Mark M. Malone (born November 22, 1958) is an American former football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). Playing career Malone was the nation's most recruited quarterback in 1975 out of El Cajon Valley High School near San Diego, California. He also was recruited by the USOC as a possible decathlete for the 1980 Olympics. He was a two-year starter at Arizona State University and was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 28th pick in the 1980 NFL draft. While in college, he proved to be an adept runner as much as he was a passer. 1977 (11 Games): 14/26 for 197 yards with 2 TD vs. 1 INT. 27 carries for 168 yards. 1978 (11 Games): 93/205 for 1,305 yards with 11 TD vs. 15 INT. 143 carries for 705 yards with 9 TD. 1979 (11 Games): 148/289 for 1,886 yards with 10 TD vs. 12 INT. 132 carries for 471 yards with 12 TD. NFL career He played eight seasons (1980–1987) with the Steelers, becoming the fourth-ranked quarterback in franchise history at the time with 8,582 yards. His highlights with the Steelers included giving the eventual Super Bowl Champion 49ers its only loss in 1984, and guiding the Steelers to the 1984 AFC Championship Game against the Miami Dolphins. He was traded on April 12, 1988, to the San Diego Chargers for his last, full NFL season. He would play one more game in 1989 with the New York Jets. For his career Malone passed for 10,175 yards and 60 TDs, and rushed 159 times for 628 yards and 18 TDs. Malone also had one career reception for a 90-yard TD against the Seattle Seahawks, a Steelers team record until Mike Wallace broke it with a 95-yard touchdown reception vs. the Arizona Cardinals in 2011. (JuJu Smith-Schuster currently holds the record with a 97-yard touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions in 2017.) Malone's career, however, was plagued with several severe injuries. A September 1987 Sports Illustrated article on Malone recounted the knee injury he suffered against Seattle while playing wide receiver that forced him to miss the entire 1982 season after having surgery. Malone started only half the season in 1985 for Pittsburgh due to various injuries, and missed two games at mid-season in 1986 with a thumb injury on his throwing hand. Among his more memorable games in the NFL include becoming the first quarterback