Mark Fremont Schlereth (/ˈʃlɛrɪθ/; born January 25, 1966) is an American former professional football player who is a television and radio sportscaster. Schlereth played guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons (1989–2000) with the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos. He is currently a football analyst for Fox Sports, appearing on FS1, and other programs. He also co-hosted Sedano & Stink with Jorge Sedano from 7–10 p.m. ET on ESPN Radio until late March 2015 when he left the program to pursue other broadcast opportunities.[1] He also appeared on the soap opera Guiding Light, and 2012's Red Dawn remake.
.jpg) Schlereth in 2022 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | January 25, 1966 Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 287 lb (130 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Robert Service (Anchorage) | ||||||||
| College: | Idaho (1984–1988) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1989 / round: 10 / pick: 263 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Early life and college
editSchlereth was born and grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, and struggled with dyslexia as a youth — he did not learn to read until he was seven.[2] He graduated from Robert Service High School in 1984. Growing up in Alaska, Schlereth did not receive much attention as a college football prospect; the only schools that offered him a scholarship were Idaho and Hawaii. He accepted the scholarship offer from the University of Idaho from head coach Dennis Erickson. Erickson departed following the 1985 season, and Schlereth started at left guard on the Vandals' offensive line for new head coach Keith Gilbertson, blocking for quarterbacks Scott Linehan and John Friesz. In his senior season in 1988, the Vandals advanced to the national semifinals, and he was second-team all-Big Sky.[3][4][5][6]
Schlereth was a charter member of the University of Idaho Athletics Hall of Fame, inducted in 2008.[7]
Professional career
editSchlereth was selected in the tenth round (#263 overall) of the 1989 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins.[8] He played 12 NFL seasons—six with the Denver Broncos (1995–2000). He was a member of three Super Bowl championship teams (one with the Redskins and two with the Broncos) and was selected to the Pro Bowl for his performances in the 1991 and 1998 seasons. On January 25, 1998, Schlereth celebrated his 32nd birthday on the same day he helped the Broncos win Super Bowl XXXII, a 31–24 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Before ending his playing career, Schlereth endured 29 surgeries. Twenty of those surgeries were performed on his knees (15 left, five right). After the 13th procedure on his left knee on July 24, 2000, Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan stated, "He has a great pain threshold. I think the doctors said that it was the worst knee that they've ever seen." Schlereth would have two more procedures on his left knee during the 2000 season, his last in the NFL. His injuries are documented on Athlete 360, the sports medicine television show hosted by Schlereth's former Redskins teammate, Dr. Mark Adickes.
On April 18, 2001, Schlereth announced his retirement. "The reason I came out here today was to announce that I have just signed a six-year, $42 million contract to extend my career with the Denver Broncos. The truth of the matter is, after going through my 15th operation on my left knee last November, it became painfully obvious that I couldn't sign a six-year contract for $42 worth of Tupperware. I started to realize in the last three months of free agency that there is not a lot of market for a 6 ft. 3 in, 245-pound guard that is 35 years old and beat to a pulp." He landed a job with ESPN soon after.
Television/radio career
editAfter retirement, Schlereth hosted an afternoon sports talk radio show on Denver AM radio 760 The Zone with fellow former Broncos lineman David "Doc" Diaz-Infante. The show was frequently referred to as the "Stink and Doc" show. Schlereth was a part-time analyst with ESPN for a time, commuting from Denver to Connecticut, before leaving 760 to go full-time with ESPN in 2004. He was an analyst on NFL Live (2004–2017) and SportsCenter.
Schlereth revealed on the Mike and Mike in the Morning show that he was considering a career in acting, mainly on soap operas, under the name Roc Hoover.[9] Schlereth originally chose the name Rock Hoover, however after cybersquatters took several domain names pertaining to that name he dropped the k from Rock and became Roc Hoover.[9] He announced on May 4, 2007, that he was cast as Detective Roc Hoover, a recurring role, on the soap opera, Guiding Light.[10]
Schlereth was a featured athlete on Athlete 360, a sports medicine television show.
