Duane Starks

Lore & Background

Starks, who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV, also played for the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, and Oakland Raiders.

In Their Own Story

The stadium lights hummed over the Meadowlands, illuminating a battle between man and machine on the gridiron. Duane Starks lined up against a towering offensive tackle, his eyes locked on the quarterback's pocket. With a burst of explosive speed that defied his size, he surged past the blocker, collapsing the pocket and forcing a fumble that would shift the momentum of the game forever. It was a moment that defined an era for New York, thousands of miles away from the future home of the Texans.

Reader's Guide

Starks attended Miami Beach Senior High School in Miami Beach, Florida, and won varsity letters in both football and track and field. In football, as a senior quarterback, he was a first-team All-Dade County selection and a second-team All-Florida selection. In track, he finished second at the State Finals in the long jump and set the school record. In college, he was a two-year starter at cornerback and a star returner for the University of Miami. He was drafted 10th overall in the 1998 NFL draft by the Ravens, recording 20 interceptions in his first four years and a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXV. He later played for the Cardinals (5 interceptions, one touchdown), Patriots (season-ending shoulder injury), and Raiders (three games in 2006, released in 2007, re-signed and released in 2008).

Did You Know?

• Starks was a teammate of future Pro Bowl corner Samari Rolle in high school.
• He was interviewed for the documentary The U, which premiered December 12, 2009 on ESPN.
• His interception for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXV is considered by many to have ended the New York Giants' chance for a comeback.