Marquise Goodwin is a part of the unique list of players that have managed to compete in the Olympics and also have an American football career. The former Olympian, who competed in the long jump event at the 2012 London Olympics, among numerous other international competitions, now makes a living in the National Football League (NFL) as a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers.
Marquise Goodwin Biography
Marquise Goodwin was born two months premature but healthy on the 19th of November, 1990, in Lubbock, Texas. He was raised by his single mother, Tamina Goodwin, who was an outstanding athlete in her day, although certain life choices meant that she did not fully pursue her dreams. The genes were however successfully passed down to her son who from a young age was noted for his ability to run fast.
Goodwin attended Rowlett High School in Rowlett, Texas where he was a star for the track & field and football teams. With the track team, he won seven Texas Class 5A state track and field championships while also recording 132 receptions for 1,709 yards and 17 touchdowns in his high school football career.
Before heading off to attend the University of Texas at Austin on an athletic scholarship, Goodwin competed at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and at the 2008 and 2009 United States Junior Championships where he finished first in the long jump event at all the competitions. As a part of the Texas Longhorns track and field team from 2010 to 2012, Goodwin was a four-time All-American and was a two-time NCAA champion in long jump. He went on to represent the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics where he disappointedly finished in 10th place in the final despite having previously performed way better in trials and the earlier rounds of the event.
With the Texas Longhorns football team who he played for from 2009 to 2012, Goodwin, who was named a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy in 2012, managed 116 receptions for 1,296 yards and 6 touchdowns, 45 times for 341 yards and 44 kickoff returns for 985 yards and one touchdown with a punt return for 22 yards.
Upon graduation from college in 2013, Marquise Goodwin entered the 2013 NFL Draft where he was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round with the 78th overall pick. He subsequently put pen to paper on a four-year rookie contract with the side and played a total of 12 games that season, recording 17 receptions for 283 receiving yards.
The 2014 and 2015 seasons were a nightmare for the athlete as he suffered numerous injuries to his ankle, ribs, and hamstring as well as a concussion. He managed only 1 reception for 42 yards in 2014 and 2 receptions for 24 yards in the 2015 season. Things changed for the better in 2016 as his injury problems slowed down and he was able to post 29 receptions for 431 yards, and 3 touchdowns. The turnaround was however not good enough as the Bills chose not to renew his contract, allowing him to move to the San Francisco 49ers where he currently plays.
Family – Wife, Son
Marquise Goodwin is married to his college sweetheart, Morgan Goodwin-Snow. Ms. Goodwin, who was born on the 26th of July, 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia, is an athlete like her husband and has in the past represented the United States on the international stage. She is a hurdler that specializes in the 60-meter and 100-meter hurdles.
At the University of Texas at Austin where she met her future husband, Ms. Goodwin was a 9-time All-American. She then went on to become the 2011 USA Junior Olympic Champion and the 2011 AAU Junior Olympic Champion in the 100-meter hurdle event. The following year, she won two gold medals at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics. Her next victories came in the 2013 Big 12 Outdoor championships and in the 2015 Big 12 Indoor championship where she won the 100-meter and 60-meter hurdle events, respectively.
The couple, who exchanged vows in February 2016, was on course to welcome their first child, a son which they had decided to name Marquise Jr. on November 12, 2017, but Morgan suffered complications that led to premature childbirth and subsequently, the death of the child.
Parents, Siblings
Marquise Goodwin maintains a very good relationship with his mother, Tamina, and sister Deja who has cerebral palsy. His father was not married to his mother and was also not present in his children’s lives, leaving Tamina who made a living as a cosmetologist to raise her kids alone.
The family was in the news in August 2018 when the wide receiver, who just recently signed a contract extension worth $20 million with the San Francisco 49ers, bought a house and gifted it to the pair – his mom and sister.
