 Herzlich with theNew York Giants in 2016 | |||||||||
| No. 44, 94 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1987-09-01)September 1, 1987 (age 38) Kirkwood, Missouri, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 236 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Conestoga (Berwyn, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College | Boston College (2006–2010) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2011: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Mark Herzlich Jr. (born September 1, 1987) is an Americansports commentator and former professionalfootball player. He played as alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL).
Herzlich playedcollege football for theBoston College Eagles. He was signed by theNew York Giants as anundrafted free agent in 2011 and played all seven seasons of his professional career with the Giants.[1]
Herzlich was born in Kirkwood, Missouri,[2] the son of Barbara Read (born Martin), a former tennis player, and Sandon Mark Herzlich.[3][4] His paternal grandfather'sAshkenazi Jewish family leftAustria after theGerman annexation.[5] His father was raised Jewish and converted to Protestantism when Herzlich was born.[6] He has one sibling, younger brother Bradley Martin, who was a member of the football team atBrown University.[7]
Herzlich attendedConestoga High School inTredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, where he earnedAssociated Press Class First-team AAAA All-State honors as senior linebacker. Considered a three-star prospect byRivals.com, Herzlich was recruited byBoston College,Duke,North Carolina,Vanderbilt andVirginia.[8] He was committed to Virginia some time before he chose to play for Boston College.[8] He recorded 142 tackles and made four interceptions as a junior and also lined up at fullback in 2003 and 2004, scoring three offensive touchdowns. As a senior, he registered a team-high 153 tackles, including 48 solo stops, in 2005, and totaled eight tackles for loss, including four sacks; he also returned a blocked field goal 86 yards for a touchdown. He led the Pioneers to back-to-back Central League titles (2004 and 2005) and became the first player in school history to win the team MVP award three times. Herzlich was also a lacrosse star at Conestoga, and received a scholarship offer from Johns Hopkins University to play lacrosse.
Herzlich went on to attendBoston College and played in all 13 games as atrue freshman. He earnedCollege Football News Freshman All-American honors with a total of 42 tackles (32 solo), including 5.0 tackles for a loss and 1.0 sack, one interception and forced two fumbles. As a sophomore, he started all 14 games for the Eagles and finished the season second in total tackles with 97 (55 solos, 42 assists). He also led the team with 12 tackles-for-loss to go with 1.5quarterback sacks and 4 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries. Herzlich entered his junior season (2008) as a preseason all-star candidate. He was named to theLott Trophy andButkus Award watchlists prior to the season.[9] In 2008 Herzlich was a First-teamAll-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Butkus Award, and a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy. He led the team with 110 tackles and 81 stops, six interceptions, eight pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 13 tackles for a loss. In November 2008, Herzlich was a projected top-15 pick by many scouts for the2009 NFL draft but announced his return to Boston College for the 2009 season.
Herzlich missed the entire 2009 season due toEwing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, which he overcame and earned numerous honors for his courage and outreach, including theDisney Spirit Award,Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award, an honoraryLott Trophy, and the ACC Commissioner's Cup.
In 2010, Herzlich returned to the football field and won theRudy Award and the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award after starting all 13 games and finishing third on the team with 65 tackles and 50 solo stops. He tied for first on the team with two forced fumbles, second on the team with four interceptions and four pass break ups and also had 3.5 tackles for a loss.[10]
On May 14, 2009, Herzlich announced that he had been diagnosed withEwing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, stating in a press release:
Obviously, I was shocked. I had been extremely focused on preparing for my senior season at Boston College and for life beyond that. Now, I must channel all that energy into facing my toughest opponent yet, and that is exactly what I will do...At this point, I do not know what this means for my football future, but I am determined to rid my body of this disease so that I can put that uniform back on. Thank you in advance for your prayers and concern. Together, we will fight this and win.[11]
On September 29, 2009, Mark Herzlich announced that he was cancer free. This was confirmed by the team doctors. He publicly announced this during the ESPN and Home Depot College Gameday Special at Boston College on October 3, 2009.[12] He sat out the remainder of the 2009 season and returned in 2010, registering five tackles (three solo) in the season-opening 38-20 win against FCS school Weber State.
Despite not playing college football in 2009, he received theDisney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award for overcoming cancer, as well as theNils V. "Swede" Nelson Award for sportsmanship. In January 2011, he received the "Most Courageous Athlete" award from thePhiladelphia Sports Writers Association.[13]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 244 lb (111 kg) | 32+3⁄8 in (0.82 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.91 s | 1.71 s | 2.76 s | 4.46 s | 7.32 s | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) | 29 reps | 34 |
| All values fromNFL Combine[14] | ||||||||||||
Herzlich was not selected in the2011 NFL draft even though he was invited to attend the event. After going undrafted, Herzlich was selected with the 51st pick of the 10th round by theOmaha Nighthawks of the UFL. Despite this, Herzlich stated that he would wait for anNFL contract rather than join theUFL.[15]
On July 26, 2011, theNew York Giants signed Herzlich to a three-year, $1.41 million contract as an undrafted free agent at the recommendation of ownerJohn Mara.[16][17] Herzlich made theNew York Giants final 53 man roster. On November 20, 2011, Herzlich made his first NFL start against thePhiladelphia Eagles.[18] Set to become a free agent in 2014, he re-signed with the Giants on March 7, 2014.[19]
On March 20, 2017, Herzlich re-signed with the Giants.[20] On September 2, 2017, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering a stinger in training camp.[21]
On March 12, 2018, Herzlich re-signed with the Giants.[22]
On September 1, 2018, Herzlich was released by the Giants.[23]
Herzlich joinedACC Network following the end of his playing career, where he serves as a color commentator.[24]
Herzlich is aChristian.[25] He is married to Danielle Herzlich. They have three children.[26][27]
