University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Three Former Golden Eagles Sign NFL Free Agent Deals
5/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 2, 2008
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Former Southern Miss football players, Chris Clark, Martavius Prince and Brandon Sumrall, have all signed free-agent contracts with National Football League franchises.
Clark, an offensive lineman from New Orleans, La., signed with Tampa Bay. He started the final 39 games of his career on the Golden Eagle offensive line as the team had a 1,000 rusher and gained 2,000 yards on the ground in each of the past two seasons. Clark was also a big reason for the Golden Eagles' school-record total offense mark of 5,066 yards in 2007. He was a first team All-Conference USA selection by the coaches and a second team pick by the coaches.
Prince, a defensive end from Ft. Pierce, Fla., inked with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first-team All-Conference USA selection by both the coaches and media last season, Prince tallied 40 tackles (24 solos, 16 assists) which included 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He added two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one blocked field goal. For his career, he tallied 111 total tackles, including 31 TFLs and 11.5 sacks.
Sumrall, a defensive back from Beaumont, Miss., signed with the Minnesota Vikings. The three-time Conference USA selection earned first-team all-league honors on the strength of 98 tackles (65 solo, 33 assisted) to go along with five tackles for loss, one sack, eight passes broken up, six interceptions, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. One of his interceptions was returned 82 yards for a touchdown against Memphis, which ranks as the third longest return in school history. For his career, Sumrall tallied 272 tackles, 10 TFLs, four sacks, 16 passes broken up, 12 interceptions, nine forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
The Golden Eagles were 30-21 overall during the trio's tenure as all three players reached a bowl game in all four of their seasons, going 3-1 in those postseason contests.
