Marcus Monk
Encyclopedia
Marcus Monk is an American football
wide receiver
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Arkansas
. Monk has also been a member of the New York Giants
.
and basketball
. Also, he was the Valedictorian of his graduating class. He was an All-State honoree in both sports, 2004 Mr. Basketball of Arkansas
as a senior, and was named the National Football Foundation
's Scholar Athlete of the Year.
freshmen in receiving in 2004 and set a school record for receptions
by a freshman with 37 catches, breaking Richard Smith
's school record of 33. He garnered Freshman All-SEC honors for catching 37 balls for 569 yards and six touchdown
s.
Monk continued to improve in his sophomore season by catching 35 passes for a team-high 476 yards and seven touchdowns.
In his junior season, Monk had his best statistical season with 50 catches for a career-high 962 yards. Monk broke a school record with 11 touchdown passes caught and averaged 19.2 yards per catch.
Monk was sidelined for most of the season due to an injury to his knee in the offseason that required two surgeries. Of the six games he played, Monk caught 16 balls for 144 yards and three touchdowns, tying him for seventh in the SEC for career touchdowns.
by the Chicago Bears
. Monk signed a four-year rookie
deal with the Bears on May 31, 2008. He was waived on August 24.
after the team waived/injured wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe
. However, he was waived by the team four days later during final cuts. On August 31, he was re-signed to the team's practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on September 8 after wide receiver Taye Biddle
was signed.
on April 28, 2009 after impressing scouts at Arkansas's pro day.
after completing the football season.
On November 18, 2008, KARK 4 News in Little Rock, Arkansas
reported that Monk was possibly coming back for his last semester to play college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks
. Monk was allowed to play as he had basketball eligibility remaining and was never a professional athlete in that sport.
Monk's breakout game would come on December 30, 2008 when Arkansas hosted the Oklahoma Sooners
, ranked fourth in that week's Associated Press
Poll. Monk scored 12 points and added six rebounds and one steal while holding his ground defensively against the Sooners' star player, Blake Griffin
, in only his third game with the Razorbacks of the 2008-2009 season
.
Monk was officially removed from the roster on February 13, 2009 by the University of Arkansas after several weeks of not dressing out for the team, for a suspected undisclosed NCAA rules infraction.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program is a college football team that represents the University of Arkansas. The team is a member of the Southeastern Conference's Western Division, which is in Division I's Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
. Monk has also been a member of the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Monk attended East Poinsett County High School and was a 4.0 student and a letterman in footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Also, he was the Valedictorian of his graduating class. He was an All-State honoree in both sports, 2004 Mr. Basketball of Arkansas
Mr. Basketball of Arkansas
Each year the Mr. Basketball of Arkansas award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Arkansas.-Award winners:-Schools with multiple winners:- References :...
as a senior, and was named the National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
's Scholar Athlete of the Year.
College football career
Monk led all SECSoutheastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
freshmen in receiving in 2004 and set a school record for receptions
Reception (American football)
In American football, a reception is part of a play in which a forward pass from behind the line of scrimmage is received by a player in bounds, who, after the catch, proceeds to either score a touchdown or be downed. Yards gained from the receiving play are credited to the player as receiving...
by a freshman with 37 catches, breaking Richard Smith
Richard Smith (American football)
Richard Smith is a former professional American football wide receiver.Smith played four games in National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs along with spending time on the practice rosters for the Washington Redskins and the Seattle Seahawks.Smith played college football at the...
's school record of 33. He garnered Freshman All-SEC honors for catching 37 balls for 569 yards and six touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s.
Monk continued to improve in his sophomore season by catching 35 passes for a team-high 476 yards and seven touchdowns.
In his junior season, Monk had his best statistical season with 50 catches for a career-high 962 yards. Monk broke a school record with 11 touchdown passes caught and averaged 19.2 yards per catch.
Monk was sidelined for most of the season due to an injury to his knee in the offseason that required two surgeries. Of the six games he played, Monk caught 16 balls for 144 yards and three touchdowns, tying him for seventh in the SEC for career touchdowns.
Statistics
| Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | G | Rec | Yrds | YPC | TD | Lg |
| 2004 | 11 | 37 | 569 | 15.4 | 6 | 38 |
| 2005 | 11 | 35 | 476 | 13.6 | 7 | 55 |
| 2006 | 14 | 50 | 962 | 19.2 | 11 | 56 |
| 2007 | 7 | 16 | 144 | 9 | 3 | 23 |
| Totals | 43 | 138 | 2151 | 15.6 | 27 | 56 |
Chicago Bears
Monk was selected in the seventh round (248th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Monk signed a four-year rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
deal with the Bears on May 31, 2008. He was waived on August 24.
New York Giants
On August 26, 2008, Monk was claimed off waivers by the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
after the team waived/injured wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe
Craphonso Thorpe
Craphonso Ja'won "Cro" Thorpe is an American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
. However, he was waived by the team four days later during final cuts. On August 31, he was re-signed to the team's practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on September 8 after wide receiver Taye Biddle
Taye Biddle
RaTavious Anton "Taye" Biddle is an American football wide receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was previously with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2006...
was signed.
Carolina Panthers
Monk was signed by the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
on April 28, 2009 after impressing scouts at Arkansas's pro day.
College basketball career
As a college freshman, Monk also played 10 games with the basketball RazorbacksArkansas Razorbacks men's basketball
The Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team represents the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The school's team currently competes in the Southeastern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008...
after completing the football season.
On November 18, 2008, KARK 4 News in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
reported that Monk was possibly coming back for his last semester to play college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
. Monk was allowed to play as he had basketball eligibility remaining and was never a professional athlete in that sport.
Monk's breakout game would come on December 30, 2008 when Arkansas hosted the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
, ranked fourth in that week's Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Poll. Monk scored 12 points and added six rebounds and one steal while holding his ground defensively against the Sooners' star player, Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin
Blake Austin Griffin is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association . Griffin had a renowned high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father, Tommy Griffin, who was the...
, in only his third game with the Razorbacks of the 2008-2009 season
2008–09 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2008–09 college basketball season. The head coach was John Pelphrey, serving for his second year...
.
Monk was officially removed from the roster on February 13, 2009 by the University of Arkansas after several weeks of not dressing out for the team, for a suspected undisclosed NCAA rules infraction.