Torrance Marshall
Encyclopedia
Torrance James Marshall (born June 12, 1977 in Miami, Florida
), is a former professional American football
player. He played high school football
at Miami Sunset Senior High. He played college football
at the University of Oklahoma
and was a the MVP of the 2001 Orange Bowl
. In the past, he has played in the National Football League
, primarily as a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers
. He is the nephew of former NFL player Harvey Clayton
.
, but was not accepted due to academic reasons. Instead, he attended Kemper Military School
, where he had a total of 198 tackles
, and later Miami-Dade Community College. In 1999, he began attending the University of Oklahoma
as a criminal justice
major, and was co-captain of his football team for two consecutive seasons. He was a third-team All American as a senior and finished second on the team in total tackles. He was named MVP
of the 2001 Orange Bowl
where the Sooners
defeated the Florida State Seminoles
to win the national championship for the 2000 season. He was also named MVP of the Senior Bowl
.
with the 72nd overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft
by the Green Bay Packers in the third round. He spent most of his rookie
season as a reserve player as well as on special teams, totaling twenty tackles. He made his first start
against the Tennessee Titans
that season, replacing the injured Nate Wayne
. During the 2002 season
, he began seeing action at fullback as well as linebacker when starter William Henderson was battling injuries. He totaled twenty-one tackles on special teams that season.
Marshall was suspended for the first four games of the 2003 season
but rebounded to post twenty-three tackles that season. He began the season again as a backup in 2004
but was placed on injured reserve
that season and was released at the end of the season.
of the Arena Football League as a fullback/linebacker. In his first season, he scored three touchdown
s out of eighteen rushing
attempts and made twenty solo tackles. He then signed with the Tampa Bay Storm
, where he set a franchise single-season rushing touchdown mark with 17 touchdowns on the ground.
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
), is a former professional American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Miami Sunset Senior High. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
and was a the MVP of the 2001 Orange Bowl
2001 Orange Bowl
The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
. In the past, he has played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, primarily as a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. He is the nephew of former NFL player Harvey Clayton
Harvey Clayton
Harvey Jerome Clayton is a former professional American football player who played cornerback for five seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants....
.
College
Marshall intended to spend his college playing career with the University of MiamiUniversity of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, but was not accepted due to academic reasons. Instead, he attended Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School
Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" .-Early years under Frederick T. Kemper:...
, where he had a total of 198 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, and later Miami-Dade Community College. In 1999, he began attending the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
as a criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
major, and was co-captain of his football team for two consecutive seasons. He was a third-team All American as a senior and finished second on the team in total tackles. He was named MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
of the 2001 Orange Bowl
2001 Orange Bowl
The 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game and BCS National Championship match between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles on January 3, 2001, at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida...
where the Sooners
2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 2000-2001. This season was Bob Stoops's second as head coach. The Sooners finished with a 13-0 record winning the Big 12 Conference and the national championship, the seventh national...
defeated the Florida State Seminoles
2000 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2000 Florida State Seminoles football team was the champion of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team finished with a 11-2 record, and lost in the 2001 BCS National Title Game to the Oklahoma Sooners...
to win the national championship for the 2000 season. He was also named MVP of the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
.
NFL career
Marshall was draftedDraft (sports)
A draft is a process used in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines to allocate certain players to sports teams. In a draft, teams take turns selecting from a pool of eligible players...
with the 72nd overall selection in the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
by the Green Bay Packers in the third round. He spent most of his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season as a reserve player as well as on special teams, totaling twenty tackles. He made his first start
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
against the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
that season, replacing the injured Nate Wayne
Nate Wayne
Nathaniel Wayne, Jr. is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Mississippi He graduated with a degree in criminal justice. He was known as "Mr...
. During the 2002 season
2002 Green Bay Packers season
During the 2002 Green Bay Packers season, the team completed a 12-4 regular season with before losing in the Wild Card playoff round to Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field...
, he began seeing action at fullback as well as linebacker when starter William Henderson was battling injuries. He totaled twenty-one tackles on special teams that season.
Marshall was suspended for the first four games of the 2003 season
2003 Green Bay Packers season
The 2003 Green Bay Packers season finished with an overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round of the playoffs, after the Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round in overtime off an interception return for a touchdown by Al Harris...
but rebounded to post twenty-three tackles that season. He began the season again as a backup in 2004
2004 Green Bay Packers season
The 2004 Green Bay Packers season started with the Packers losing four of their first five games, then winning their next six games, and finally ending in a Wild Card playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They finished with an overall record of 10-7....
but was placed on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
that season and was released at the end of the season.
Arena Football League
After taking the 2005 season off, Marshall joined the Austin WranglersAustin Wranglers
The Austin Wranglers were an arena football team based in Austin, Texas. They played four seasons in the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2007 and spent one season in AF2, the AFL's developmental league, in 2008. They made playoff appearances in the AFL in 2006 and in AF2 in 2008...
of the Arena Football League as a fullback/linebacker. In his first season, he scored three touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian 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.-Description:...
s out of eighteen rushing
Rush (American football)
Rushing has two different meanings in gridiron football .-Offense:The first is an action taken by the offensive team that means to advance the ball by running, as opposed to passing. A run is technically any play that does not involve a forward pass...
attempts and made twenty solo tackles. He then signed with the Tampa Bay Storm
Tampa Bay Storm
The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa....
, where he set a franchise single-season rushing touchdown mark with 17 touchdowns on the ground.