Marcus LaJuan Pollard (born February 8, 1972) 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 wit ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense (sports), offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide ...

and current director of player development and youth football for the

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 pla ...

College career

Born in

Lanett, Alabama Lanett is a city in Chambers County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 6,468, down from 7,897 in 2000. Lanett, originally called Bluffton, is located in eastern Alabama, on the Chattahoochee River, southwest of Atlan ...

, Pollard attended Valley High School of

Valley, Alabama Valley is a city in Chambers County, Alabama, United States. Valley was incorporated in 1980 combining the four textile mill villages of Fairfax, Langdale, River View, and Shawmut. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 9,524. The city l ...

and

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Centr ...

, where he played

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. Bradley did not have a football program at the time he matriculated there. He played basketball as a power forward – two years starting at

Seward County Community College Seward County Community College (SCCC) is a public community college in Liberal, Kansas. History Established on December 29, 1967, its classes officially started on September 2, 1969. For the 2008–2009 academic year, Seward County Community Co ...

Liberal, Kansas Liberal is the county seat of Seward County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 19,825. Liberal is home of Seward County Community College. History Early settler S. S. Rogers built the first hou ...

, before transferring to Bradley, where he also started two years, averaging 7.3 points per game and 5 rebounds, while shooting .497 from the field. In 1993, he helped the team reach the third round of the

National Invitational Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

Professional career

Despite the fact he never played college football, Pollard was signed by 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 20 ...

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 1995. He developed into one of the better pass-catching tight ends while with the Colts. His best season was 2001, when he totaled 47 receptions and 8

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

, including one for 86 yards. On November 11, 2004, Pollard caught two touchdown passes to help the Colts to a 31-28 victory 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 expansio ...

. After the emergence of fellow tight end

Dallas Clark Dallas Dean Clark (born June 12, 1979) is a former American football tight end who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Iowa, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was reco ...

in Indianapolis left Pollard expendable, Pollard joined the

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 For ...

for two seasons. Pollard was also a member of 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 a ...

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 ...

and Atlanta Falcons.

NFL career statistics

Front office career

In 2013, Pollard was hired by the

as their Director of Player Development.

Personal life

Pollard and his wife, Amani, were cast members of the reality television show '' The Amazing Race 19''. They finished the competition in third place out of the 11 teams. They have four children together.

References

External links

Atlanta Falcons bio

Detroit Lions bio

New England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, Marcus 1972 births Living people American football tight ends Atlanta Falcons players Basketball players from Alabama American men's basketball players Bradley Braves men's basketball players Detroit Lions players Indianapolis Colts players Jacksonville Jaguars executives Junior college men's basketball players in the United States New England Patriots players People from Valley, Alabama Seattle Seahawks players The Amazing Race (American TV series) contestants People from Lanett, Alabama