Former Fort Valley State punter Marquette King has announced he is retiring after 13 years of professional football.
“I’ve battled to break back into the NFL, but if the league’s gatekeepers want to block me out, I’ll shut the door myself, because the ultimate goal was to make it back into the NFL,” said King in a tweet announcing his retirement from football. “I don’t beg and this is me calling it on my terms. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have played in the NFL. Shout out to the Raiders and beyond, the XFL, and the UFL. It is what it is. Thanks for all the love, I appreciate every last one of my fans. I am officially retiring from this and I’ll leave this [song] here.”
After being named to the All-SIAC First Team in his final season at Fort Valley State in 2011, King was selected to play in the inaugural NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas Raiders) in 2012, becoming just one of five HBCU punters to make it to the NFL.
The former Wildcat went on to play six seasons in the NFL, including five with the Raiders (the other with the Denver Broncos).
As a rookie, King led the NFL in yards per punt (48.9) then led in total punt yards in his second season (4,930). In 2016, he was named to the All-Pro Second Team after finishing third in yards per punt (48.6).
It was also in 2016 that King made his only career playoff appearance, becoming one of only 17 players in the Super Bowl era to ever punt the ball 10 times in a playoff game.
After a thigh injury led to his release from the Raiders, King transitioned to the XFL, signing with the St. Louis Battlehawks as part of the 2020 Supplemental Draft.
He most recently played for the Arlington Renegades, spending three years with the team, including in 2024 when he was named to the All-UFL team.
