Marcus Stroud

Marcus Stroud

Stroud in 2010
No. 99
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1978-06-25)June 25, 1978 Thomasville, Georgia,U.S.
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
High school:	Brooks County(Quitman, Georgia)
College:	Georgia(1996–2000)
NFL draft:	2001/ round: 1 / pick: 13
Career history
Jacksonville Jaguars(2001–2007) Buffalo Bills(2008–2010) New England Patriots(2011)*
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Second-teamAll-Pro(2003) 3×Pro Bowl(2003–2005) Second-teamAll-SEC(2000)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 424 Sacks: 29.5 Forced fumbles: 8 Fumble recoveries: 6 Pass deflections: 39

Marcus LaVar Stroud(born June 25, 1978) is an American former professionalfootballplayer who was adefensive tacklefor 10 seasons in theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theGeorgia Bulldogs,and was selected by theJacksonville Jaguarswith the 13th overall pick in the2001 NFL draft.He was a member of the NFL'sBuffalo BillsandNew England Patriots.

Early years

Stroud won a state title withBrooks County High Schoolin 1994. He appeared on the cover ofSports Illustratedin 1996 while still in high school which featured a cover story ofNational Signing Day.Stroud, at the time a 6'6 "266-pound defensive end, originally gave Florida a verbal commitment but changed his mind after Bulldogs coachRay Goffwas fired in November 1995. After heavy pursuit from new Georgia coachJim Donnan,Stroud switched and committed to the Bulldogs on Signing Day.

College career

Stroud attended theUniversity of Georgia,where he played for theGeorgia Bulldogs footballteam. He played for Georgia during a major re-building era, in which coach Jim Donnan turned the program around from among the mediocre to averaging 8 wins per year, including four straight bowl game victories.

He was initiated as a member ofPhi Beta Sigmafraternitywhile he was an undergraduate.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft6+1⁄8in (1.98 m)	321 lb (146 kg)	34+1⁄2in (0.88 m)	10 in (0.25 m)	5.10 s	1.76 s	2.96 s	4.72 s	8.07 s	30.0 in (0.76 m)	9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)	21 reps
All values from NFL Combine

Jacksonville Jaguars

Stroud was selected 13th in the2001 NFL draftby the Jaguars.The 2001 NFL Draft is considered by many experts to be the finest draft fordefensive tacklesin draft history, and Stroud was among the highest rated of the group that year. The 2001 class included fellowPro BowlselectionsRichard Seymour,Casey HamptonandKris Jenkins.

He andJohn Hendersonhelped give the Jaguars one of the more dominant defensive tackles duos in the NFL.

During his Jacksonville days, Stroud had 22 sacks and 256 tackles while appearing in 100 games. Stroud also played in every Jaguars game for the first 5 years of his career.

Marcus Stroud was selected to thePro Bowlfollowing the 2003, 2004 and 2005NFLseasons.

Stroud was suspended in 2007 for four games without pay for violating the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances.

Buffalo Bills

On March 1, 2008, Stroud was traded to the Buffalo Bills for third (previously acquired from theBaltimore Ravensin theWillis McGaheetrade)- and fifth-round picks in the2008 NFL draft.

Stroud was immediately deemed one of the key players to the Bills' 2008 season. Buffalo ranked 31st in total defense the year prior, and vaulted up to 14th in 2008, Stroud's first season there. The Bills got off to a strong start that year, going 5–1 in the first six games. They fell off towards the mid-season mark, however, and finished the year with a 7–9 record.

On April 7, 2009, Stroud signed a two-year contract extension that paid $16 million and guaranteed $12 million. In combination with the existing terms of his contract, Stroud could've earned an additional $28 million over the following four seasons. Stroud was released on February 16, 2011, by the Bills.

New England Patriots

On March 1, 2011, theNew England Patriotssigned defensive lineman Stroud to a two-year contract. He was released just under 5 months later on July 28.

Retirement

In June 2012, Stroud signed a one-day contract with the Jaguars and announced his retirement. He became the fifth player to re-sign with Jacksonville before retiring, joiningTony Boselli,Fred Taylor,Paul SpicerandDonovin Darius.

NFL statistics

Year	Team	GP	Tackles				Fumbles		Interceptions
			Comb	Solo	Ast	Sack	FF	FR	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	PD
2001	JAX	16	25	21	4	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	3
2002	JAX	16	45	38	7	6.5	3	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	6
2003	JAX	16	65	47	18	4.5	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	3
2004	JAX	16	54	38	16	4.5	2	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	3
2005	JAX	16	42	31	11	1.0	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	4
2006	JAX	11	21	19	2	2.5	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2007	JAX	9	22	19	3	3.0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	2
2008	BUF	16	45	29	16	2.5	1	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	7
2009	BUF	15	56	38	18	2.0	0	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	8
2010	BUF	15	49	29	20	3.0	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	2
Career		146	424	309	115	29.5	8	6	0	0	0.0	0	0	39

Community

During his NFL days, Stroud founded the Marcus Stroud Charitable Foundation to assist underprivileged youth who lived in low-income, single-parent homes, according to its website, by establishing various academic and athletic programs otherwise unavailable to them. Additionally, Stroud hosts an annual football camp aimed to combat childhood obesity.

Stroud hosted theMarcus Stroud 99 Pro Bowl Football Camp For Kidsin May 2009 at Brooks County's Veterans Stadium in Georgia. Several NFL players, including Mike Peterson and Verron Haynes of theAtlanta Falcons,and George Wilson, Donte Whitner, Kavika Mitchell, Marcus Buggs and Drayton Florence of theBuffalo Billscontributed to the free camp.

Personal

Stroud has a passion for classic cars and eventually founded his own auto body business, DeciBels Auto Creations, in Jacksonville.

Stroud escaped injury in 2005, when he rolled hisSUVwhile driving onFlorida'sInterstate 10outside ofJacksonville.