Marc Bulger facts for kids
Bulger in 2004
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | April 5, 1977 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||||
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| High school: | Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||
| College: | West Virginia (1995–1999) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2000 / Round: 6 / Pick: 168 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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Marc Robert Bulger (born April 5, 1977) is a former American football player. He was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. Most of his career was spent with the St. Louis Rams.
Marc played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He was picked by the New Orleans Saints in the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens. However, he played all his regular season games with the Rams.
College Football Journey
Marc Bulger played college football at West Virginia University. He studied sport management while he was there. He was a very good player in college, throwing for over 8,000 yards and 59 touchdowns.
Professional Football Career
Starting in the NFL
The New Orleans Saints chose Marc Bulger in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. He was the 168th player picked overall. He spent training camp with the Saints but was later released.
After that, Bulger spent two weeks on the practice squad for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2000 season. A practice squad is a group of players who train with the team but are not on the main roster.
Time with the St. Louis Rams
Early Years (2000–2001)
The St. Louis Rams signed Marc Bulger to their practice squad late in the 2000 season. He joined the main team roster in January 2001. As the third-string quarterback, he did not play in any games during his first season with the Rams. That year, the team made it all the way to Super Bowl XXXVI.
Becoming a Starter (2002)
In 2002, the Rams started the season with five losses in a row. Their starting quarterback, Kurt Warner, got hurt. Then, the backup quarterback, Jamie Martin, also got hurt. Marc Bulger stepped in to play. He led the team to a 6–0 record in games he started and finished. However, he got injured in a game against the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams finished the season with a 7–9 record and missed the playoffs.
Pro Bowl Season (2003)
Bulger started the 2003 season as the backup to Kurt Warner. But after Warner had a tough first game, Bulger became the main starting quarterback. He led the Rams to a great 12–4 record in the regular season. They won the NFC West title and got a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Rams then played a very exciting game against the Carolina Panthers in the playoffs. They lost in double-overtime. After his great season, Bulger was chosen for the Pro Bowl, which is a game for the best players in the NFL. He was even named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the Pro Bowl game.
Continuing Success (2004)
Because of his strong performance in 2003, Marc Bulger became the definite starting quarterback for the Rams. Kurt Warner left the team in 2004. The Rams then signed Bulger to a new contract.
In 2004, the Rams finished with an 8–8 record. They just missed winning their division but earned a wild-card spot in the playoffs. They beat the Seattle Seahawks in the first round. However, they lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the next round.
Injuries and Challenges (2005–2009)
In 2005, Bulger hurt his right shoulder. He missed some games and then re-injured it. He ended up on the injured reserve list for the rest of the season.
In 2006, Bulger reached 1,000 completions faster than any other quarterback in NFL history. He did this in just 45 games. This was quicker than famous quarterbacks like Kurt Warner, Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning, and Dan Marino.
In 2007, Bulger signed a big contract extension with the Rams. However, he and the team faced many injuries that season. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns for the first time in his career. The Rams finished with a 3–13 record.
In 2008, Bulger briefly lost his starting job but got it back a week later. His performance improved a little, but he still had more interceptions than touchdowns.
In 2009, Bulger was placed on injured reserve again. The Rams had a very tough season, finishing with only one win and 15 losses. On his 33rd birthday, April 5, 2010, Bulger asked the Rams to release him, and they agreed.
Time with the Baltimore Ravens (2010)
On June 23, 2010, Marc Bulger joined the Baltimore Ravens. He signed a one-year deal with the team. However, he spent the entire season as the backup to Joe Flacco and did not play in any games.
Retirement from Football
Even though several teams were interested in signing him, Marc Bulger announced his retirement from football on August 2, 2011.
NFL Career Statistics
Here are some of Marc Bulger's statistics from his time in the NFL:
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Sacks | ||||||||||
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| GP | GS | Record | Comp | Att | Pct | Yards | Avg | TD | Int | Rate | Sck | SckY | ||
| 2001 | STL | 0 | 0 | – | DNP | |||||||||
| 2002 | STL | 7 | 7 | 6–1 | 138 | 214 | 64.5 | 1,826 | 8.5 | 14 | 6 | 101.5 | 12 | 102 |
| 2003 | STL | 15 | 15 | 12–3 | 336 | 532 | 63.2 | 3,845 | 7.2 | 22 | 22 | 81.4 | 37 | 288 |
| 2004 | STL | 14 | 14 | 8–6 | 321 | 485 | 66.2 | 3,964 | 8.2 | 21 | 14 | 93.7 | 41 | 302 |
| 2005 | STL | 8 | 8 | 2–6 | 192 | 287 | 66.9 | 2,297 | 8.0 | 14 | 9 | 94.4 | 26 | 188 |
| 2006 | STL | 16 | 16 | 8–8 | 370 | 558 | 62.9 | 4,301 | 7.3 | 24 | 8 | 92.9 | 49 | 366 |
| 2007 | STL | 12 | 12 | 2–10 | 221 | 378 | 58.5 | 2,392 | 6.3 | 11 | 15 | 70.3 | 37 | 269 |
| 2008 | STL | 15 | 15 | 2–13 | 251 | 440 | 57.0 | 2,720 | 6.2 | 11 | 13 | 71.4 | 38 | 263 |
| 2009 | STL | 9 | 8 | 1–7 | 140 | 247 | 56.7 | 1,469 | 5.9 | 5 | 6 | 70.7 | 14 | 85 |
| 2010 | BAL | 0 | 0 | – | DNP | |||||||||
| Total | 96 | 95 | 41–54 | 1,969 | 3,171 | 62.1 | 22,814 | 7.2 | 122 | 93 | 84.4 | 254 | 1,863 | |
Personal Life
Marc Bulger was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He went to Sacred Heart Middle School and Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh.
He comes from a family of athletes. His father, Jim, was a quarterback for Notre Dame. His brother Jim played golf for Notre Dame. His sister Kate was chosen to play in the WNBA. His youngest sister, Meg, was a great guard for his college, West Virginia.
Marc Bulger is married to Mavis Armbruster, and they have two daughters. His mother has Irish heritage. As of 2017, he lives in Brentwood, Tennessee.
After retiring from football, Bulger started playing the sport of curling. He even played in the 2018 Curl Mesabi Classic, which is a professional curling event. He played on a team with another former football player, Jared Allen.
