Mark Alan Royals (born June 22, 1965) 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 ...

punter in the

National Football League 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 ...

(NFL) for 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 ...

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

. 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 ...

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

Early years

Royals attended Mathews High School, where he practiced football and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

. In football, he punted, kicked off and played multiple positions (cornerback, tight end, defensive end).

College career

Royals enrolled at Chowan Junior College. As a freshman, he contributed to the team winning the 1981 East Bowl Championship. As a sophomore, he received All-Conference honors. Royals transferred after his sophomore season to

. He averaged 42.0 yards in three seasons as a starter. He finished his college career with 6 school records: single-game punts (13 vs. The Citadel in 1985), single-season punts (85 in 1984), career punts (231), single-game punting yards (512), single-season punting yards (3,529 in 1984) and career punting yards (9,670). In 2006, he was inducted into the Chowan Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2009, he was inducted into the Appalachian State University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Royals was signed 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 ...

by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

after the

1986 NFL Draft The 1986 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1986, at the Marriott Marq ...

. On August 8, he was released before the start of the season, after not being able to pass incumbent

Mike Saxon Michael Eric Saxon (born July 10, 1962) is a former American football punter in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at San Diego State University. He won Sup ...

on the depth chart.

St. Louis Cardinals (first stint)

On September 30, 1987, he signed as a replacement player with the

, after the

NFLPA The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeMa ...

strike was declared on the third week of the season. In the first strike game against 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 ...

, he made six punts for 222 yards (37-yard average). On October 9, he was released after starter Greg Cater crossed the picket line.

Philadelphia Eagles

On October 14, 1987, he signed as a replacement player with the

, to help solve the kicking problems the team was having. He played in one game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, hitting 6 punts for a 41.8-yard average. He was cut on October 19, at the end of the strike.

Phoenix Cardinals (second stint)

On April 1, 1988, he went to training camp with the

Phoenix Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...

. On July 27, he was waived after not beating

Greg Horne Gregory Lee Horne (born November 22, 1964) is a former professional American football punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Arkansas. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fift ...

Miami Dolphins (first stint)

In May 1989, he signed with the

. On August 28, he was cut after not passing incumbent

Reggie Roby Reginald Henry Roby (July 30, 1961 – February 22, 2005) was an American professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the Iowa H ...

on the depth chart.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (first stint)

On April 24, 1990, he was signed by the

. He made the team after beating out Chris Mohr. He had 72 punts (40.3-yard avg.) and received All-rookie honors from

Football Digest ''Football Digest'' was a sports magazine for fans interested in professional American football, with in-depth coverage of the National Football League (NFL). The magazine modeled the ''Reader's Digest'' idea, to bring the best in football journali ...

. In 1991, he hit 84 punts (40.3-yard avg.), while setting a then-franchise record with 22 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. He had 6 punts for a season-best 46.8-yard average against the

Pittsburgh Steelers

On March 15, 1992, he signed as a Plan B free agent with the

. He ranked fifth in the AFC with a 42.7-yard average per punt. In 1993, he made 89 punts (42.5-yard avg.) and had 22 punts of 50 or more yards. He led the AFC with 28 punts inside the 20 and just 3 touchbacks. He received AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in the ninth game against the

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

, after hitting a 58-yarder and downing 3 punts inside the 20. He had a career-high 11 punts against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. Royals is also known for a bad punt he kicked in the AFC wildcard game between the Steelers and the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

on January 8, 1994. Near the end of the fourth quarter with Pittsburgh leading Kansas City by seven points, Royals failed to direct a punt towards a sideline, and instead, punted the ball forward directly towards the

line of scrimmage In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end o ...

. The punt was blocked and recovered by Kansas City. With 1:43 remaining in the fourth quarter and on 4th down, Kansas City quarterback

Joe Montana Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", ...

threw a touchdown pass to receiver Tim Barnett. The ensuing PAT tied the game which then went into sudden death overtime. Kansas City kicker

Nick Lowery Dominic Gerald Lowery (born May 27, 1956) is a former American football placekicker. In his career he played for the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, and New York Jets. He played in college at Dartmouth College. Lowery was selected to th ...

eventually kicked the game winning

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

for the Chiefs eliminating the Steelers from the playoffs. In 1994, he set club records with 97 punts and 3,849 punt yards, while averaging 39.7 yards and tying an NFL record with 35 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. He tied his career-best with 11 punts and set a career-high eight punts downed inside the 20, in the ninth game against the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

. He averaged 44.4 yards per punt with a long of 55 yards in the AFC Championship Game against the

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 ...

