Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2020
A leader on the football field and for his country, Mark King is the definition of a true Trojan Warrior. King found success in everything he did in life, earning numerous honors all while leading from the front.
“When [Mark] first came to Troy, we were all wondering who this guy was,” former teammate and Troy Hall of Famer Perry Griggs said. “On the first day of practice, everyone was amazed at how he could get off the ball so fast. We had a middle linebacker by the name of Rick Maxey (Troy Hall of Fame Class of 2016), and I saw Mark put him on his back, and from that moment on, we knew we had one of the best players in the conference anchoring our line.”
A two-time All-American, King is regarded as the best offensive linemen to ever wear the Cardinal and White. During his two years anchoring the offensive line (1973-74), King helped lead Troy to a Gulf South Conference championship in his first season. During that impressive ‘73 campaign, Troy’s running backs averaged four yards per carry while the Trojans led the Gulf South Conference in total offense, rushing offense, passing offense and scoring offense. Following the season, he was named to the Associated Press All-America First Team and was named the United Press International National Lineman of the Week twice.
“Mark knew that we had athletes around him,” Griggs said. “We had one of the best offensive lines in the country, and they provided the blocking that we needed to do our thing, and Mark was a big reason for our success on offense. He provided the intensity, and everyone fed off that intensity.”
King, a team captain and winner of the Capital City Bowl Sportsmanship and Leadership Trophy, continued to create mammoth-sized holes for his running backs on his way to being named to the NAIA All-America First Team and the Associated Press All-America First Team in 1974. He was also a semifinalist for the NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. But although he was a standout lineman in his own right, King was always helping his teammates improve their game.
“The moment Mark got to Troy he anchored our offensive line while also being a great teacher,” Griggs said. “He took another offensive lineman under his wing, and he helped him become one of the national linemen of the year because he held onto Mark’s work ethic and learned to come off the ball and use different techniques that Mark would show him.”
King, who was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, continued his football career in the NFL, where he played for the Kansas City Chiefs before coaching high school football in the state of Alabama.
When King’s football career finally ended, he joined the United States Marine Corps at the age of 28 where he served for 28 years, retiring at the rank of Full Colonel.
“Mark was the same guy off the field that he was on the field,” Griggs said. “When I saw him a year ago at a football game, he was still the same guy. He loves to conversate, tell jokes and talk about some of the toughest players he played against. He’s always just so personable with everyone he meets. A great guy.”
