Mark Herzlich Jr. (born September 1, 1987) 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 ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

and current

sports commentator In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time commentary of a game or event, usually during a live broadcast, traditionally delivered in the historical present tense. Radio was ...

. He was signed by the

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

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 2011 and played all seven seasons of his professional career with the Giants. 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 ...

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

Early life

Herzlich was born in Kirkwood, Missouri, the son of Barbara Read (born Martin), a former tennis player, and Sandon Mark Herzlich. His paternal grandfather's

Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

family left

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

after the German annexation. His father was raised Jewish and converted to Protestantism when Herzlich was born. He has one sibling, younger brother Bradley Martin, who was a member of the football team at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

High school career

Herzlich attended

Conestoga High School Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, is the only upper secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. It has a Berwyn post office address, though it is not in the Berwyn census-designated place. Co ...

Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania Tredyffrin Township ( ) is a township located in eastern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The population was 29,332 at the 2010 census. Settled in the late 17th century, Tredyffrin is bounded by Delaware and Montgomery counties. It includes on ...

, where he earned

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

Class First-team AAAA All-State honors as senior linebacker. Considered a three-star prospect by ''

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

'', Herzlich was recruited by

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, Vanderbilt and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

.Mark Herzlich Profile - Rivals.com
/ref> He was committed to Virginia some time before he chose to play for Boston College. He recorded 142 tackles and made four interceptions as a junior and also lined up at fullback in 2003 and 2004, scoring three offensive touchdowns. As a senior, he registered a team-high 153 tackles, including 48 solo stops, in 2005, and totaled eight tackles for loss, including four sacks; he also returned a blocked field goal 86 yards for a touchdown. He led the Pioneers to back-to-back Central League titles (2004 and 2005) and became the first player in school history to win the team MVP award three times. Herzlich was also a lacrosse star at Conestoga, and received a scholarship offer from Johns Hopkins University to play lacrosse.

College career

Herzlich went on to attend

and played in all 13 games as a

true freshman Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

. He earned ''

College Football News ''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis include ...

'' Freshman All-American honors with a total of 42 tackles (32 solo), including 5.0 tackles for a loss and 1.0 sack, one interception and forced two fumbles. As a sophomore, he started all 14 games for the Eagles and finished the season second in total tackles with 97 (55 solos, 42 assists). He also led the team with 12 tackles-for-loss to go with 1.5

quarterback sacks In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the ...

and 4 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries. Herzlich entered his junior season (2008) as a preseason all-star candidate. He was named to the

Lott Trophy The Lott IMPACT Trophy is presented annually to the college football defensive IMPACT player of the year. IMPACT is an acronym for: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity. The award purports to equally recognize the ...

and

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

watchlists prior to the season. In 2008 Herzlich was a First-team All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Butkus Award, and a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy. He led the team with 110 tackles and 81 stops, six interceptions, eight pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 13 tackles for a loss. In November 2008, Herzlich was a projected top-15 pick by many scouts for the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...

but announced his return to Boston College for the 2009 season. Herzlich missed the entire 2009 season due to

Ewing's sarcoma Ewing sarcoma is a type of cancer that forms in bone or soft tissue. Symptoms may include swelling and pain at the site of the tumor, fever, and a bone fracture. The most common areas where it begins are the legs, pelvis, and chest wall. In about ...

, a rare form of bone cancer, which he overcame and earned numerous honors for his courage and outreach, including the

Disney Spirit Award Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award is presented annually to college football's most inspirational individual or team. The award is one of 21 that are part of the National College Football Awards Association The National College Football A ...

, Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award, an honorary

, and the ACC Commissioner’s Cup. In 2010, Herzlich returned to the football field and won the

Rudy Award The Rudy Awards were two awards given annually by the Rudy Foundation of Henderson, Nevada to the high school and Division I college football players who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their tea ...

and the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award after starting all 13 games and finishing third on the team with 65 tackles and 50 solo stops. He tied for first on the team with two forced fumbles, second on the team with four interceptions and four pass break ups and also had 3.5 tackles for a loss.

Cancer diagnosis

On May 14, 2009, Herzlich announced that he had been diagnosed with

, a rare form of bone cancer, stating in a press release: On September 29, 2009, Mark Herzlich announced that he was cancer free. This was confirmed by the team doctors. He publicly announced this during the ESPN and Home Depot College Gameday Special at Boston College on October 3, 2009. He sat out the remainder of the 2009 season and returned in 2010, registering five tackles (three solo) in the season-opening 38-20 win against FCS school Weber State. Despite not playing college football in 2009, he received the

Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award is presented annually to college football's most inspirational individual or team. The award is one of 21 that are part of the National College Football Awards Association The National College Football Aw ...

for overcoming cancer, as well as the Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award for sportsmanship. In January 2011, he received the "Most Courageous Athlete" award from the

Philadelphia Sports Writers Association The Philadelphia Sports Writers Association (PSWA) was founded on May 12, 1904, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.About
webpage. PSWA D ...

Professional career

Herzlich was not selected in the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

even though he was invited to attend the event. After going undrafted, Herzlich was selected with the 51st pick of the 10th round by the

Omaha Nighthawks The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...

of the UFL. Despite this, Herzlich stated that he would wait for an

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

contract rather than join the UFL. On July 26, 2011, the

signed Herzlich to a three-year, $1.41 million contract as an undrafted free agent at the recommendation of owner

John Mara John K. Mara ( ; born December 1, 1954) is the president, CEO, and co-owner of the New York Giants. Early life Mara was born in New York City and grew up in White Plains, a nearby suburb. He is the eldest son of Ann Mara (née Mumm) and late ...

. Herzlich made the

final 53 man roster. On November 20, 2011, Herzlich made his first NFL start against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

. Set to become a free agent in 2014, he re-signed with the Giants on March 7, 2014. On March 20, 2017, Herzlich re-signed with the Giants. On September 2, 2017, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a stinger in training camp. On March 12, 2018, Herzlich re-signed with the Giants. On September 1, 2018, Herzlich was released by the Giants.

Post-playing career

Herzlich joined

ACC Network ACC Network (ACCN) is an American multinational subscription-television channel owned and operated by ESPN Inc. Dedicated to coverage of the Atlantic Coast Conference, it was announced in July 2016 and launched on August 22, 2019. The channel o ...

following the end of his playing career, where he serves as a color commentator.

Personal life

Herzlich is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. He is married to Danielle Herzlich. They have three children.

References

External links

Profile at BCEagles.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herzlich, Mark 1987 births American football linebackers American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Boston College Eagles football players College football announcers Living people New York Giants players People from Kirkwood, Missouri Players of American football from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Chester County, Pennsylvania Sportspeople from St. Louis County, Missouri Ed Block Courage Award recipients