After the 2010 NFC Championship Game, Schlereth was critical of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, tweeting "As a guy who had 20 knee surgeries you'd have to drag me out on a stretcher to leave a championship game!"[11] In 2012 Schlereth appeared on the Discovery Channel show American Guns. He worked with the staff at Gunsmoke gun shop to find a suitable firearm he could use on a hunting trip with his son.[12] Since 2015, Schlereth has appeared as himself in a number of episodes of HBO's Ballers.[13]
Since 2017, Schlereth has been a color commentator for NFL games broadcast on Fox NFL, initially being paired with Dick Stockton on the #6 team for 4 seasons, until being paired with former ESPN colleagues Adam Amin and Lindsay Czarniak on the #3 team. He also co-hosts a radio show in Denver on 104.3 The Fan, and appears as an analyst on FS1 television programming. He was a frequent guest and fill-in host for Mike Golic on Mike and Mike in the Morning. He has also filled in for Jim Rome on Jim Rome is Burning.
In 2024, Schlereth became a co-host alongside Craig Carton and Danny Parkins on Fox Sports 1 (FS1)'s Breakfast Ball.[14]
Personal life
editSchlereth is a Christian.[15] Schlereth is married to Lisa Schlereth.[15] They have three children: Alexandria, Avi, and Daniel. Alexandria was an actress featured on the MyNetworkTV series Desire in 2006. Avi was a contestant on Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce's reality dating show Catching Kelce, but was not chosen. She is still pursuing a modeling career in California. Daniel was a pitcher in Major League Baseball, having appeared in 94 games in a relief capacity.[16] Originally from Anchorage Alaska, Mark told the story his rookie year of buried fish heads, known as "Stinkheads," that native Alaskans would dig up and eat if food was scarce. That name stuck and eventually "Stink" became his nickname and became the name of "Stinkin' Good" years later.[17]
References
edit- ^ Glasspiegel, Ryan (March 20, 2015). "Mark Schlereth Leaving ESPN Radio Program; Jorge Sedano and Bomani Jones Getting Solo Shows". Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ Mike and Mike in the Morning, ESPN, air date January 11, 2007.
- ^ "All-BSC: Six Vandals make first-team". Idahonian. (Moscow). staff and wire report. November 30, 1988. p. 6A.
- ^ "UI's Friesz named Big Sky first-team quarterback". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). staff and wire reports. November 30, 1988. p. 1B.
- ^ "Friesz and Hale unanimous picks". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 30, 1988. p. D1.
- ^ "Dozen Vandals land on Big Sky all-stars". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). staff and wire reports. November 30, 1988. p. C1.
- ^ "2008 Hall of Fame - University of Idaho Athletics Official Site — GoVandals.com". Admin.xosn.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
- ^ "1989 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Mike and Mike in the Morning, ESPN, air date May 15, 2007.
- ^ Mike and Mike in the Morning, ESPN, air date May 4, 2007.
- ^ @markschlereth (January 23, 2011). "As a guy how had 20 knee surgeries you'd have to drag me out on a stretcher to Leave a championship game! #justsaying" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "American Guns show schedule". Discovery Channel website. 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ Mark Schlereth at IMDb
- ^ Greenberg, Jon (August 26, 2024). "Danny Parkins is ready to start his new life as a national TV talking head". The Athletic. Retrieved August 29, 2024 – via The New York Times.
- ^ a b Ackerman, Jon (June 23, 2020). "Mark Schlereth discusses how he received and gave spiritual guidance on NFL teams". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved December 23, 2021.
- ^ "Daniel Schlereth: Teams Played For". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ Mark Schlereth Earned His Nickname "Stink" by NOT Holding It In During Football Games | FAIR GAME, retrieved December 25, 2022
External links
edit- MarksAllPros.com - Mark Schlereth's business referral network
- Pro football stats - Mark Schlereth
- NFL.com - 1989 NFL Draft - Mark Schlereth - # 263
- Mark Schlereth at IMDb
- University of Idaho Athletics Hall of Fame - Mark Schlereth
- Alaska High School Hall of Fame - Mark Schlereth
- Mark Schlereth's Fox Sports bio
- Mark Schlereth's ESPN bio
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference ·