit]| 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
[edit]| 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
[edit]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
[edit]- ↑ "WSU puts four on Pac-10 team". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. November 29, 1994. p. 2D.
- ↑ "WSU dominates defensive stars". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. staff and wire reports. November 29, 1994. p. C3.
- ↑ "WSU's Fields earns honor". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. November 29, 1994. p. 1D.
- ↑ "Fields tabbed Pac-10's top defensive player". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. staff and wire reports. November 29, 1994. p. 1C.
- ↑ "1995 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ↑ Grummert, Dale (April 23, 1995). "Saints take Fields". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. p. 1D.
- ↑ Miedema, Laurence (April 25, 1995). "Fields goes in the first round". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. p. 1C.
- ↑ "Doctors discover Hodgkin's disease has returned". ESPN. May 6, 2005. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Ex-NFL Star Accused of Beating, Choking Baby Mama". TMZ. August 10, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Report: Chiefs trade CB Mark Fields to Vikings". ChiefsWire. August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
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