Michel J. Faulkner (; born May 21, 1957) is a former New York Jets football player who is the pastor of New Horizon Church in New York City. Faulkner was the 2010 Republican nominee for U.S. Representative for , and was the 2017 Republican nominee for New York City Comptroller. Early life, education, and early career Faulkner was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His mother, Queenita Hairston, a beautician, married Steve Faulkner, a Washington, D.C. police officer. After moving to D.C., he lived and attended elementary school in southeast Washington, D.C. area of Anacostia. His family later moved to Prince George's County, Maryland, where Faulkner attend junior high and was graduated from Bishop McNamara High School in 1975. He was awarded a football scholarship to Virginia Tech, where he was a four-year starter and freshman All-American. In 1980, he was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communications and sociology. While at Tech, Faulkner was involved in drama and spoken word presentations where he developed his public speaking abilities. After college, Faulkner signed with the National Football League and had tryouts with the Oakland Raiders and the Washington Redskins. In 1981, he attended training camp with the New York Jets and spent the 1981–1982 season with the team as a defensive lineman. He was cut from the Jets in 1982 because of a leg injury. After leaving the Jets in June 1982, Faulkner returned to Washington, D.C., where he attended graduate school at CBN (now Regent University) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Faulkner moved to Blacksburg, Virginia to complete his Master's Degree in education and career counseling at Virginia Tech. After completing his Master's Degree in 1985, Faulkner met Rev. Jerry Falwell and joined Liberty University as Assistant Dean of Students. In 1987, he was promoted to Vice President for Urban Ministry. In 1988, he moved from Lynchburg, Virginia to the Times Square area of Manhattan. Ministry In 1988, Faulkner served as assistant pastor of Lamb's Church in Times Square. Faulkner held the position of Vice President for Community Government Relations at King’s College from 1988 to 1992. In 1989, Faulkner joined Calvary Baptist Church in Midtown Manhattan as a youth pastor. Faulkner was ordained at Calvary Baptist Church in December 1991. In 1993, Faulkner became the senior pastor of Central Baptist Church in Manhattan, growing the congregation from an average of 50 weekly attendees to over 400. From June 2002 to