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Marshall Faulk: a king without the trappings of royalty

The Rams running back is arguably the most unaffected superstar in the NFL.

By DARRELL FRY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 7, 2001

ST. LOUIS -- He is coming off a career-defining season. He is called the best player in the NFL. And, barring something extraordinary, he is destined for the Hall of Fame.

Relay this information to St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk and he simply shrugs his shoulders as if you've just informed him the world is indeed round.

"I don't pay any of that any attention," he says.

Here's another label for Marshall Faulk: arguably the most unaffected superstar in the NFL. Think Pete Sampras in shoulder pads.

For the past three seasons, Faulk has been the quintessential player at his position, a guy who discombobulates defenses because he's just as dangerous as a receiver as he is taking a handoff.

Since 1997, he has averaged 1,353 rushing yards and 84.7 catches for 928.7 yards per season. Last year, he scored a league-record 26 times and topped 2,000 total yards for the third straight season.

As former Steelers running back Merril Hoge once said when talking about the league's premier running backs, "Marshall's the king, and then there's everybody else."

Yet Faulk is anything but your typical superstar. He doesn't revel in his celebrity, which grows by the year. He is selective about the promotions and endorsement deals he'll attach to his name. He is a stickler about autographs, usually refusing to sign anything he suspects someone will use to make a buck.

"For the most part, he's strictly professional. He comes to work every day and works hard and goes out there and performs on Sunday," said Rams receiver Tory Holt, perhaps Faulk's closest friend on the team. "He's the ultimate team player, which is very key because with guys his status, you can easily kind of get off on "It's all about me.' But he's very humble, very down to earth."

At times, Faulk struggles to handle the enormous demands that come his way. He has a reputation for being a bit surly sometimes with team officials, the media and fans.

At a golf event during Super Bowl week in Tampa last season, some fans constantly dogged Faulk for autographs and pictures. He obliged many, but exchanged verbal barbs with some who were upset when he turned away small kids.

"It's a high-demand thing. Once you start, you've got to finish signing," Faulk said. "If you start, there might be 20 people that's not going to be mad at you and the other 50 are going to be really p---. Or you just not do it and everybody has to understand that you're not going to sign.

"But you get things like, "You think you're too good, dah, dah, dah.' I mean, things are going to be said. For me, I'll sign in controlled crowds and (the golf event) wasn't a controlled situation and I didn't want it to get out of hand."

With the Rams loaded for another run at the Super Bowl, Faulk's celebrity probably is only going to grow. Another season with anything close to 2,000 yards of combined rushing and receiving would cement his place in the Hall of Fame.

The only question, it seems, is how much longer he will continue to terrorize opponents? There has been constant speculation around St. Louis that Faulk, 28, isn't long for this game, especially considering how frequently he touches the ball (2,360 times in seven seasons) and recent knee problems.

Faulk, who had knee surgery last October and in March, has sent mixed messages on the issue, but insisted during training camp that retirement isn't on his mind.

"Competitive juices," he said when asked what keeps him motivated. "I still have them. I still want to go out there and compete."

Holt said it's even simpler than that.

"It's the fun that we have. We have a tremendous amount of fun, whether you know it or not," he said. "We enjoy what we do every day. When you have that type of camaraderie, that type of chemistry, it's hard to leave that even though he's considered the best player in the league.

"It's hard to leave that youthful feeling, having fun and enjoying football. He can come here and truly say he has fun."

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