Mark Putnam "Putt" Choate (born December 11, 1956) is a former

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 ...

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 ...

Biography

Choate was born on December 11, 1956 in

Big Spring, Texas Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 27,282 as of the 2010 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, A ...

. Choate attended Coahoma, Texas High School before attending Southern Methodist University.

Career

Choate was signed as an undrafted free agent by 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 May 1979. He spent the entire 1979 season on injured reserve after suffering a broken leg in training camp on August 13, 1979. He was released by the Falcons following the season and then was cut by 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 ...

on August 1, 1980. After spending two years out of football, Choate was signed as a free agent by the USFL's

Denver Gold The Denver Gold was a franchise in the United States Football League, an attempt to establish a second major professional football league in the United States, playing a springtime season, from 1983 to 1985. The Gold played their home games at Mi ...

on December 7, 1982. In 1983, Choate started all 18 games for the Gold and recorded a team-high 178 tackles. He also rushed 5 times for 148 yards for 2 touchdowns - both scored on fake punts. Prior to the 1984 campaign, Choate was surprisingly traded by the Gold to the expansion San Antonio Gunslingers on February 13, 1984 for quarterback Bob Gagliano. Choate went on to spearhead the "Bounty Hunter" defensive unit in San Antonio starting all 18 games recording 197 tackles, 6 sacks and 2 interceptions (1 for a touchdown return). In 1985, Choate once again led the Gunslingers by starting all 18 games, making 142 tackles, one sack and one interception. The USFL folded in August 1986, however, Choate was just one of three players in USFL history to play and start in all 54 regular season games over three seasons. After being a member of the

San Antonio Gunslingers The San Antonio Gunslingers were a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas, that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in 1984 and 1985. Owned by oil magnate Clinton Manges, the team played its home games in ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

, Choate played with 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 ...

during the

1987 NFL season The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. This season featured games predominantly played by replacement players, as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) players were on strike from ...

. He played at the collegiate level at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Choate, Putt People from Big Spring, Texas San Antonio Gunslingers players Denver Gold players Green Bay Packers players American football linebackers Southern Methodist University alumni SMU Mustangs football players 1956 births Living people

Biography

Career

See also

References