Marquette King facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marquette King

King with the Arlington Renegades in 2024
No. 7 – Arlington Renegades
Position:	Punter
Personal information
Born:	(1988-10-26) October 26, 1988 (age 36) Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school:	Rutland (Macon, Georgia)
College:	Fort Valley State (2008–2011)
Undrafted:	2012
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2012) Denver Broncos (2018) St. Louis BattleHawks (2020) Arlington Renegades (2023–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
XFL champion (2023) Second-team All-Pro (2016) NFL punting yards leader (2014) All-UFL Team (2024) XFL punting yards leader (2020) First-Team All-SIAC (2011)
Career NFL statistics
Punts: 446 Punting yards: 20,822 Average punt: 46.7 Longest punt: 72 Inside 20: 163
Player stats at PFR

Marquette King Jr. (born October 26, 1988) is a professional American football player. He plays the punter position for the Arlington Renegades in the United Football League (UFL). A punter is a special teams player who kicks the ball to the other team after his team's offense is unsuccessful.

King played college football for Fort Valley State. He was not chosen in the NFL draft but was signed by the Oakland Raiders in 2012. In 2014, he led the entire NFL in total punting yards.

Early Life and High School

Marquette King was born in Macon, Georgia. As a kid, he dreamed of being a wide receiver, a player who catches passes. He played football at Rutland High School.

After his regular football practices, King would stay on the field to practice more. He asked his teammates to join him, but they usually said no. With his free time, he started punting the football just for fun. He challenged himself to see how far he could kick it.

His high school coach noticed his strong leg and made him the team's punter. King still got to play his favorite position, wide receiver, as well.

College Career

King went to Fort Valley State University, where he was first brought on the team as a wide receiver. However, he didn't get much playing time in that role.

During his third year, a new coach found out that King practiced punting. The coach told King he had to become a full-time punter or he might lose his scholarship. A scholarship is money given to a student to help pay for college.

King decided to make the best of it. He said, "I'm [going to] find a way to make this position look fun." He worked hard and became a star punter. In his last year, he was named to the All-First-team for his conference and was the Most Valuable Player for his team. That season, he had an amazing 80-yard punt in a game against Bethune-Cookman University.

Professional Football Journey

Oakland Raiders

King (left) with Dustin Hopkins before a game in 2017.

After college, King was not selected in the 2012 NFL draft. This is called being an "undrafted free agent." However, the Oakland Raiders invited him to try out for the team. They were impressed and signed him to a contract.

During his first year, King was placed on injured reserve, which meant he couldn't play for the whole 2012 NFL season because of an injury. The next year, he competed for the starting punter job and won it. In his first full season in 2013, he led the entire league with an average of 48.9 yards per punt.

In 2014, King led the NFL in both total punts (109) and total punting yards (4,930). These numbers set new records for the Oakland Raiders team.

King became famous not just for his powerful kicks, but also for his fun celebrations and dances after a good punt. He signed a new five-year contract with the Raiders in 2016. The team released him on March 30, 2018.

King punting for the Raiders in 2015.

Denver Broncos

Just a few days after leaving the Raiders, King signed a three-year contract with the Denver Broncos on April 5, 2018. Unfortunately, he suffered a thigh injury early in the season. He was placed on injured reserve again and was released by the team a few days later.

St. Louis BattleHawks

In 2019, King joined a new football league, the XFL. He was chosen by the St. Louis Battlehawks. He played in five games and punted 19 times for 868 yards. The league had to stop its season in April 2020, and his contract ended.

Arlington Renegades

King's career continued when he was drafted by the Arlington Renegades for the 2023 XFL season. He helped the team win the XFL championship that year.

He re-signed with the Renegades for the 2024 season, where the XFL had merged with another league to become the UFL. He had a great season and was named to the All-UFL team. He signed another contract to stay with the Renegades on October 25, 2024.

NFL Career Statistics

See also

In Spanish: Marquette King para niños