Mack Carlington Strong (born September 11, 1971) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

of the

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(NFL) for 15 seasons. After playing

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for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

, he was signed by the Seahawks as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 1993. Strong was selected the

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

twice in his career, in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. He currently is a football sportscaster for Root Sports Northwest. 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 Seahawks wide receiver Steve Largent.Farnesworth, Clare. (December 19, 2008)Holmgren ...

a record 5 times while with the Seahawks.

Early life

Mack Strong was born in

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He attended Brookstone School in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...

, and was a

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, and track. 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 and Rodney Hampton, 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 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, Strong amassed 1,210 yards rushing and receiving, and scored 10 touchdowns as a Georgia Bulldog.

Professional career

Originally signed as free agent out of Georgia, Strong played his entire 14-year career with the Seahawks and received the

a record five times (2001, 2002, 2004–2006). He blocked for three 1,000-yard rushers: Chris Warren, Ricky Watters, and

Shaun Alexander Shaun Edward Alexander (born August 30, 1977) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. He played college football for the Alaba ...

. 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

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until

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American actor and former professional American football, football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majori ...

's 67-yard rush against the Saints on January 8, 2011. 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 (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed throughou ...

and chosen as an ''

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'' 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. 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. After discussions with

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Mike Holmgren Michael George Holmgren (born June 15, 1948) is an American former American football, football coach and executive in the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career as a quarterbacks' coach and later as an offensive coordinator wit ...

, he was able to take on a position assisting the team's running backs. While being interviewed on

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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 (now Root Sports Northwest) 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". The show ended in 2011.

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