Marcus Mason (born June 23, 1984 in

Potomac, Maryland Potomac () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named after the nearby Potomac River. Potomac is the seventh most educated small town in America, based on percentage of residents with postsecondary deg ...

) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

. He was the all time leading rusher in Maryland history. He was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2007. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Youngstown State Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...

. Mason was also a member of the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

, and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

Early years

Mason starred at

Georgetown Preparatory School Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre (380,000 square meters) campus. It is the only Jesuit board ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, where he became the all-time leading rusher (5,700 yards) in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

history.

College career

Mason played

at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

and

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...

. In two seasons at Youngstown State, Mason compiled 2,739 rushing yards on 478 carries and scored 31 touchdowns. As a senior, he rushed for a school-record 1,847 yards on 302 carries and had 23 touchdowns.

Professional career

First stint with Redskins

In his first ever preseason game with the Redskins, Mason scored a one-yard rushing touchdown to give the Redskins a 7-6 lead over the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. For the whole preseason, Mason compiled 95 yards on 25 carries. Mason eventually made the 53-man roster in 2007 but was moved to the practice squad shortly after to make room for Omar Stoutmire. Despite leading the NFL in rushing during the 2008 preseason, Mason was released by the Redskins during final cuts on August 30.

Baltimore Ravens

A day after his release from the Redskins, Mason was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on August 31, 2008. He remained there for the first eight weeks of the season.

New York Jets

Mason was signed to the

' active roster off the

' practice squad on October 29, 2008. The move came a day after Jets

Jesse Chatman Jesse James Chatman Jr (born September 22, 1979) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Eastern Washington. Chatman was also a member ...

was placed on season-ending

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. The Jets waived Mason on December 9. Mason was re-signed to the

on December 21, 2008. He was waived by the team the following offseason on April 27, 2009.

Second stint with Redskins

Mason was claimed off waivers by the

on April 28, 2009. On October 20, 2009 the Redskins released Mason. He was re-signed on November 23. On March 4, 2010, Mason was released by the Redskins.

San Diego Chargers

On March 8, 2010, Mason was claimed off waivers by the

. On August 31, 2010, Mason was released by the

External links

Washington Redskins bioSan Diego Chargers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Marcus 1984 births Living people Players of American football from Maryland American football running backs Illinois Fighting Illini football players Youngstown State Penguins football players Washington Redskins players Baltimore Ravens players New York Jets players San Diego Chargers players Georgetown Preparatory School alumni