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Catching up with Marcus Pollard

Bradley University football may have been sidelined since the 1970s, but arguably the school’s most famous football alumni donned a Braves uniform just two decades ago.

Former Brave Marcus Pollard played 14 seasons in the National Football League with five different teams, 10 seasons of which came with the Indianapolis Colts, before retiring in 2008. The Lanett, Alabama native tallied 349 catches for 4,280 yards and 40 touchdowns in his career, despite not being drafted by any NFL team.

Pollard was a two-sport athlete at Valley High School in Valley, Alabama, playing both basketball and football. According to him, basketball was always his first love.

“To me, it’s the epitome of being athletic; it combines hand-eye coordination and enthusiasm. It embodies everything that athletes strive for,” Pollard said.

Pollard started his college career at Seward County Community College, where he averaged 15 points and 9.5 rebounds per game over two seasons with the Saints. In 1992, Pollard transferred to the Hilltop, where he started 27 of 31 games for the team, averaging nearly seven points and five rebounds per game.

How did a kid from Alabama who attended a Kansas community college end up in Illinois? According to Pollard, Bradley’s basketball prowess played a big role in the decision.

“[It was] the rich basketball tradition,” Pollard said. “A lot of great players had come through there, and it felt like, at times, they were the only team in town. There were no pro teams, no other college teams nearby. It was a really good fit.”

In Pollard’s senior season, the team rode an unbeaten 16-0 home record to a berth in the NIT, the team’s first postseason tournament since reaching the NCAA Tournament in 1988. After a third-round loss to the Siena Saints, the team’s season ended, and so would Pollard’s college career.

However, his career as an athlete was not finished yet. Then-Bradley athletic director Bob Ferguson reached out to Ken Geiger, a former Bears scout who was with the Colts at the time, and suddenly Pollard found himself with a shot at the NFL. Or, as he put it, a lot of good fortune.

“It was at the pivotal time where they were moving from the 6’6”, 280 pound tight end to the guys who were 6’4”, 6’5” and could run and stretch the field. I ended up on the practice squad but I kept getting better and was able to make the roster after that,” Pollard said.

In his first three NFL seasons, Pollard tallied just 16 catches for 192 yards and a touchdown. However, in his fourth season, the Colts drafted a player that would change his career: Peyton Manning.

“He was an incredible talent,” Pollard said. “We had some other really good players and a great offensive line. We also had Tom Moore, the offensive coordinator who really saw some of my ability and things I could bring to the table. We took advantage of things we could do offensively and exploited the ability that I had.”

At 42, Pollard’s playing days may be behind him but he’s still active on the gridiron. He joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as the team’s Director of Player Development, a job he would get the same way he ended up in the league.

“I was coaching high school football after I retired, and I thought I wanted to give the NFL a look, so I went to the Senior Bowl,” Pollard said. “I bumped into Ryan Robinson, the Jaguars’ director of public relations, and he, Gus [Bradley, the Jaguars’ head coach] and [General Manager] Dave Caldwell were looking for a person to fill the role. Ryan mentioned my name to them, they did their research and thought I was a great fit for what culture they wanted to bring. It’s been great; it’s been a wonderful experience.”

Pollard’s job encompasses a wide range of duties, from helping players with investments and housing to time management and relationships. His time back in the NFL has allowed him to evaluate what he would want to do in the future, which he said could include a stint as a general manager down the road.

“If that option becomes available, I’m sure I’d entertain it,” Pollard said. “I’d also entertain becoming a general manager. Being on this side of football and understanding equally the relationships of players to now being the person who makes the decisions of what kind of talent and people we bring into the organization intrigues me. Trying to figure out if I’m becoming a scout or GM or coach is a challenge to me. I love challenges.”

As if making the NFL despite not playing football wasn’t enough of a challenge for Pollard, he embarked on a completely different kind of challenge in the summer of 2011.

Pollard and his wife Amani joined the cast of the CBS show “The Amazing Race,” where they finished third. Pollard said being on the show was a priceless experience.

“‘The Amazing Race’ was exactly that,” he said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I got to see a lot of cool places, see a lot of cool things and meet a lot of cool people along the way. You really can’t put a price tag on what I learned from being on that show, [like] the way people are different all around the world but at the same time still the same.”

Audio of the inverview with Marcus Polland
Regarding Bradley’s new mascot:

Regarding working with Peyton Manning (Question submitted by Anthony Sperando):

Regarding a possible head coaching gig:

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