Marqise Lee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marqise Lee

Lee with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014
No. 11
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1991-11-25) November 25, 1991 (age 33) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:	Junípero Serra (Gardena, California)
College:	USC (2011–2013)
NFL Draft:	2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39
Career history
Jacksonville Jaguars (2014–2019) New England Patriots (2020) San Francisco 49ers (2021)*
Career highlights and awards
Biletnikoff Award (2012) Paul Warfield Trophy (2012) Unanimous All-American (2012) Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (2012) First-team All-Pac-12 (2012) Second-team All-Pac-12 (2011) Pac-12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year (2011)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 174 Receiving yards: 2,184 Receiving touchdowns: 8 Return yards: 561 Return touchdowns: 1
Player stats at PFR

Marqise Lee (born November 25, 1991) is a former American professional football player. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), mostly for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lee played college football for the USC Trojans. In 2012, he won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the country. He was also named an unanimous All-American that year. The Jaguars chose him in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.

Early Life and High School Years

Marqise Lee's parents are deaf, and he communicates with them using sign language. He had a challenging childhood and moved often between homes. When he was in sixth grade, his grandfather passed away. Marqise and his younger sister then became wards of the state. This means the state helped care for them.

When Lee started high school at Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, he was living in a foster home. After his first year, he played on a basketball team. He became friends with Steven Hester Jr., who went to Junípero Serra High School. In 2008, Lee moved in with the Hester family and started attending Serra High. The Hesters were very supportive and continued to attend his games and practices even when he went to college.

At Serra High School, Lee was a year behind another great wide receiver, Robert Woods. As a senior, Lee caught 57 passes for 1,409 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also played defensive back, making 45 tackles and three interceptions. Many top college football programs offered him athletic scholarships. Lee visited Florida, Miami, and Oregon before choosing to go to USC.

Lee was also a talented sprinter and jumper for his high school track team. He set a personal best in the triple jump of 13.59 meters. In 2011, he won the long jump with a leap of 7.52 meters. He also ran the 100-meter dash in 10.74 seconds, finishing second.

College Football Career

Marqise Lee played for the USC Trojans football team at the University of Southern California from 2011 to 2013.

2011 Season Highlights

As a new student (a "true freshman") in 2011, Lee quickly earned a starting spot as a wide receiver. He played alongside his former high school teammate, Robert Woods. That season, he caught 73 passes for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns. Lee and Woods together set a USC record for most combined catches (184) and receiving yards (2,435) in a season. Lee was named the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Co-Player of the Year.

2012 Season Achievements

In 2012, Lee had an amazing game against Arizona. He set a Pac-12 Conference record with 16 catches for 345 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, he set another conference record with 251 return yards against Oregon. He finished the season with 118 catches for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was named the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Lee also won the 2012 Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the best wide receiver in the nation. He was also recognized as a unanimous All-American.

2013 Season and NFL Draft

As a junior in 2013, Lee played in 11 games. He caught 57 passes for 791 yards and four touchdowns. On January 3, 2014, Lee decided to leave college early to enter the 2014 NFL draft. During his three years at USC, he had a total of 248 catches for 3,655 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Lee also competed in track and field for USC. He qualified for the NCAA championships in the long jump in 2011. He set a personal best long jump of 7.76 meters.

Professional Football Career

Jacksonville Jaguars Years

The Jacksonville Jaguars picked Marqise Lee in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was the 39th player chosen overall. On June 16, 2014, Lee signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars.

2014 Season with Jaguars

Lee at Jaguars training camp in 2014

Lee started his first professional game with the Jaguars against the Philadelphia Eagles. He caught six passes for 62 yards. He later missed three games due to a hamstring injury. On November 30, 2014, Lee caught his first career touchdown pass. It was a 30-yard pass from quarterback Blake Bortles. He finished his first season with 37 catches for 422 yards and one touchdown. He played in 13 games and started eight.

2015 Season with Jaguars

Lee faced competition for a starting wide receiver spot. He missed much of training camp due to knee and hamstring injuries. These injuries caused him to miss several games during the season. He finished the season with 15 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown. He played in ten games and started one.

2016 Season with Jaguars

In 2016, Lee became the Jaguars' third wide receiver. In Week 7, he had a season-high seven catches for 107 yards. He became a starting wide receiver for the rest of the season after another player got injured. On December 11, 2016, he had a career-high 113 receiving yards. The next week, Lee returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. This was his first kickoff return touchdown. On December 24, 2016, he even threw his first career touchdown pass on a trick play! He threw a 20-yard pass to his quarterback, Blake Bortles. He finished the season with 63 catches for 851 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned 18 kickoffs for 545 yards and one touchdown.

2017 Season with Jaguars

In 2017, Lee and Allen Hurns competed for a starting wide receiver spot. Lee and Allen Robinson were named the starting wide receivers. Lee finished the 2017 season with 56 catches for 702 yards and three touchdowns. He played and started in 14 games.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a great season, finishing with a 10–6 record. They made it to the playoffs. Lee started his first playoff game on January 7, 2018. The Jaguars won against the Buffalo Bills. They then beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, they lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Lee had four catches for 42 yards in that playoff loss.

2018 and 2019 Seasons with Jaguars

On March 13, 2018, the Jaguars signed Lee to a new four-year contract. However, on August 25, 2018, he suffered a serious knee injury during a preseason game. This injury required surgery, and he missed the entire 2018 season. In 2019, Lee was placed on injured reserve again due to a knee injury. He only had three catches for 18 yards that season. The Jaguars released Lee on April 20, 2020.

New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers

On April 28, 2020, Lee signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots. However, he chose not to play that season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was released by the Patriots in March 2021.

On May 17, 2021, Lee signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers. But he was released just four days later. On November 9, 2021, the Las Vegas Raiders had Lee for a workout.

NFL Career Statistics

See Also

• List of NCAA major college football yearly receiving leaders