Mark Walen

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Mark Walen
No. 95
Position:
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High school:Burlingame (CA)
College:UCLA
NFL draft:1986 / Round: 3 / Pick: 74
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Mark Hartley Walen (born March 10, 1963) is a former

UCLA
.

Early years

Walen attended

soccer
.

In 2005, he was inducted into the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame.[1]

College career

Walen accepted a football scholarship from

UCLA. As a freshman, he started 2 games against the University of Oregon and USC. He also contributed to the 24–14 victory against the University of Michigan in the 1983 Rose Bowl
.

As a sophomore, he was lost for the season, after tearing ligaments in his left knee during the third game against the University of Nebraska. He was able to recover in time to play in the 1984 Rose Bowl.

As a fifth-year senior, he was a key part of the seventh-ranked total defense (number 1 in rush defense),

All-Pac-10 honors.[3]

He finished his college career with 185 tackles, 20 sacks (set school record) and 31 tackles for loss (tied for fifth in school history).

Professional career

Walen was selected by the

1986 NFL Draft.[4] As a rookie, he was lost for the year after fracturing a bone in his right ankle, while completing a 1+12-mile run on the last day of the Cowboys' rookie orientation in May.[5]
During the 1987 season, he saw the field only on certain passing situations.

In

Phoenix Cardinals
, registering 9 tackles, 2 sacks and blocked an extra point.

The next season, he emerged as one of the full-time starters on the

defensive line at left tackle, but was placed on the injured reserve list after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the second pre-season game against the Los Angeles Raiders.[6]

On August 22,

defensive line in the span of a week.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Getting with program reaped rewards for Walen". East Bay Times. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  2. ^ "True Grit on Ground : Walen Anchors UCLA's Ranked Rushing Defense". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "Donahue and Walen Win Honors in Pacific 10 Conference". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  4. ^ "1986 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  5. ^ "Names in the News". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  6. ^ "Denver To Showcase Rookies". Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  7. ^ "Walen leaves Dallas after position change". Retrieved April 30, 2019.