Best foot forward: Dedicated FVSU's King takes his spot among the top punters in Division II

FORT VALLEY, Georgia -- The scene would have made for a unique picture. Stadium lights still on, family and friends mingling as players emerged from the locker room, the stadium all but empty except for workers. And there was the shot: a punter and his ball.

The punter was Marquette King, a lone figure on the football field, except for a bag of footballs. The game was over, but King’s work – no matter how well he had done his job earlier – wasn’t. There would be King, while teammates dispersed, punting into the night air. That scene has played itself out with regularity since King went from Rutland to Fort Valley State, after some games and after scores of practices.


FVSU Punter Marquette King punts a 76 yard punt against Clark Atlanta.

“He’s definitely one of the most obsessive guys I’ve had,” said Haskel Buff, Fort Valley State’s special teams coach and defensive coordinator. “He takes an unbelievable amount of pride in his job and doing it well.” It’s paying off.

King is fifth nationally in Division II with a 43.8-yard punting average, which leads the SIAC. That figure would rank 26th among all Division I punters.



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