. Royals left as one of the punting leaders in franchise history with 259 punts (fourth), a 41.5-yard average (fourth) and 85 punts downed inside the 20-yard line (second).

Detroit Lions

On April 26, 1995, he signed as a

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 ...

with the

. He averaged 42.0 yards per punt and hit a career-high 69-yarder. He had 6 punts for a 48.8-yard average against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

. In 1996, he had 69 punts for a 43.8-yard average. He tallied a 49.8-yard average per punt against 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. ...

New Orleans Saints

On April 25, 1997, he was signed as a

by the

. He led the league and set a franchise record with a 45.9-yard average. He also placed 21 punts inside the 20 and posted a net average of 34.9 yards. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, after hitting 6 punts for a 57-yard average against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. In 1998, he led the NFC with a 45.6-yard average on 88 punts, while setting a team record by leading the NFC in gross average in 2 consecutive seasons. He set a career-high net average of 36.0 yards and downed 26 punts inside the 20. He hit 7 punts for a 53.1-yard average against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, after downing 5 punts inside the 20-yard line, including 3 in the fourth quarter against the

. On June 29, 1999, he was cut after the team signed

Tommy Barnhardt.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (second stint)

On August 4, 1999, he was signed as a

by the

to replace Barnhardt. He appeared in all 16 games and ranked third in the NFC with a team single-season record gross average of 43.13 yards on 90 punts. He also ranked second in the conference with a net average of 37.4 (second in team history) and downed 23 punts inside the 20 (second in team history). In 2000, he appeared in all 16 games, punting 85 times for 3,551 yards (41.8-yard avg.), including a long of 63 yards. He averaged 49.9 yards on seven punts against the

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 ...

. In the 41–13 win over the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, he did not attempt a punt for the first time in his career. He completed a 36-yard pass to

Damien Robinson Damien Robinson (born December 22, 1973) is a former safety of the NFL. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks. He attended college at the University of Iowa. Professional career Philadelphia Eagles The E ...

on a fake punt and averaged 48.3 yards on four punts against the

. In 2001, he punted 83 times for 3,382 yards (40.7-yard avg.), including a long of 61 yards, while setting the club's single-season record with 26 punts inside the 20. He had 7 punts for 319 yards (45.6-yard avg.) against the Detroit Lions, downing two inside the 20, including a season-long 61-yarder. He broke Frank Garcia's franchise record for career punts with his 378th against the

. On March 1, 2002, he was released because of for salary cap considerations.

Miami Dolphins (second stint)

On April 15, 2002, he was signed as a

by the

, after they were not able to reach a contract agreement with

Matt Turk Matthew Edward Turk (born June 16, 1968) is a former American football punter. He was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 1993. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. A three- ...

. He punted 69 times for 2,772 yards, a 40.2-yard average (his worst average in 13 seasons as a starting punter), a net of 34.5 (eighth in the AFC) and 15 punts inside the 20. He also served as the holder on placements. Against the

, he had a season-best 47.8-yard average on five punts, including a long punt of 56 yards. Against the

, he had a 47.3-yard average on four punts and a season-high with 2 punts inside the 20. On September 27, 2003, he was released after averaging 40.2 yards on 16 punts during the first three games of the season, ranking him among the worst punters in the NFL, and continuing the trend of his punting average continually dropping 5 straight seasons. He was replaced with Turk.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On October 10, 2003, he signed as a

with the

, to replace

Pro Bowler The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

Chris Hanson. During that season, head coach

Jack Del Rio Jack Louis Del Rio Jr. (born April 4, 1963) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a linebacker at the University of South ...

placed a wooden stump and axe in the Jaguars locker room as a symbol of his theme advising players to "keep choppin' wood". After his teammates had been taking swings at the wood with the axe, Hanson followed and ended up seriously wounding his non-kicking foot, which forced him to be placed on

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 ...

on October 10. Royals punted 45 times for 1,852 yards and a 41.2 average. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Personal life

Royals was a

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...

for coverage of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The f ...

on the regional sports television network Spectrum Sports Florida. He also co-hosted various

sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...

shows.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Royals, Mark 1965 births Living people American football punters Chowan Hawks football players Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Dallas Cowboys players Philadelphia Eagles players St. Louis Cardinals (football) players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Pittsburgh Steelers players Detroit Lions players New Orleans Saints players Miami Dolphins players Jacksonville Jaguars players American color commentators Players of American football from Hampton, Virginia People from Mathews, Virginia National Football League replacement players