Mark Ingram II
Mark Valentino Ingram II is an American former professional football running back and current on-air personality for Fox Sports. He played 12 seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, becoming the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy after rushing for 1,658 yards in 2009 en route to winning the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.
Ingram was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. With the Saints, he earned two Pro Bowl selections and, at the time of his retirement, was their all-time leader in rushing yardage. Ingram was also a member of the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans.
Early life
Ingram was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of former wide receiver for the New York Giants, Mark Ingram Sr. He attended Grand Blanc High School in Grand Blanc, Michigan, during his freshman, sophomore and junior years, and then Flint Southwestern Academy in Flint, Michigan, for his senior year. He was a four-year starter on his high schools' football teams, running for 2,546 yards and 38 touchdowns in his final two seasons. He was Saginaw Valley MVP, Area Player of the Year, and an All-State selection as a senior. Ingram also played defensively as a cornerback, totaling 84 tackles and eight interceptions his senior year.In addition to football, Ingram also ran track and field at Flint, where he was nine-time All-State selection. He competed as a sprinter and long jumper.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Ingram was listed as the No. 17 high school athlete in the nation in 2008.
College career
Ingram received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2008 to 2010.2008 season
Ingram played behind Glen Coffee his freshman year, and he was selected to the 2008 SEC All-Freshman Team. He made his collegiate debut in the season opener against Clemson. In the victory over the Tigers, he finished with 17 carries for 96 yards. In the next game against Tulane, he recorded his first collegiate rushing touchdown on a 15-yard run. He followed that up with 51 rushing yards and two more rushing touchdowns in a victory over Western Kentucky in the next game. On November 1, against Arkansas State, he finished with 113 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. In the Iron Bowl, against Auburn, he finished with 64 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and 27 receiving yards. In the SEC Championship against Florida, he was held to 21 rushing yards but had a rushing touchdown. In the Sugar Bowl, against Utah, he finished the season with 26 rushing yards. Overall, in the 2008 season, he finished with 728 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. His team-high 12 touchdowns also set the Alabama freshman school record.2009 season
In the season opener of the 2009–10 season, Ingram was the player of the game with 150 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown.On October 3, against Kentucky, he had 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns. On October 10, against Ole Miss, he finished with 172 rushing yards and a touchdown. On October 17, in a game against South Carolina, Ingram ran for a career-high 246 yards. He was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week. On November 7, against LSU, he finished with 22 carries for 144 rushing yards. In the next game, against Mississippi State, he finished with 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
In the 2009 SEC Championship Game versus the undefeated and top-ranked Florida Gators, Ingram rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 76 receiving yards to combine for 189 all-purpose yards. In the game, Ingram also surpassed Bobby Humphrey's single-season rushing record for the Crimson Tide, reaching 1,542 rushing yards for the season.
On December 12, Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in the closest vote in the award's 75-year history. He edged out Toby Gerhart by 28 votes. Ingram was Alabama's first Heisman winner, the third consecutive sophomore to win the award, and the first running back to win the award since Reggie Bush. At the time, Ingram was nine days shy of his twentieth birthday, making him the youngest player to win the Heisman. Ingram was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, and Walter Camp Football Foundation.
On January 7, 2010, Alabama defeated Texas 37–21 to win the BCS National Championship. Ingram received honors as Offensive MVP after rushing for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries. For the 2009 season, Ingram rushed for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns, and also had 334 receiving yards with 3 touchdowns.
2010 season
Ingram was ruled out for the season opener after undergoing minor knee surgery the week prior to the opening game against San Jose State. Sophomore running back Trent Richardson filled in for Ingram for the first two games, after it was announced that the junior was not likely to play against Penn State on September 11. He eventually made his season debut in a road game against Duke, rushing for 151 yards on nine carries, including two touchdowns in the first quarter, as Alabama routed the Blue Devils 62–13.After a 3–0 start, Alabama traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to face the Arkansas Razorbacks in the conference opener for the Crimson Tide. Ingram and the Alabama offense came back from a 20–7 third quarter deficit to take a 24–20 lead with just over three minutes remaining, when Ingram capped a short, 12-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Ingram finished with 157 yards on 21 attempts and two touchdowns. He did not break 100 yards again during the regular season. On October 9, Alabama suffered their first loss since the 2009 Sugar Bowl when the team fell 35–21 to South Carolina in Williams-Brice Stadium. Ingram was held to a season-low 41 yards on 11 carries in the loss. In his final collegiate game, he finished with 59 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Michigan State in the Capitol One Bowl.
Ingram finished his junior season with 875 yards on 158 carries with 13 touchdowns, with an additional 282 yards receiving and a touchdown. On January 6, 2011, Ingram announced he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2011 NFL draft. At the time of the announcement, he was projected as a first round pick. On April 19, 2011, Ingram was voted by fans to be on the Cover of NCAA Football 12 On PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
College statistics
Professional career
New Orleans Saints (first stint)
2011 season
The New Orleans Saints selected Ingram in the first round with the 28th pick in the 2011 NFL draft—the same pick number the Giants used to draft his father, Mark Ingram Sr., twenty-four years earlier, at the same age. Ingram was the first running back drafted in 2011; since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, this was the latest pick used for the first running back chosen in an NFL draft. The Saints acquired the pick from the New England Patriots, trading their second-round selection and their first-round selection in 2012 to do so. As Alabama head coach Nick Saban is part of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's coaching tree, the Patriots were widely assumed to be interested in drafting Ingram themselves. On July 28, 2011, Ingram decided on the number #28 in honor of his and his father's draft pick number. The next day Ingram agreed with the Saints on a four-year contract, with three years guaranteed and a fifth year option. The contract was worth $7.41 million, with a $3.89 million signing bonus.On August 12, 2011, Ingram scored his first career touchdown as a Saint on a 14-yard run in a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. On September 25, Ingram scored his first touchdown in regular season play as a Saint on a tough against the Houston Texans. On October 23, late in the game on Sunday Night Football in a runaway win against the Indianapolis Colts Ingram injured his heel. It was considered a 'day-to-day' injury at first, but Ingram was unable to practice the entire week and missed the following game versus the winless St. Louis Rams which ended in a 31–21 loss for the Saints. He returned to action against the Atlanta Falcons on November 13. On November 28, against the New York Giants, he finished with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown. In his final action of the 2011 season on December 4, he finished with 54 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. He suffered a toe injury and missed the remainder of the season. He finished his rookie season with 474 rushing yards and five touchdowns.