Max Starks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Pittsburgh Steelers — No. 78 | |
| Offensive tackle | |
| Date of birth: January 10, 1982 | |
| Place of birth: Orlando, Florida | |
| Height: 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | Weight: 337 lb (153 kg) |
| National Football League debut | |
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| 2004 for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Career history | |
| College: Florida | |
| NFL Draft: 2004 / Round: 3 / Pick: 75 | |
Teams:
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| Current status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Max W. Starks, IV (born January 10, 1982 in Orlando, Florida), is an American football offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida.
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[edit] Early years
He went to Lake Highland Preparatory School, an academic private school in Orlando, Florida. He was the only football player from Lake Highland to become a pro athlete.
[edit] College career
He previously attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida and played football as a Gator from 2000 to 2003, winning and SEC Championship ring along the way (2000) and blocking for record-setting Gator quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Chris Leak.
[edit] Professional career
[edit] Pittsburgh Steelers
Starks is among the tallest NFL players, standing at 6'8" and 337 pounds. Four other relatives of Starks have been professional football players[1]. He was drafted in 2004, round three, pick 12, by the Steelers. He became a starter, for the first time, in the 2005 season for the eventual Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Playing right tackle, he blocks for fellow Steelers, such as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker. Entering the 2007 season, Starks lost his starting job to Willie Colon, however he played in all 16 games. He also started 4 games at the end of the season at left tackle in place of the injured Marvel Smith.
On February 21, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers placed the transition tag on Starks. He signed his one-year, $6.85-million tender offer on April 19.
[edit] Personal
Starks is the son of former professional defensive lineman Ross Browner. Presuming he was the biological son of Max Starks III, he didn't discover the true identity of his father until he was in high school. [2]. In high school, Starks, whose family was involved in the funeral business, was known to drive a hearse to school.
The Browner family as a whole has had more players in the NFL than any other family. Ross' brothers Joey Browner, Jimmy Browner, and Keith Browner all played in the NFL. Starks's cousin, Keith Browner Jr., plays college football linebacker for the University of California.
Starks appeared in Chunky Soup commercials eating soup with Steelers back-up quarterback Charlie Batch, defensive tackle Casey Hampton and others.
In 2006, he traveled with Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bryce Fisher and Atlanta Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney on the USO Tour, traveling to United States military bases, a tradition begun by such NFL greats as Frank Gifford and Johnny Unitas. In 2005 Starks visited the USS Theodore Roosevelt at sea, along with members of the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff.
