Notes & Quotes: Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk is the 11th long-time member of the Colts franchise to be elected. He also, along with fellow Class of 2011 enshrinee Les Richter, now represents one of 15 members of the Rams franchise to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
 

Notes:

Faulk exploded onto the NFL scene. He rushed for 143 yards and scored 3 TDs in his debut versus the Houston Oilers on Sept. 4, 1994. Big gains were the norm for him as he won Rookie of the Year honors. That season Faulk had 31 carries of 10-plus yards that included 18 runs in which he gained more than 15 yards, 12 times he raced for 20 or more yards on a carry; and five times in which his gain stretched 30-plus yards. He capped the memorable year by being the only rookie voted to the Pro Bowl and was named Player of the Game after setting the Pro Bowl record of 180 yards rushing on just 13 carries.

In 1999, his first year with the Rams, he established the single-season record for yards from scrimmage. His total of 2,429 yards broke the mark held by Hall of Famer Barry Sanders. Faulk surpassed Sanders' record on his 326th attempt which was 42 fewer touches than Sanders had during his record-setting year in 1997.

Faulk had eight 100-yard receiving games in his career. Three of them came during the 1998 season. His lone 200-yard receiving day occurred during his record-setting ‘99 season. He had 12 catches for 204 yards and one touchdown (48 yards) in the Rams' 34-12 win over the Chicago Bears on Dec. 26, 1999. The bulk of his yardage came in the second quarter when he caught eight Kurt Warner passes for 152 yards. Faulk's receiving yardage total was the most by a running back in one game since Kansas City Chiefs running back Curtis MCClinton gained 213 yards on five receptions against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 19, 1965.

Faulk played 99 regular season games with the Rams from 1999-2005 and hit the century mark 27 times. The Rams went a perfect 27-0 when Faulk rushed for 100 or more yards in a game. St. Louis also was 4-0 in each of the games that Marshall racked up 100 yards receiving.

Five times during Faulk’s career he registered a four-touchdown performance in a game. The first came against San Francisco on Oct. 29, 2000 with two rushing and two receiving. He repeated the feat two more times later that same season on back-to-back weeks Dec. 10 against Minnesota with 4 rushing touchdowns and Dec. 18 against Tampa Bay with three rushing and one receiving. His final two came against Indianapolis on Dec. 30, 2001 and Seattle on Oct. 20, 2002 when he ran for 3 touchdowns and caught one in each of those contests.

Quotes:

“I cannot think of a more deserving person for this honor. Marshall Faulk epitomizes what all football players should aspire to in sport and in life. He was a champion on the field and leader in the community. He represented the St. Louis Rams and our fans in a first-class manner from Day one. He accomplished things on the field that no one before or since has achieved in the storied history of the National Football League. It was a privilege to watch him play and an even greater honor to know him.” - St. Louis Rams Owner/Chairman Stan Kroenke

“Marshall is a valued friend to our family, and his records and achievements on the field speak for themselves. Marshall was a one of a kind, spectacular football player who means so much to the Rams organization and the St. Louis community. Our mother adored Marshall, and one of the last things she did as the Rams owner was retire his number so nobody on the Rams would ever wear No. 28 again. Watching Marshall play created countless great memories for our family. It is worth noting that Marshall’s first season in St. Louis produced the Rams’ first Super Bowl victory. He ushered in the era of the St. Louis Rams, and it is fitting that he’s the first St. Louis Ram to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.” - St. Louis Rams Owners Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez

"For a time, Marshall Faulk was the best weapon in the NFL, a guy that could catch the ball out of the backfield, could run for power, run for speed - could do it all. He was absolutely indefensible for a period of time. And how smart he is. He could be a head coach. When you talk about great players and where they come from, they are not trained, they are born. He is one of them. And those guys deserve to be in the Hall of Fame." - D'Marco Farr, St. Louis Rams’ defensive tackle

"I played the game a long time, and Marshall did something I've never seen another running back do. He was a coach out there. The ‘Greatest Show' would break the huddle, and all of their players would be lining up. Faulk would be standing in the backfield, directing traffic. He's making adjustments in the pass protection, he's getting the players lined up properly, he's telling Kurt (Warner) what to look out for, he’s calling out changes to the offensive line. I've never seen a running back do that - take over the offense and get everything in place. I'd holler, ‘Hey, No. 28, if you want to be a coach, take the uniform off and go put on some slacks and a golf shirt and go stand on the sideline and coach.' Marshall was just an amazing player in every way." - Michael Strahan, New York Giants defensive lineman

“Marshall was one of the best teammates I have ever played with. I enjoyed talking with him in the locker room, competing with him on the practice field, and achieving some amazing things with him on the field. He will forever go down in my mind as the greatest player I have ever seen play. Not only because of his gifted physical ability, but also because of his dedication to and knowledge of every area of the game. It was a blessing to not only watch him play the game, but to be able to line up beside him. I truly hate seeing Marshall retire, because it means the game is losing one of its greatest assets and ambassadors. But, I will be forever grateful for having the chance to witness ‘greatness’ at least once in my life.” - Kurt Warner, former St. Louis Rams quarterback

“Marshall always made everyone that met him better, not just in a football sense. He made me a better person. I am honored to be considered a friend. I learned a lot from him. Running backs of the future will have to be compared to him. He is a very passionate guy and a great asset to St. Louis and the NFL.” - Isaac Bruce, former Rams wide receivers

“He is really the only player that I have played with that could have played quarterback if he could throw the ball. A lot of people throw that term around lightly, ‘he’s a quarterback on the field,’ but Marshall was one of those guys that knew everyone’s assignment on offense, just like the quarterback. Not only that, he is the most complete running back that I have ever seen over the term of his career.” - Marc Bulger, former St. Louis Rams quarterback

“Marshall was the ultimate teammate and team player. He was definitely one of the smartest on the team and as an offensive lineman, he made my job a lot easier. He knew everything about the offense so he knew how we were going to block and where we were going to be. He communicated with us on a regular basis so that made things much easier for us on the offensive line.” - Orlando Pace, former St. Louis Rams tackle

“Marshall was a pioneering player. As a threat in so many different aspects of football, he revolutionized the way in which the running back position was played. He was the player that I wanted to emulate.” - Tiki Barber, former New York Giants running back

“Marshall was the one that you loved to watch, wished you could play like, and hated to play against. Mostly because he was going to do something that would make your own teammates come and ask you, ‘Can you do that?’ He taught me a lot about the game like how to take my game and my teammates to the next level. He is a true champion and student of the game. I thank him for always being one call away and I wish him many blessings with whatever he does next.” - Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander, former Seattle Seahawks running back

“He was a guy who frustrated not only the other team’s defense, but their offense. Just knowing he was on the other sideline, there was more pressure for us to score. Every time we played him, I knew 30 points wasn’t going to win it.” - Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback

“I think of him as a man before a player, and what tremendous character and integrity he brought to the game. You knew when you were facing him that he was going to give you 110 percent of what he had. He never cheated the game, you knew it was a fight every time out against him. Marshall wasn’t the biggest or the fastest, but Faulk was Faulk. He ran with such grace and power, I consider it a privilege to have played against him. He was the best running back I have seen in the NFL in a long time.” - Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens linebacker