Mack Strong
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Mack Carlington Strong (born September 11, 1971) 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 ...
player who was a fullback for the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
of 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 14 seasons. After playing
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 ...
for the
University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...
, he was signed by the Seahawks 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
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
. Strong was selected the
Pro Bowl 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 ...
twice in his career, in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
and
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
. He currently is a football sportscaster for
Root Sports Northwest ROOT SPORTS Northwest (stylized as ROOT SPORTS Northwest) is an American regional sports network owned as a 60/40 joint venture between the Seattle Mariners and Warner Bros. Discovery respectively, the latter of which operates it through its spo ...
. He won the
Steve Largent Award The Steve Largent Award is given by the Seattle Seahawks annually to the team contributor(s) best exemplifying the spirit, dedication, and integrity of former Seahawk wide receiver Steve Largent.Farnesworth, Clare. (December 19, 2008)Holmgren Wins ...
a record 5 times while with the Seahawks.


Early years

Mack Strong was born in
Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. He attended
Brookstone School Brookstone School is a private, college-preparatory school in Columbus, Georgia, United States. It was established in 1951. Athletics Brookstone has women's teams in 13 sports and men's teams in 11 sports. Notable alumni * Marshall Leonard, ...
in
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...
, and was a
letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...
in
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
,
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
, and
track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
. In football, he had 4,414 rushing yards and 86 touchdowns during his career.


College career

He was recruited by teams all over the south, and in 1989 Strong opted to stay home and sign with the University of Georgia Bulldogs. The tradition of running backs at that school, which included Herschel Walker, led Strong to believe there was a real opportunity to make it to the NFL as a tailback. The Bulldogs had a couple of older running backs named
Tim Worley Timothy Ashley Worley (born September 24, 1966) is a former American football running back who played for the Georgia Bulldogs in college, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Early years Worley w ...
and
Rodney Hampton Rodney Craig Hampton (born April 3, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 1990 NFL D ...
, both future first-round picks, so Strong had trouble finding playing time as a freshman. By his sophomore season, the team added top recruit
Garrison Hearst Gerard Garrison Hearst (born January 4, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Georgia, and was r ...
and a ballyhooed transfer from Long Beach State named
Terrell Davis Terrell Lamar Davis (born October 28, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2001. He is the Broncos all-time leading rusher and ...
. If Strong hadn’t done the math, his coaches did it for him. He was told he could either move to fullback and block for the others, or he could sit and watch them from the bench. Strong became a full-time starter at fullback for his final two years at Georgia, earning the honor of offensive captain as a senior. His blocking helped Hearst get drafted in the first round, while Davis went on to become a late-round NFL success story who went on to win Super Bowl MVP honors. As their workmanlike bodyguard, Strong was all but overlooked at Georgia. Despite his quiet leadership, blue-collar work ethic and impressive blocking style, he went undrafted after his senior season. Despite being primarily a blocker, in his four years in Athens Strong amassed 1,210 yards rushing and receiving, and scored 10 touchdowns.


Professional career

Originally signed as free agent out of Georgia, Strong played his entire 14-year career with the Seahawks and received the
Steve Largent Award The Steve Largent Award is given by the Seattle Seahawks annually to the team contributor(s) best exemplifying the spirit, dedication, and integrity of former Seahawk wide receiver Steve Largent.Farnesworth, Clare. (December 19, 2008)Holmgren Wins ...
a record five times (2001, 2002, 2004–2006). He has blocked for three 1,000-yard rushers: Chris Warren,
Ricky Watters Richard James Watters (born April 7, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Watters played ...
, and
Shaun Alexander Shaun Edward Alexander (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the ...
. He held the Seahawks team record for longest rush in a playoff game with a 32-yard run during the 2005 divisional playoff 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 ...
until
Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Seahawks. Lync ...
's 67-yard rush against the Saints on January 8, 2011. In
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
Strong was selected to his first
NFL Pro Bowl 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 ...
and chosen as an ''
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 ...
'' All-Pro. He was known as one of the best blocking fullbacks in the NFL. Strong was again selected to the Pro Bowl in 2006.


Retirement

In the 2007 season Strong suffered a herniated disk in his vertebrae in his neck against the
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 ...
. The injury was said not to be life-threatening if Strong discontinued his playing of football. On October 8, 2007, Strong announced his retirement after 15 seasons due to this injury.http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3054911
/ref> After discussions with
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Mike Holmgren Michael George Holmgren (born June 15, 1948) is a former American football coach and executive. He began his NFL career as a quarterbacks' coach and later as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, where they won Super Bowls XXII ...
, he was able to take on a position assisting the team's running backs. While being interviewed on
Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
on November 12, 2007, he hinted at a possible future in the broadcast booth. Strong and his wife, Zoe, devote their time to working with the Washington Chapter of HOPE ''worldwide'', a non-profit organization. He is a founder of their signature program in Washington state, the Mack Strong TEAM-WORKS Academy.


Personal life

Strong and his family currently reside in Issaquah, Washington.


Broadcasting career

On July 30, 2008,
Fox Sports Northwest ROOT SPORTS Northwest (stylized as ROOT SPORTS Northwest) is an American regional sports network owned as a 60/40 joint venture between the Seattle Mariners and Warner Bros. Discovery respectively, the latter of which operates it through its spo ...
announced that Strong would be joining the network's talent team. In addition to providing insight and commentary on FSN's Seahawks coverage, he also was given his own show, titled "Mack Strong: Seahawks Insider".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Mack 1971 births Living people American football fullbacks Georgia Bulldogs football players Seattle Seahawks players National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from Columbus, Georgia Ed Block Courage Award recipients