| Date of birth: | April 19, 1952 |
| Place of birth: | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Running Back |
| College: | Colgate |
| NFL Draft: | 1974 / Round: 3 / Pick 75 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1974-1981 1982-1983 |
Oakland Raiders New England Patriots |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Pro Bowls: | 1 |
| Playing stats at NFL.com | |
Mark van Eeghen (born April 19, 1952 in Cambridge, Massachusetts),[1] is an American football player, who played ten years in the National Football League, including making two Super Bowl appearances. He was a member of the Oakland Raiders (1974–1981) and for two seasons, the New England Patriots (1982–1983). Ven Eeghen rushed for over 1,000 yards in 3 consecutive seasons from 1976-1978.[2] He was also a Pro Bowl selection in 1977.
Playing for Oakland in Super Bowl XV, he was the game's leading rusher with 75 yards on 18 carries.[3] He also won a championship ring with the Raiders in Super Bowl XI, and was the team's second leading rusher with 73 yards. He left the Raiders in 1982 as their all time leading rusher with 5,907 yards.
Van Eeghen finished his 10 NFL seasons with 6,651 rushing yards, 174 receptions for 1,583 receiving yards, and 41 touchdowns (37 rushing and 4 receiving).
In 2002, van Eeghen was inducted into the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame in recognition of his career.[4] This reflected that he was voted fourth on a list of the top 50 Greatest Sports Figures by Sports Illustrated.[4]
Prior to his professional career, he played high school football at Cranston High School West, from which he graduated in 1970, after earning all-state football honors as a senior.[4] He then played at Colgate University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1974.[4] While at Colgate, he set the school's single-season rushing record in 1973.[4]
Mark van Eeghen has three daughters, including Amber van Eeghen (born 1980), who joined the cheerleading squad of his last team, the Patriots.[2] Amber took part in two overseas tours with the Patriot cheerleaders to perform for U.S. troops in Japan, South Korea, Hawaii, Portugal, Turkey, Iceland, Germany and England. She went to the University of Rhode Island, where she became captain of the "Ramettes" cheerleaders. She is currently married to New England Patriots Pro Bowl center Dan Koppen.[5]
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