Two-sport Star: Bills WR Marquise Goodwin's Leap from Track to the NFL

Here’s a tough choice for a young man to make: Go to the Olympics or play professional football? It’s a wild hypothetical, and one that 99.99 percent of two-sport athletes will never have to face. For Marquise Goodwin, though, it’s a real-life decision.

Sarah Toland | Jun 30, 2014

Two-sport Star: Bills WR Marquise Goodwin's Leap from Track to the NFL /

The 2012 Olympian was picked by the Buffalo Bills as a wide receiver in the third round of the 2013 draft, only eight months after he finished 10th in the long jump at the Summer Games in London. At the pre-draft combine, Goodwin logged a year’s-best time of 4.27 seconds in the 40-yard dash—not surprising given that the former University of Texas footballer is also an accomplished sprinter. During his Longhorn career, Goodwin won two NCAA championships in the long jump as well as the 2011 U.S. outdoor title against a stacked pro field. While trying to outrun cornerbacks on the Austin gridiron, Goodwin was also trying to outpace athletes at such major track meets as the IAAF World Championships and the World University Games. The same year Goodwin was named the most valuable offensive player at the Alamo Bowl, he won the U.S. Olympic Trials, earning him a spot in London.

After he left UT, any major running company would have been lucky to sign the seven-time All-America. So why did Goodwin go with football? “I always knew I was going to choose football—just statistically, the things I wanted to do for my family financially, I knew I could do them with football,” says the 23-year-old Texas native. “But that’s not the only reason I chose football. I also wanted to be around my family and not traveling out of the county as a track athlete.”

For these reasons, Goodwin signed a four-year contract with Buffalo last year, which means he’ll be playing for the Bills when the 2016 Summer Games take place in Rio de Janeiro. “Right now, I’m just focusing on football,” he says, “but if I have the opportunity to go in 2016 [to the Olympics], I’d like to do it if the Bills allow it. If not—if it’s an issue at all or if there’s any question whether I like football or not—I won’t, because football is what I chose at the end of the day, and I want to be a football player.”

Kick returner Marquise Goodwin runs with the ball during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on November 10, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. — Kick returner Marquise Goodwin runs with the ball during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on November 10, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania :: George Gojkovich/Getty Images

And a football player Goodwin is certainly proving to be. In his first season with the Bills, he had 17 receptions for 283 receiving yards and three touchdowns—not bad stats for a rookie, a fact Goodwin attributes in part to his track-and-field training. “I’m definitely doing stuff no other wide receiver does—unless they were jumpers and believe in [the training], too,” says Goodwin, adding that he does track plyometrics and sprinting and jumping drills throughout the year. “I definitely feel sprinting and jumping correlate to football training, as well. Guys who have never competed in track or never ran will never understand it, but you can’t coach speed.”

Catch Me If You Can: The Fastest NFL Draft Picks in History

20. Darren McFadden* — 4.27 seconds

Chosen with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, McFadden came out of the University of Arkansas as a widely touted recruit having been the runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting two years in a row. McFadden's 4.27 time in the 40-yard dash was unofficially recorded, while his official time was measured at 4.33 seconds. (*McFadden's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

19. Devin Hester* — 4.27 seconds

Hester, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 57th overall pick, went on to become an explosive, well-known return man. His unique ability to shed tacklers in the open field and sprint down the line was coveted by the Bears, and feared by opponents. (*Hester's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

18. Marquise Goodwin — 4.27 seconds

Drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the 78th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Marquise Goodwin is much more than just a speedy wide receiver and return man. Goodwin also represented the US in the 2012 Olympic Games in the long jump competition, placing 10th in the finals.

17. Jerome Mathis — 4.25 seconds

After earning a Pro-Bowl bid and being selected to the All-Pro team in 2005 for his skills in kick returning, Mathis then got injured and was never the same player. Since then, he's jumped around the Canadian Football League and most recently the Arena Football League.

16. Michael Vick* — 4.25 seconds

Widely regarded as one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the NFL, Vick was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Since then, he's been selected to four Pro-Bowls, spent 23 months in federal prison and has recently resurrected his career with the Philadelphia Eagles. (*Vick's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

15. Randy Moss* — 4.25 seconds

Albert Dickson/Sporting News via Getty Images

Arguably one of the greatest wide receivers of all-time, Randy Moss first came into the league when he was drafted with the 21st overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. Moss has played for five different teams throughout his tenure, piling up Pro-Bowl awards (7) and claiming various NFL records (22) along the way. (*Moss' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

14. Taylor Mays* — 4.24 seconds

Selected with the 49th overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, Mays was a three-time All-American at USC and was highly touted entering the draft. The 49ers traded Mays to the Bengals in 2001 for a seventh round pick, and he's been on Cincinnati's roster ever since. (*Mays' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

13. Chris Johnson — 4.24 seconds

The man that's credited with having the fastest "official" 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine, Johnson, who shares that title with Rondel Menendez, significantly improved his chances of being drafted with his athletic performance. Johnson went on to become a three-time Pro-Bowl selection and was added to the 2,000-yard Club after breaking the rushing mark in 2009.

