Mark van Eeghen (born April 19, 1952)[1] is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten years in the National Football League (NFL), during which he made two Super Bowl appearances. He played eight seasons for the Oakland Raiders (1974–1981) and then two seasons with the New England Patriots (1982–1983). Van Eeghen rushed for over 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons from 1976-1978.[2]
He then played at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1974.[3] While at Colgate, he set the school's single-season rushing record in 1973 with 1,089 yards.[3] In his three college seasons, van Eeghen rushed for 2,591 yards and 27 touchdowns, while also catching 31 passes for 361 yards and 2 scores.[4] Van Eeghen was inducted into Colgate's Hall of Fame in 1980.[5]
In the 1980 season, Van Eeghen was part of the Raiders team that advanced to Super Bowl XV, in which they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27 to 10. He was the game's leading rusher with 75 yards on 18 carries.[6] He also won a Super Bowl ring with the Raiders in Super Bowl XI, in which he was the team's second leading rusher with 73 yards. He left the Raiders in 1982 as the team's all-time leading rusher with 5,907 yards at the time.
New England Patriots
He then joined the New England Patriots, where he appeared in the infamous Snowplow Game. Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan attempted only five passes in the game due to the extensive snow and ice, leaving the ground attack as the only offensive option. Van Eeghen rushed the ball 22 times for 100 yards in the 3-0 Patriots win.
Career statistics
Van Eeghen finished his ten NFL seasons with 6,651 career rushing yards, 174 career receptions for 1,583 receiving yards, and 41 career touchdowns (37 rushing and four receiving).
Awards
In 2002, van Eeghen was inducted into the Rhode Island Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame in recognition of his career.[3] This reflected that he was voted fourth on a list of the top 50 Greatest Sports Figures by Sports Illustrated.[3]
Van Eeghen has three daughters, including Amber (born 1980), who joined the cheerleading squad of his last team, the New England Patriots,[2] where she took part in two overseas tours with the Patriot cheerleaders to perform for U.S. troops in multiple foreign countries. She attended the University of Rhode Island, where she became captain of the "Ramettes" cheerleaders. She is currently married to Pro Bowl center Dan Koppen, a former center for the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos.[7]
References
^. patriots.com. New England Patriots. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
^ abGoode, Jon (2004-02-14). "A Patriots cheerleader: Catching up with Mark Van Eeghen". The Boston Globe (through boston.com). The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
^ abcde. Institute for International Sport. Archived from the original on April 8, 2006. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
mark, eeghen, born, april, 1952, american, former, professional, football, player, running, back, years, national, football, league, during, which, made, super, bowl, appearances, played, eight, seasons, oakland, raiders, 1974, 1981, then, seasons, with, engla. Mark van Eeghen born April 19 1952 1 is an American former professional football player who was a running back for ten years in the National Football League NFL during which he made two Super Bowl appearances He played eight seasons for the Oakland Raiders 1974 1981 and then two seasons with the New England Patriots 1982 1983 Van Eeghen rushed for over 1 000 yards in three consecutive seasons from 1976 1978 2 Mark van EeghenVan Eeghen with the Oakland Raiders in 1979No 30 34Position Running backPersonal informationBorn 1952 04 19 April 19 1952 age 71 Cambridge Massachusetts U S Height 6 ft 2 in 1 88 m Weight 223 lb 101 kg Career informationHigh school Cranston RI WestCollege ColgateNFL Draft 1974 Round 3 Pick 75Career historyOakland Raiders 1974 1981 New England Patriots 1982 1983 Career highlights and awards2 Super Bowl champion XI XV Career NFL statisticsRushing attempts 1 652Rushing yards 6 651Average 4 0Touchdowns 37Player stats at NFL com PFR Contents 1 Early life and education 2 National Football League 2 1 Oakland Raiders 2 2 New England Patriots 2 3 Career statistics 2 4 Awards 2 5 Personal life 3 References 4 External linksEarly life and education EditVan Eeghen was born in Cambridge Massachusetts on April 19 1952 He played high school football at Cranston High School West in Cranston Rhode Island where he graduated in 1970 and earned all state football honors as a senior 3 He then played at Colgate University in Hamilton New York where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1974 3 While at Colgate he set the school s single season rushing record in 1973 with 1 089 yards 3 In his three college seasons van Eeghen rushed for 2 591 yards and 27 touchdowns while also catching 31 passes for 361 yards and 2 scores 4 Van Eeghen was inducted into Colgate s Hall of Fame in 1980 5 National Football League EditOakland Raiders Edit In 1974 Van Eeghen took over as fullback of the Oakland Raiders from Marv Hubbard also a Colgate alumnus In the 1980 season Van Eeghen was part of the Raiders team that advanced to Super Bowl XV in which they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27 to 10 He was the game s leading rusher with 75 yards on 18 carries 6 He also won a Super Bowl ring with the Raiders in Super Bowl XI in which he was the team s second leading rusher with 73 yards He left the Raiders in 1982 as the team s all time leading rusher with 5 907 yards at the time New England Patriots Edit He then joined the New England Patriots where he appeared in the infamous Snowplow Game Patriots quarterback Steve Grogan attempted only five passes in the game due to the extensive snow and ice leaving the ground attack as the only offensive option Van Eeghen rushed the ball 22 times for 100 yards in the 3 0 Patriots win Career statistics Edit Van Eeghen finished his ten NFL seasons with 6 651 career rushing yards 174 career receptions for 1 583 receiving yards and 41 career touchdowns 37 rushing and four receiving Awards Edit In 2002 van Eeghen was inducted into the Rhode Island Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame in recognition of his career 3 This reflected that he was voted fourth on a list of the top 50 Greatest Sports Figures by Sports Illustrated 3 Personal life Edit Van Eeghen s daughter Amber a former New England Patriots cheerleaderVan Eeghen has three daughters including Amber born 1980 who joined the cheerleading squad of his last team the New England Patriots 2 where she took part in two overseas tours with the Patriot cheerleaders to perform for U S troops in multiple foreign countries She attended the University of Rhode Island where she became captain of the Ramettes cheerleaders She is currently married to Pro Bowl center Dan Koppen a former center for the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos 7 References Edit 34 Mark Van Eeghen FB patriots com New England Patriots Archived from the original on 2007 09 29 Retrieved 2006 06 02 a b Goode Jon 2004 02 14 A Patriots cheerleader Catching up with Mark Van Eeghen The Boston Globe through boston com The New York Times Company Retrieved 2006 06 02 a b c d e Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame Institute for International Sport Archived from the original on April 8 2006 Retrieved 2006 06 02 Mark van Eeghen College Stats Mark van Eeghen 1980 HALL OF HONOR Super Bowl Recaps Super Bowl XV Oakland 27 Philadelphia 10 NFL com Retrieved 2006 06 30 permanent dead link Amber van Eeghen patriots com New England Patriots Archived from the original on 2006 05 24 Retrieved 2006 06 02 External links EditMark van Eeghen at Pro Football Reference com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mark van Eeghen amp oldid 1171137439, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
