Marcus Spears
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Career Summary
Marcus Spears was a defensive lineman who played nine NFL seasons after an All-American career at LSU.
Spears played 124 regular-season NFL games and made 90 starts with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He recorded 215 tackles, 10 sacks, 12 passes defensed and three forced fumbles.
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Early Life
Spears grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Spears began playing football with his father in Baton Rouge at age four and attended Southern Lab High School before staying in his hometown to play at LSU.
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High School
Spears was an elite two-sport prospect at Southern Lab High School.
He was rated the nation's No. 1 tight end prospect and No. 3 overall prospect by SuperPrep. As a senior, he earned first-team Class 1A all-state honors on offense and defense, recorded 11.5 sacks, and was also a highly recruited basketball player.
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College Career
Spears developed into a consensus All-American defensive end at LSU.
After beginning his LSU career at tight end, fullback and defensive end, Spears became a consensus first-team All-American in 2004. That season he had 49 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, a 35-yard interception return touchdown, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
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Path to the NFL
Dallas selected Spears 20th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft.
The Cowboys used one of their two first-round picks in 2005 on Spears, pairing the LSU defensive tackle with fellow first-rounder DeMarcus Ware.
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NFL Career
Spears spent eight seasons with Dallas before finishing his NFL career with Baltimore.
Spears played every Cowboys game from 2005 through 2009, making 71 starts during those five seasons. His 2009 season included a career-high 2.5 sacks, and he joined Baltimore for five games in 2013.
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Career Accomplishments
Spears was a key member of LSU's 2003 national championship team and a 2004 consensus All-American.
His LSU career totals included 19 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss, figures that placed him among the program's historical leaders at the time. He also earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2003 and 2004.
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Playing Style
Spears combined defensive-line production with unusual offensive and athletic versatility early in his career.
LSU used Spears at tight end, fullback and defensive end as a freshman before his move to defense. His senior season included sacks, tackles for loss, pass breakups, forced fumbles and an interception-return touchdown.
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Legacy
Spears remains closely associated with LSU's championship-era defense and his Baton Rouge roots.
LSU described Spears as a key component of its 2003 national championship team. His 2004 All-America season made him one of the program's leading defensive linemen of that era.
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Post-Career
Spears moved into college-football broadcasting after retiring as a player.
In 2019, LSU announced that Spears had joined SEC Network's SEC Nation road show.
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Sources for this section
20828, 00-0023455, 1983-03-08, Marcus Spears, Marcus, Spears
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