Mark Kafentzis

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Mark Kafentzis
No. 23, 29
Position:Defensive back
Personal information
Born: (1958-06-30) June 30, 1958 (age 65)
Richland, Washington, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Richland (WA) Columbia
College:Hawaii
NFL draft:1982 / Round: 8 / Pick: 199
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Mark Kevin Kafentzis (born June 30, 1958) is a former American football defensive back who played three seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts. He was selected by the Browns in the eighth round of the 1982 NFL Draft.[1] He first enrolled at Columbia Basin College before transferring to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Early years[edit]

Kafentzis participated in high school football, wrestling and track for the Columbia High School Bombers of Richland, Washington. He earned All Big-Nine Conference and All-Area honors on offense and defense his senior year.[2]

College career[edit]

Kafentzis first played college football for the Columbia Basin College Hawks. He garnered All-Conference defensive back and All-American recognition as a kick return specialist. The Hawks won the National Junior College Football Championship in 1978. He was inducted into the Columbia Basin College Athletics Wall of Fame in 2012.[2] Kafentzis transferred to play for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors from 1980 to 1981. He was redshirted in 1979. He was named to the "All-Rainbow Team" of the 1980s.[2] Kafentzis was named the 58th best player in the school's history by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 2009.

Professional career[edit]

Kafentzis was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 199th pick in the 1982 NFL Draft and played in nine games for the team during the 1982 season.[1] He played in 31 games, starting fifteen, for the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts from 1983 to 1984.[1] He was released by the Colts on August 20, 1985.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Kafentzis is the oldest of five brothers who played for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.[2] His brothers Kurt, Kent and Kyle all signed with NFL teams.[4][5] Mark was inducted into the Central Washington Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, the Northwest Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Tri-Cities Sports Council Hall of Fame in 2003.[6][7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "MARK KAFENTZIS". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "Athletics Wall of Fame". columbiabasin.edu. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  3. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. August 21, 1985. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  4. ^ "NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NFL)" (PDF). hawaiiathletics.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  5. ^ Craker, Craig (May 20, 2011). "Richland's Kafentzis hurdes into 4A regionals". tri-cityherald.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  6. ^ "Mark Kafentzis". nwacsports.org. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  7. ^ "CLASS OF 2003". visittri-cities.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.

External links[edit]