Marcel Shipp facts for kids

Marcel Cornelius Shipp (born August 8, 1978) is a former American football player. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL). Marcel played for the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. He also played college football for the UMass Minutemen. After his playing career, Shipp became a coach. He was a running backs coach for the New York Jets.

Early Football Days

Marcel Shipp started his football journey in high school. He played at the Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, New Jersey. In his senior year, he was amazing. He ran for 1,510 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. This earned him a spot on the First-team All-State list.

College Football Career

Marcel Shipp went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He played for the UMass Minutemen football team. As a sophomore, he was named a first-team All-American. He set a school record by running for 2,542 yards. He also scored 18 touchdowns that year.

He helped his team win the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game. In that game, he ran for 244 yards and scored three touchdowns. As a junior, he was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. He set another school record with 24 rushing touchdowns. He also gained 1,846 rushing yards that season. Shipp finished his college career with 5,383 rushing yards. This was one of the best totals in Division I-AA football history.

Playing in the NFL

Joining the Arizona Cardinals

Marcel Shipp joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2001. He was signed as an undrafted free agent. This means no team picked him in the draft, but the Cardinals still wanted him. He didn't play much in his first year. He mainly returned kickoffs.

In 2002, Shipp got more chances to play. He had a great game against the New York Giants. He ran for 92 yards and scored two touchdowns. Later that season, he ran for 135 yards against the Oakland Raiders. He finished the year as the Cardinals' top rusher. He had 834 rushing yards and 9 total touchdowns.

In 2003, the Cardinals signed famous player Emmitt Smith. Even with Smith on the team, Shipp still led the Cardinals in rushing. He gained 830 yards that season. He also had a career-best game against the San Francisco 49ers. He ran for 165 yards in that win.

Injuries and Later Years

In 2004, Marcel Shipp faced a tough challenge. He broke his leg and hurt his ankle during training. This injury made him miss the entire 2004 season. He was placed on injured reserve.

He returned to play in 2005. He was again the Cardinals' leading rusher, with 451 yards. In 2006, his playing time decreased. The Cardinals had signed Edgerrin James, another star running back. Shipp still managed to score 4 touchdowns that year. Three of those touchdowns came in one game against the St. Louis Rams. In 2007, he continued to back up James. He had limited carries. In 2008, he signed a new contract with the Cardinals. However, he was released by the team in August.

Time with the Houston Texans

After leaving the Cardinals, Shipp briefly joined the Houston Texans in August 2008. However, he was released by the team later that month.

Marcel Shipp's NFL career stats include 605 rushes for 2,197 yards. He also had 11 rushing touchdowns. He caught 113 passes for 937 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns.

Playing in the UFL

In 2009, Shipp signed with the Las Vegas Locomotives. This team was part of the United Football League (UFL). He was one of the top rushers in the league. His team, the Locomotives, won the first-ever UFL championship game. They beat the Florida Tuskers 20–17 in overtime.

Shipp returned to the Locomotives for the 2010 season. They won their second straight championship. They defeated the Tuskers again in the final game. Shipp had a strong season, finishing with 313 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

He played a third season with the Locomotives in 2011. He was still their leading rusher. The Locomotives went 3–1 that year. However, they lost in the championship game to the Virginia Destroyers.

Coaching Career

After his playing days, Marcel Shipp became a football coach.

• In 2012, he coached running backs for the Las Vegas Locomotives.
• In 2013, he worked as a coaching intern for the Arizona Cardinals.
• In 2014, he returned to his old college team, UMass. He coached their running backs.
• In 2015, he joined the New York Jets as their running backs coach.

He left the Jets' coaching staff in January 2017.