Marcus Spears is a former American football offensive tackle in the NFL who played for Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
After retiring from organized football in 2014, Spears opted for a broadcasting career and currently hosts the ESPN morning show Get Up! First Take and its flagship NFL studio show, NFL Live.
Swagu is a great personality overall. Although many people know him as a popular player and host, his personal life remains unknown.
So, we will discuss his personal life and professional career here. Let’s start with some quick facts.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Marcus Spears |
| Birth Date | March 8, 1983 |
| Birth Place | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Nick Name | Swagu |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Black |
| Education | Southern University Laboratory School, Louisiana State University |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Father’s Name | Ebray Spears |
| Mother’s Name | Irma Spears |
| Siblings | One Sister, Diedre Spears |
| Age | 41 Years Old |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in / 1.93 m / 193 cm |
| Weight | 143 kg / 315 lb |
| Shoe Size | Unknown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Body Measurement | Unknown |
| Figure | Unknown |
| Married | Yes |
| Wife | Aiysha Smith |
| Children | Macaria Reagan, Miko Reign Spears, And Marcus Rayshon Spears |
| Profession | Former Football Player And Host |
| Net Worth | $10 Million |
| Salary | Approx $1.3 Million (NFL) |
| Currently Works At | ESPN |
| Affiliations | LSU Tigers Football, Baltimore Ravens, and Dallas Cowboys |
| Active Since | 2000 |
| Social Media | Yes |
| Unavailable | |
| mspears96 | |
| mspear96 | |
| Merch | Autographed Photo |
| Last Update | March 2024 |
Early Life, Education, & Parents
Marcus was born on March 8, 1983, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to father, Ebray Spears, and his mother, Irma Spears. Except for their names, their profession and other information remains unknown.
Marcus was born under the sun sign of Pisces. Regardless of his birth sign, Marcus is a fighter and a strong person.
Spears grew up with his sister Diedre Spears.
The popular player spent his early life in Louisiana, where he went to Southern University Laboratory School.
Swagu played football there and gained popularity, and afterwards attended Louisiana State University and played for the LSU Tigers football team.
Age & Body Measurements
Marcus Spears is 41 years old as of 2024. He is a tall and looks very athletic. The former defensive end has a height of 1.93 meters and weighs around 315 lb.
Spears was popular for his ability to blend his body into his game.
Most people appreciated his body language and the use of his height and weight in the game.
Talking about his body measurement, there is no actual numbers available, but he is very fit and looks very comfortable.
Career & Stats
College Career
After making some impression in the high school football matches, Marcus Spears attended LSU.
He was selected for the LSU Tigers football team and was initially signed as a tight-end. However, Marcus soon started playing as a defensive end.
With eight tackles and two catches for 20 yards on offense, his performance won him the freshman All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors.
He recorded 46 tackles, 16 quarterback pressures, 3.5 tackles for losses, and three sacks. Spears set the personal career-high record for most tackles, i.e., 49 tackles.
Similarly, he put forth very impressive performances in the games he played. Spears had a very special contribution to bringing the team to third position in 2004.
The defensive end earned first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, and AP, and second-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated.
He also earned first-team All-SEC honors, and was the semifinalist for the Bednarik and Lombardi awards.
Marcus was inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in April 2021.
Professional Career
After an impressive performance in his college, Marcus was able to grab the attention of many managers.
He was immediately signed by the popular NFL team Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys
In the 2005 NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected Marcus with the 20th overall pick.
However, he couldn’t play the season’s early games due to minor injuries.
He started very slow, as he could not record any tackle for the team.
Spears continued to play for Dallas for 8 years. From 2005 to 2012, he was a key player for the team.
During his run in the NFL with the Cowboys, he played a total of 19 games and had a record tackles of a total of 236.
In the 2011 season, Marcus signed a contract worth $19.2 million with the Cowboys.
He was getting in form and had some minor injuries during his time there, and he managed to play some games.
Although he showed some signs of a return in 2012, he was again injured.
Because of injuries, he could not play to his full potential. Finally, on March 13, 2013, Marcus was released from the team due to serious knee injuries.
