Mark W. Messner is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 defensive lineman and linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

.

Messner played college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 from 1985 to 1988. The lineman from Hartland, Michigan

Hartland Township, Michigan

Hartland Township is a civil township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...

 was the Wolverines'

Michigan Wolverines football

The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...

 sack

Quarterback sack

In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...

 leader in 1985-1987. The 1985

1985 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1985 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1985 college football season. The team's head coach was Bo Schembechler...

 defense has been described as the best defense in the history of Michigan football. The two-time All-America

All-America

An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...

n selection started

Starting lineup

A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...

 all 49 games of his career after redshirting

Redshirt (college sports)

Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...

 in 1984. Messner was named the MVP of the 1986 Fiesta Bowl

1986 Fiesta Bowl

The 1986 Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1986 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. It was the 15th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. In the game, the Michigan Wolverines, second place finishers in the Big Ten Conference, defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers, runners up...

 in which he registered nine tackles

Tackle (football move)

Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

, forced a fumble

Fumble

A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...

, and recovered another in Michigan's 27-23 win over Nebraska

Nebraska Cornhuskers football

The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...

. He is Michigan's all-time leader in tackles for loss (70) and sacks (36).

Messner was drafted in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft

1989 NFL Draft

The 1989 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24 , 1989...

 by the Los Angeles Rams

History of the St. Louis Rams

The following is a detailed history of the St. Louis Rams a professional American football team and member of the National Football League .-AFL Cleveland Rams :...

 and played four games for them in 1989

1989 Los Angeles Rams season

The 1989 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 52nd year with the National Football League and the 44th season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Regular season:In week 16, Jerry Gray returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown...

. He currently lives in Brighton, Michigan

Brighton, Michigan

Brighton is a principal satellite city of Metro Detroit located in the southeast portion of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,444. Brighton forms part of the South Lyon-Howell-Brighton Urban Area...

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External links

• University of Michigan Athletics History Profile