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Mark M. Malone (born November 22, 1958 in El Cajon, California) is a former American football quarterback in the NFL.

[edit] Playing career

Malone was the nation's most recruited quarterback in 1975 out of El Cajon Valley High School near San Diego, California. He was also recruited by the USOC as a possible decathlete for the 1980 Olympics.

He was a three-year starter at Arizona State University. Malone was named the 1980 Senior Bowl MVP and was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 28th pick in the 1980 NFL draft.

He played eight seasons (1980-1987) with the Steelers, becoming the fourth ranked quarterback in franchise history with 8,582 yards. His highlights with the Steelers included giving the eventual Super Bowl Champion 49ers their only loss in 1984 and guiding the Steelers to the 1984 AFC Championship Game against the Miami Dolphins. He was traded on April 12, 1988 to the San Diego Chargers for his last full NFL season. He would play one more game in 1989 with the New York Jets. For his career, Malone passed for 10,175 yards and 60 TDs, and rushed 159 times for 628 yards and 18 TDs. Malone also had one career reception for a 90 yard TD, a Steelers team record. However, Malone's career was plagued with several severe injuries.

[edit] Sportscasting career

After his playing career ended, he became a television sportscaster, working at WPXI in Pittsburgh and ESPN, where he was a host and analyst on the programs NFL Matchup, NFL Live and NFL 2night. He became the sports director at WBBM-TV in Chicago in 2004 until 2008 when his contract was not renewed (among others at the station) in an effort to cut costs. Malone then moved to Westwood One as a color commentator for its NFL coverage.

[edit] Personal life

Malone has been married for 20 years to his wife, Tracy Malone, a professional dancer, fashion model and TV news anchor.

[edit] External links

• Pro-Football-Reference.com statistics