Baltimore Ravens
After the Cowboys released Spears, he was signed by Baltimore Ravens. He signed a two-year contract worth $3.55 million on March 15, 2013.
However, he could not play for the Ravens for two seasons for various reasons and injuries.
Out of 5 games played for the Ravens, Marcus had 10 tackles in his first season.
On October 13, he was waived by the team. Eventually, he retired from his football career.
TV Career
After he retired from the ground, Marcus started his career in TV as a host.
Initially, he started as co-host of SEC Nation, a weekly college football preview show providing information about upcoming matches and players.
Later in 2015, Spears began hosting a TV show called DFW Outdoorsman.
The program showed various activities like hunting, fishing, and other various outdoor activities as their content.
After hosting several other shows like Thinking Out Loud on the SEC Network, Spears is finally hosting the ESPN morning shows Get Up!, First Take, and NFL Live.
Personal Life, Wife, & Children
Marcus is married to Aiysha Smith, a former basketball player. He and his wife are in a very happy stage of their marital life.
Aiysha was born on 18 July 1980 and is 43 years old as of 2024.
The former WNBA player was raised in Detroit, Michigan, and has an athletic background.
The wife of a former NFL player played basketball at LSU and was honored with the All-Sec First Team in 2002.
She then played for the Washington Mystics in the WNBA after being drafted in 2003 as the seventh overall pick.
During her career, she played 60 games, where she started 5 of those and was a substitute on Team USA in the 2001 World University Games.
The couple has three children. Among the three, two of them are daughters, and one of them is a son.
The eldest daughter Macaria Reagan was born on February 23, 2007, and is 17. The second child, a son, Marcus Rayshon Spears, was born on April 8, 2009, and is 14.
And the youngest daughter Miko Reign Spears, was born on January 3, 2013, and is 11.
Although very busy, Marcus always spends quality time with his family. Also, he is a proud dad and lives with his family in Southlake, Texas.
Salary, Net Worth, & Lifestyle
Marcus Spears is one of America’s most celebrated former football players. Although he has retired from sports, he is still working in the field to improve football in the future.
In 2019, he had a net worth of $11 million, and his salary was more than $1.3 million annually. As a player, Marcus has made a pretty handsome amount of money.
Since his wife is also a player, the family has an even bigger net worth.
Marcus’s net worth is $10 million as of 2024.
Marcus also signed a strategic partnership with J.Hilburn in January 2021.
J.Hilburn is the leader in custom-made menswear; now, Spears is his brand steward.
As he will be the official stylist of Spears, they focus on creating unique custom-made clothes to boost their client’s confidence.
“I’m thrilled to continue my relationship with J.Hilburn. From the custom fitting with the stylists to wearing the pieces on ESPN – J Hilburn understands my size needs, and I feel great in their collection! Excited to see our partnerships extended in 2021.” – Marcus Spears
Undoubtedly, he spends a luxurious life with all the money he has made but is very down-to-earth and does not show off his lifestyle online.
Social Media Presence
Marcus is active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. He updates about his family, career, and other ventures on this platform.
On 23 February 2023, he updated a photo of himself with the caption, “#GodsThe Greatest#KeepGoing family People see your work even ones that you don’t think do!! They see it. Make your Lane #Swagu @onebonebrand”
Instagram: mspear96 (135k followers)
Twitter: mspear96 (299.8k followers)
Facebook: Marcus Spears (1.4k followers)
Popularity Graph
Marcus Spears is a former NFL player and an ESPN regular show host. He played for nine seasons in the NFL.
The popularity graph shows the wavelength from the last 12 months. He was highly searched because of his analytics on ESPN.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS)
What NFL team did Marcus Spears play for? What are his career statistics?
Marcus played college football for Louisiana State University and professional football for Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens.
When did Marcus Spears retire?
After various injuries, Marcus decided to end his nine seasons long career in 2014 without a super bowl ring.
Are Marcus Spears and Marc J. Spears related?
Marcus and Marc J. are cousins. Marc J. Spears is a senior NBA writer and sports analyst. Both are working with sports media.
