STOCKTON, Calif. – Growing up as the youngest of three brothers, Mark Nordquist tried to be the most competitive of the trio, including at chess, which found a common intersect with his football career.
 
"I am the chess champion of my family," said Nordquist. "I concentrated on being good at chess and it helped me being a quarterback when I was younger with making rational decisions based on where you're located."
 
Nordquist is one of five inductees representing the Class of 2024 for the Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame when a special reception and dinner take place on Friday, Feb. 23 in the Janssen-Lagorio Gymnasium on the Pacific campus.
 
"It's a wonderful surprise," said Nordquist on receiving the honor. "I get a lot of humility with it because earning the hall of fame honor of my university is something that I never thought I was going to receive. I'm just in awe."
 
Nordquist was a key offensive lineman for the Tigers in 1966 and 1967, helping Pacific average 22.3 points per game in 1967, the best offensive output in nine seasons. He blocked for Jack Layland, who ran for 1,751 yards in those two seasons, and protected quarterback Bob Lee, who threw for 2,304 yards before he was drafted by the Vikings and spent 12 years in the NFL.
 
Described by his coaches as one of the best blockers they had seen, Nordquist shifted around from his originally recruited position of defensive end to tight end to tackle.
 
"Midway through the junior season, I was moved from defensive end to tight end on offense," said Nordquist. "Then senior year, they said I was one of the best blockers we have so we're going to move you to left tackle – the blind side. I had to take on that aspect really quickly and make sure no one ever got to the quarterback."
 
While the statistical numbers don't necessarily paint the whole picture, Nordquist did a tremendous job at protecting the quarterback. However, Buddy Ryan, the Pacific defensive coordinator during Nordquist's senior year and future NFL head coach, wanted him to play the other side of the ball too.
 
"The interplay amongst the coaching staff was funny because they wanted me to play both sides of the ball constantly with me juggling between tight end and defensive end as well," said Nordquist with a chuckle. "I ultimately stuck with staying at the tackle position."
 
That notion paid off well as Nordquist was eventually selected as a fifth-round pick in the 1968 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Nordquist could not believe his ears when his name was called.
 
"I never intended to play professional football," said Nordquist. "I was going to college to get an education. As my senior year went along, after the games, a weird thing would happen. The pro scouts would talk to me, and I was flattered. I thought they were looking for the wrong Mark. When the season ended, most of the scouts said they'd hope to draft me, despite not having a high round pick for me, but lo and behold, I was the first guy drafted off my football team, and it was a total surprise when I heard, 'Mark Nordquist. Tackle. University of the Pacific.'"
 
Nordquist spent seven years with the Eagles and finished his NFL career with a pair of campaigns on the Chicago Bears. Nordquist completed nine seasons, starting 79 games and appearing in 111 contests on the offensive front line.
 
After his NFL playing career, Nordquist co-founded DonJoy, a leading manufacturer of orthopedic knee braces, which produced a brace that was recognized as one of the best ACL braces of its time.
 
"We came up with the first stabilizing brace in the world," said Nordquist. "It was a hinged knee brace and the fingers on the hinge kept your lower leg from moving forward. We came up with a design for that, and two years later, it was voted by the academy of orthopedic surgeons as the best knee brace in the world."
 
Following DonJoy, Nordquist started his own development and construction company, building roughly 500 houses before retiring out of the real estate construction field.
 
Nordquist returned to his roots and passion for chess, finding a unique hobby in sculpting objects, including chess sets.
 
"My first one was a sea animal chess set with a great white shark as the king and a bottle-nosed dolphin as the queen," said Nordquist. "I'm really happy with how my sculpting projects have turned out."
 
Nordquist's sculpting work and collection of creations can be found here.
 
As Nordquist reflects on his football playing career and the prestigious honor he receives, he wants to thank everyone who has supported him along his journey.
 
"I'd like to thank all my teammates in life," said Nordquist. "It was my teammates that make me who I am. You can only do so much all by yourself. The team you have around there is significant in everyone's well-being."
 
More information about the Hall of Fame ceremony can be found here.

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