 Starks in 2006 | |||||||
| No. 78, 79 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | (1982-01-10)January 10, 1982 (age 43) Orlando, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 345 lb (156 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Lake Highland Preparatory School | ||||||
| College: | Florida | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2004: 3rd round, 75th pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Maximillian Weisner Starks IV (born January 10, 1982) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anoffensive tackle for 10 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theFlorida Gators. He was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the2004 NFL draft, and also played for theSan Diego Chargers,St. Louis Rams, andArizona Cardinals.
A longtime fan favorite amongSteeler fans, Starks turned to broadcasting after he retired from playing and is currently the sideline reporter for thePittsburgh Steelers Radio Network.
Starks was born inOrlando, Florida.[1] He attended Orlando Christian School for sixth to eighth graders, where he played basketball and volleyball for the OCS Knights. As an eighth grader he wore size 16 shoes; when he had a difficult time finding shoes that fit, he borrowed shoes fromNBA starShaquille O'Neal, who played at the time for theOrlando Magic; Starks was aball boy for the Magic at that time.[2] Starks attendedLake Highland Preparatory School,[3] a private prep school in Orlando. He was one of the state's top offensive linemen in 1999, was named toSuper Prep's, National Bluechips and Prep Star's high schoolAll-America teams, and was aUSA Today honorable mention All-American.[4] He was a two-time all-conference selection inbasketball.[4]
Starks accepted an athletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,[4] where he played for coachSteve Spurrier and coachRon Zook'sFlorida Gators football teams from2000 to2003.[5] During his time as a Gator, he won aSoutheastern Conference (SEC) championship ring (2000) and blocked for record-setting GatorsquarterbacksRex Grossman (2000–2002) andChris Leak (2003).[4] As a senior, Starks was a team captain and first-team All-SEC selection.[5]
While he was a Florida undergraduate, Starks was a member ofAlpha Phi AlphaFraternity. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2007.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 350 lb (159 kg) | 35+1⁄2 in (0.90 m) | 10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) | 5.56 s | 4.65 s | 7.88 s | 30.0 in (0.76 m) | 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) | 21 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[6] | ||||||||||||
Starks was among the largest NFL players, standing at 6'8" and 370 pounds with size 19 shoes. Four other relatives of Starks have been professional football players.[7] He wasdrafted in 2004, round three, pick 12, by the Steelers.[8] He became a starter for the first time in the 2005 season for the eventualSuper Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
Entering the2007 season, Starks lost his starting job toWillie Colon; however, he played in all 16 games. He also started 4 games at the end of the season at left tackle in place of the injuredMarvel Smith. On February 21, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers placed the transition tag on Starks. He signed his one-year, $6.85-million tender offer on April 19. He signed another one-year contract with the Steelers following their victory inSuper Bowl XLIII.[9]
On June 23, 2009, the Steelers signed Starks to a new four-year, $26.3 million contract. The deal included $10 million in guarantees.[10]
He was released by the Steelers on July 28, 2011,[11] but was later re-signed on October 5, 2011. After the season, he worked on the rehabilitation of a knee injury and said he hoped to return to the Steelers for the 2012 season. In July 2012, he announced onTwitter that he had re-signed with the Steelers.[12] Starks started all 16 Steelers games in 2012.[13]
Starks signed a one-year contract with theSan Diego Chargers on May 21, 2013.[14][15] He was released on August 30, 2013.
On September 18, 2013, he signed a one-year contract with theSt. Louis Rams; he was released on October 1, 2013.
On August 1, 2014, Starks signed with theArizona Cardinals. He was released on August 25, 2014.[16][17] He announced his retirement from professional football in January 2015.
In 2021, Starks returned to the Steelers as the sideline reporter for thePittsburgh Steelers Radio Network. His addition was part of a larger reshuffling, as he replaced fellow former Steelers offensive linemanCraig Wolfley, who moved to the booth alongside longtime play-by-play manBill Hillgrove to replace former teammateTunch Ilkin as color analyst following the latter's retirement and death due to complications fromALS. Starks works alongsideMissi Matthews during games.[18] Starks would also replace Ilkin as Wolfley's broadcast partner on Steelers Nation Radio for the team's in-season analysis show onWBGG.
Starks is the son of former professionaldefensive linemanRoss Browner. Starks discovered he wasn't the biological son of Max Starks III, his stepfather, when he was in high school.[19]
Ross Browner, who was a first-round selection in the1978 NFL draft by theCincinnati Bengals, started 36 of 43 games during his career. Browner was a two-time (1976, 1977) All-American defensive lineman atNotre Dame and won theLombardi andMaxwell Awards. The Browner family as a whole is second to theMatthews Family with regard to NFL players in the family. Ross's brothersJoey Browner, Jimmy Browner, andKeith Browner all played in the NFL. Starks's cousin,Keith Browner, Jr., played with theHouston Texans.
Starks appeared inChunky Soup commercials eating soup with Steelers back-upquarterbackCharlie Batch,defensive tackleCasey Hampton and others.
In 2006, he traveled withSeattle Seahawksdefensive endBryce Fisher andAtlanta Falconsdefensive endPatrick Kerney on theUSO Tour, traveling to United States military bases, a tradition begun by such NFL greats asFrank Gifford andJohnny Unitas. In 2005 Starks visited theUSSTheodore Roosevelt at sea, along with members of theCincinnati Bengals coaching staff.
Starks was heavily involved in the local community at the University of Florida. He served as a tutor in Gainesville, Florida and worked with Kids Against Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco. Starks also became involved with the charity Cents of Relief which works to prevent human trafficking and allow access to healthcare for vulnerable populations, particularly women of prostitution and their children.[20][21] He currently serves on the charity's board of directors.[22]
