Marcus DeLando Nash (born February 1, 1976) is a retired American football
wide receiver, formerly of the
Dallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. The Desperados played in the Eastern Division of the Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008.
The franchise began play in as an expansion team, and have post ...
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 ...
. He was drafted by the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
30th overall in the
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 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 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at ...
. He played
college football at
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...
.
Nash has also been a member of the
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 pl ...
,
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
,
Detroit Fury and
Las Vegas Gladiators
{{Cat main, Thomas & Mack Center
Paradise, Nevada
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Wikipedia categories named after buildings and structures in the United States
Wikipedia categories named after sports venues ...
.
Professional career
Denver Broncos
Nash was drafted by the Broncos in the first round (30th overall) of the
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 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 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at ...
. During his rookie season, he appeared in eight games and caught four passes for 76 yards.
In 1999, Nash appeared in two games for the Broncos including one start, but recorded no statistics.
Miami Dolphins
On September 21, 1999, Nash was traded to the
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 pl ...
in exchange for running back
John Avery - another 1998 first-rounder. However, he was waived by the team just one week later.
Baltimore Ravens
Just over a month after his release from the Dolphins, Nash was signed by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
on October 25. He appeared in one game but did not catch any passes.
Detroit Fury
In 2003, Nash made the transition to 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 ...
with the
Detroit Fury. During his rookie season, he led the team in all receiving categories with 69 receptions for 866 yards and 24 touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 11 tackles, a fumble recovery, an interception and five pass breakups. He also returned two kickoffs for 19 yards. On February 14 against the
Carolina Cobras
The Carolina Cobras were an expansion franchise in the Arena Football League. The team was formed prior to the 2000 season, which endured a player strike.
The team was originally based in Raleigh, North Carolina, but moved to Charlotte followin ...
, Nash earned team MVP honors with eight receptions for 86 yards and three touchdowns.
Las Vegas Gladiators
Nash signed with the
Las Vegas Gladiators
{{Cat main, Thomas & Mack Center
Paradise, Nevada
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Wikipedia categories named after buildings and structures in the United States
Wikipedia categories named after sports venues ...
in 2004 and subsequently experienced his most productive season as a professional. He set an AFL record with 154 receptions and racked up 1,771 yards and 46 touchdowns. He also rushed 12 times for 21 yards and three touchdowns. For his performance, Nash was named the AFL's Offensive Player of the Year. On defense he recorded five tackles.
Nash continued to produce for the Gladiators in 2005 as he caught 129 passes for a career-high 1,787 yards and 41 touchdowns. He was named AFL Offensive Player of the Month in May after catching 36 passes for 415 yards and 13 touchdowns. Nash also carried the ball four times for four yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground. He recorded one tackle and returned three kickoffs for 10 yards.
In his final season with the Gladiators in 2006, Nash caught 122 passes for 1,281 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also rushed four times for five yards, recorded two tackles and returned two kickoffs for five yards.
Dallas Desperados
After three seasons with the Gladiators, Nash joined the
Dallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional arena football team based in Dallas, Texas. The Desperados played in the Eastern Division of the Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008.
The franchise began play in as an expansion team, and have post ...
in 2007. He caught 78 passes for 1,090 yards and 20 touchdowns. In a game against the
Kansas City Brigade
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the w ...
, he surpassed career milestones of 500 receptions and 6,000 receiving yards. Additionally in 2007, Nash rushed four times for five yards and three touchdowns.
In 2008, he caught over 100 passes for the fourth time in his career as he made 109 receptions for 1,318 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also rushed six times for seven yards on the season. In the team's playoff loss to the
New York Dragons
The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division. The team was founded in ...
on June 28, Nash suffered a career-ending neck injury.
Dallas Desperados – News
Notes
External links
Dallas Desperados biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Marcus
1976 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma
American football wide receivers
Tennessee Volunteers football players
Denver Broncos players
Miami Dolphins players
Baltimore Ravens players
Detroit Fury players
Las Vegas Gladiators players
Dallas Desperados players
Edmond Memorial High School alumni