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After a standout career at Osceola High School, Markus Paul became an All-America defensive back at Syracuse University. Photo courtesy of Syracuse Athletics.
Osceola County and Osceola High School has lost a legend.
Markus Paul, a multi-sport athlete who starred at Osceola High School in the early 1980s, died in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday, Nov. 25. He was 54.
A 1984 graduate, Paul was the starting quarterback for the Kowboys from 1982-83. As a junior, he led Osceola to the state championship game where they lost to Titusville in the title game. He was also a starter on Ed Kershner’s Osceola basketball team that went undefeated with a perfect 37-0 record and won the state championship during the 1982-83 season.
Paul, who most recently served as the Dallas Cowboys strength coach, was hospitalized two weeks ago after experiencing a medical emergency at the team’s facility. He passed away later that night in the hospital.
“This is extremely difficult for me to talk about. Shock, hurt and pain is what I am feeling right now,” former Osceola Head Football Coach Ken Baker, who served as head coach of the Kowboys from 1981-85 said about his former player. “Even though he went on to the NFL and had a great career as a player and later a coach, he never forgot his roots. He called me often to just stay in touch and talk about football and life. I guess the most important thing I will remember about Markus is that he always did things the right way. Whether he was dealing with a teammate, a coach, a teacher, he always treated everyone with respect, always treated them like a friend.”
Baker added that Paul was the ideal student athlete.
“He was the best on the field but he was also best in the locker room and in the classroom. He always led by example and tried to make those around him better,” Baker recalled.
Although and outstanding athlete, Paul was not heavily recruited by Division-1 schools.
“We didn’t throw the ball a lot back then and many schools said they wanted him but they were very clear they wanted him to be a defensive back. He wanted to play quarterback,” Baker said. “Syracuse was one of the few teams that promised him they would give him a shot at quarterback and that’s why I think he went there.”
After a redshirt year with the Orange where he competed at quarterback, Syracuse moved Paul to defensive back. He became an All-American at Syracuse in 1988 and was named to the school’s All-Century team in November 1999. He still holds the Syracuse record with 19 career interceptions and that total still ranks 17th on the all-time NCAA list. Paul was later selected to the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Chicago Bears drafted Paul in the fourth round in 1989 from Syracuse. He appeared in 70 games for them with 15 starts over four seasons before playing his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1993. Paul had seven career interceptions and is perhaps best remembered for picking off Wade Wilson twice in a 10-6 victory over the Minnesota Vikings to open the 1991 season at Soldier Field.
Following his playing career, Paul entered the coaching profession. He became an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the New Orleans Saints in 1998 and later served similar roles with the New England Patriots, New York Jets and New York Giants. In 2018, he was appointed head strength and conditioning coach at the Dallas Cowboys, where he worked until his passing.
In all, Paul worked 21 seasons in the NFL as a coach, earning a total of five Super Bowl rings – getting three with the New England Patriots and two with the New York Giants. Regardless of which team he was with, Paul was widely respected and liked by all of the coaches and players he worked with.
"He earned the players respect and attention because he cared so much and was a naturally gifted communicator -- both on the personal and professional levels," Dallas Cowboy Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. "He handled every situation, sometimes with a smile and a pat on the back, and sometimes with tough love. He had innate toughness in a job that requires that quality, and he was admired throughout the NFL by his peers and the players he coached. It was a privilege to work with him as a coach and laugh with him as a friend."
"And I think for us, just having a chance to talk about it, remember him and just talk about ways that he has helped mentor us and just the way he was as a man, the way he lived his life, I think that's what made him so special as a person," Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton said. "And so you feel for the team, you feel for his family, you feel for everybody involved and our prayers are out for everybody, especially his family."
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Marcus Paul and his family. I know that there's a lot of close connections with our organization,” New England Head Coach Bill Belichick said. “We're all thinking about him and just have a ton of respect for him and all he did for us.”
“The loss of a family member was a tragedy, and Markus Paul was a beloved and important member of our family,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “He had a comfortable and soothing influence across our strength room. His passion for work and enthusiasm for life has earned him great respect and admiration from all players and the entire organization.“
Current Osceola Head Coach Doug Nichols said Paul continued to have an impact on the Kowboy program decades after he played his last high school game.
“He was before my time so I never had the privilege of seeing him play,” Nichols said. “But he still had a tremendous impact on Kowboys football. He generously continued to donate to the team, both financially and with his time. We have a saying here….”Once a Kowboy, Always A Kowboy” and that certainly applies to Markus.”
A local memorial service is being planned for later this month.
Wire service reports contributed to this story.
