Mark Gastineau, New York Jets legend and one of the best defensive ends in NFL history.
Marcus Dell Gastineau was born on November 20, 1956, in Ardmore, Oklahoma. When he was seven years old, the Gastineau family moved to Arizona where his parents bought a ranch. As a child, Mark suffered a severe leg fracture and doctors doubted that he would be able to walk at all, but he was able to recover and from the age of twelve, together with his father began to participate in the rodeo. At the same time, Mark's father was against football and it took a long persuasion to get his son to play for the school team.
Mark's subsequent college career was also not easy. He started at Eastern Arizona Preparatory College and his play there earned him an invitation to Arizona State's program. Gastineau only stayed with the Sun Devils for a season, changing colleges once again. His final school of choice was East Central University in Oklahoma. From there, he was able to make it to the Seniors Bowl, an all-star college alumni matchup. Much of the credit for discovering Mark's talent goes to Connie Carberg, the first female scout in NFL history. A successful performance at the Seniors Bowl allowed Gastineau to significantly improve his position before the draft.
In 1979, the Jets selected him in the second round, instead of the eighth round projected Mark. In New York, he joined Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam to form a linebacking defense foursome later nicknamed the New York Sack Exchange. In 1981, the four of them made 66 sacks, with Gastineau accounting for 20 of them. The team made the playoffs for the first time in years. Mark celebrated his successful quarterback attacks with a dance, which in 1984 was banned by the league as provocative behavior. The immediate cause of the ban was his brawl with Rams offensive tackle Jackie Slater after a sack on Vince Ferragamo. Also in 1984, Gastineau was sentenced to 90 hours of community service, which he spent coaching inmates at Rikers Island. A case had been filed against him the year before, following a brawl at New York's scandal-plagued Studio 54 club. However, all these problems did not prevent Mark from becoming the NFL's all-time leader in sacks twice in a row, in 1983 and 1984, as well as winning the AFC Defensive Player of the Year award.
The second part of Gastineau's career was not so bright and productive. Numerous injuries took their toll - he had injuries to his abdominal and groin muscles, and his knee required surgery. In 1987, when the players went on strike, Mark was the only Jets player who refused to participate in it, citing the need to pay alimony. This worsened his already difficult relationship with most of his teammates. And the following year, right in the middle of the regular season, Gastineau announced that he was ending his career. He left the league as the leader in career sacks. Mark's official stats say 74 sacks, unofficial stats including games prior to 1982 say 107.5. In 1990, he attempted a comeback in the Canadian Football League, but it was limited to just four games. Gastineau was later named to the New York Jets' Ring of Honor. In 2007, the NFL named him among the top ten pass rushers in league history.
After finally quitting football, Gastineau began his career as a boxer. He competed in the ring for five years, fought 18 fights, winning 15 of them with two losses and a draw. Some of his opponents later admitted that the fights were fake. Mark was married three times during his life and for a time was in a relationship with actress Brigitte Nielsen, who bore him a son. In 2000, he received eighteen months in prison for domestic violence, and after his release he turned to religion and even became a member of the church choir. Now the former Jets star is experiencing serious health problems. In 2017, he was diagnosed with dementia, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Two years later, Gastineau was diagnosed with colon cancer, which he beat after surgery and courses of radiation and chemotherapy.