12. Rondel Menendez — 4.24 seconds

Before Chris Johnson proclaimed to be the fastest man in the NFL, there was Rondel Menendez, who registered a 4.24 in the 40-yard dash in 1999. At the time, Menendez was the fastest man ever clocked in the 40 at the NFL Combine while using electronic timers. Since then, no one has beaten his or Johnson's "official" mark. And according to Menendez, he recorded a time of 4.12 when officials used a hand timer, however, due to the style of his shoes ("Nike waffle shoes"), he had to run again. The 4.12 mark would tie Menendez with the fastest man in NFL Combine history.

11. Willie Parker* — 4.23 seconds

After going undrafted in 2004, Parker signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he would go on to learn the game as a backup behind legends like Jerome Bettis. Parker was selected to the Pro-Bowl twice and holds the record for the longest run in a Super Bowl (75 yards). (*Parker's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

10. Donte Stallworth* — 4.22 seconds

Drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft, Stallworth has been a solid wide receiver ever since. He's had good stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots. He was also suspended for the entire 2009 season after pleading guilty to DUI manslaughter charges. (*Stallworth's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

9. Don Beebe* — 4.21 seconds

Widely considered to be one of the fastest men in NFL history, Beebe was selected with the 82nd overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Beebe was also one of only two players to have appeared in six Super Bowls. (*Beebe's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

8. Kevin Curtis* — 4.21 seconds

A longtime member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Curtis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the 74th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. Curtis ran an unofficial time of 4.21 seconds and later ran a 4.35 when officials used an electronic timer at the NFL Combine. (*Curtis' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

7. Deion Sanders* — 4.21 seconds

Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders is one of the most widely recognized football players of all-time due to his time with the Dallas Cowboys and his part-time Major League Baseball career, in which he played nine seasons. Sanders was drafted with the 5th overall pick in 1989. (*Sanders' time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

6. Joey Galloway* — 4.18 seconds

A multi-sport athlete early on in his career, Galloway was drafted with the 8th overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. Galloway played for six different NFL franchises throughout his career and at one time owned the AFL's Columbus Destroyers. (*Galloway's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

5. Ahman Green* — 4.17 seconds

Ahman Green sits at the top of Green Bay Packers lore for his years of service as a stand-out running back. Drafted with the 76th overall pick in 1998, Green rushed for more yards than any other player during his tenure with the Packers (6,848), was selected to four straight Pro-Bowls and broke several franchise records. (*Green's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

4. Darrell Green* — 4.15 seconds

Rich Lipski/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Green is considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game. Self-proclaimed as the "itty bitty guy," Green was drafted by the Washington Redskins with the 28th overall pick in 1983, where he'd go on to play his entire career, earning seven Pro-Bowls selections and winning two Super Bowls. (*Green's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

3. Alexander Wright* — 4.14 seconds

After being drafted with the 26th overall selection by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990 NFL Draft, Wright would go on to become the two-time winner of the NFL's "Fastest Man" competition. (*Wright's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

2. Michael Bennett* — 4.13 seconds

Bennett was drafted with the 27th overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2001. After having a solid college career running track, Bennett was given the chance to compete in the NFL, where he would become a Pro-Bowl selection in 2002. Since then, Bennett played for five other franchises before retiring in 2010. (*Bennett's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

1. Bo Jackson* — 4.12 seconds

The man, the myth, the legend. Bo Jackson is truly one of the greatest athletes of all-time. So it’s no surprise that Jackson tops the list of fastest 40-yard dash times in NFL Combine history. In 1986, before electronic timing was implemented, Jackson ran the 40 in 4.12 seconds, an accomplishment that hasn't been beaten in nearly 30 years. (*Jackson's time was calculated before the NFL implemented electronic timing to improve accuracy.)

Despite his sprinting chops and Olympic accolades, Goodwin’s track career has earned him a modicum of flak among those in the league who claim the wide receiver’s deep roots in a second sport detract from his focus as a football player. “A lot of people look down on it—they think I’m just a track guy,” Goodwin says. “But that’s cool because I’m looking to prove them wrong. They say, ‘There’s that track guy,’ and try to downplay the fact I’m an Olympian and that it’s just something anyone can do. But it’s tough to be a dual-sport athlete, especially on the pro level. I think a lot of people don’t respect it because they never had to go through it.”

Indeed, very few people in history can make an NFL and Olympic team. Only 1.7 percent of college football athletes ever play pro ball, while only one in 8, 778 young men will make the Olympics in track and field. Combine these odds, and Goodwin’s accomplishments are statistically (and athletically) freakish.

Certainly, the best way for Goodwin to prove the critics wrong would be to continue to make impressive gains in football while undertaking a successful bid for a 2016 Olympic berth. But does he believe that, after several seasons of intense football training, he will still be able to trounce single-sport athletes who have been focused solely on sprinting and jumping for the last four years?

“If I had to go compete [in track] in three weeks, I’d win,” he says. “I think [both sports] go hand in hand, and they both help each other. I get a lot of things out of football I don’t get in track, and I get a lot of things out of track I don’t get in football.”

Published Jun 30, 2014

SARAH TOLAND