Marshall Faulk
A revolutionary running back who fused receiver skills with ground power, becoming the engine of the 'Greatest Show on Turf' and an NFL MVP.
Born 1973 (age 53)·American football former player·Birthday: February 26·Generation X
Biography
Marshall Faulk became the first NFL player to record 2,000 scrimmage yards and 20-plus touchdowns in a single season. That 1999 campaign earned him league MVP and propelled the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory. Emerging from San Diego State with video-game statistics, Faulk weaponized the entire offense from the backfield. In Indianapolis he led the league in scrimmage yards as a one-man attack. But his role as catalytic centerpiece of the 'Greatest Show on Turf' defined his career. Faulk forced defenses into impossible choices: he could break a run for a touchdown or dissect a secondary with surgeon-like receiving precision. His football intellect allowed him to diagnose defensive schemes at the line and adjust routes mid-play. That cerebral, multifaceted approach redefined the modern running back position. The position’s value, Faulk proved, rested not in brute force alone but in the ability to orchestrate an entire attack from the backfield.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Marshall was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Marshall Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Marshall's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 2000 and the Offensive Player of the Year in 1999, 2000, and 2001.
- Became the first player in NFL history to record four consecutive seasons with 2,000+ yards from scrimmage (1998-2001).
- Won Super Bowl XXXIV with the St. Louis Rams following the 1999 season.
Did You Know?
He is one of only three players in NFL history to record over 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards.
He wore jersey number 28 because it was the reverse of 82, the number worn by his idol, wide receiver John Stallworth.
He worked as an NFL analyst for the NFL Network after his playing career.
“Vision is everything. It's what separates the great backs from the good ones.”
