I’m Marvin Powell III, former USC Trojan and former NFL fullback. I'd like you to meet my father, Marvin Powell Jr., former Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
When I was hired to cover the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the Roundtable Sports, my first thought was a joyful one, considering my connection to the NFL franchise. I’m Marvin Powell III, former USC Trojan and former NFL fullback. I am also the son of Marvin Powell Jr., former Tampa Bay Buccaneer offensive tackle during the 1986-1987 seasons.
My father grew up as the son of a World War II Army medic, splitting time between France and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He attended Seventy-First High School (named for Seventy-First Township) in Fayetteville, where he set the state record in the shot put (which has since been surpassed) and was a standout on the basketball team, dominating in the paint. And as a 6-foot-6, 240 pounds defensive lineman, "Big" Marvin Powell, as they used to call him, was a consensus All-American and the No. 1 football prospect in the country.
My dad committed to the University of Southern California, which became college football's undefeated national champions after downing Ohio State 42-17 at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 1973, during his senior year at Fayetteville 71st.
He went to USC as a tight end, but was converted to offensive tackle his sophomore year. From that position, he was a three-time All-Pac 8, a two-time All-American, and the No. 4 overall pick in the 1977 draft, selected by the New York Jets.
During his nine seasons with New York, he was a four-time All Pro, played in five Pro Bowls, and became the first tackle to win team MVP for the Jets in 1979.
In 1985 my father was in a nasty contract battle with the Jets. He held out through the first game of the season before he and the Jets agreed to a deal that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. He currently is on the Senior list of nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
While with the Jets he went to law school in the offseason -- six straight offseasons to be exact. In 1982, amidst his playing days with the Jets, he was named president of the NFL Players Association. While in that role, which carried him through his Jets tenure and his two seasons with the Buccaneers, my father fought with owners over free agency and better benefits for players. The fight prompted the players to go on strike in 1987, and eventually the players union helped lead to the establishment of free agency (in 1993).
The Jets were never happy that my dad led the fight against the owners. In May 1986, he was cut by the Jets in a surprise move. He would eventually sign with the Buccaneers for the last two years of his career.
My dad loved Tampa so much that he would end up moving there in retirement, and he spent his last days living about 10 minutes from Raymond James Stadium.
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