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T MARK TAUSCHER #65 6' 3" • 316 lbs. • Wisconsin Exp: 9th NFL Season, 9th Packers Season Age: 31 Acquired: Draft 2000 (7a) Current Status: Active Roster   Name is pronounced TAU-sher Successfully returned from a 2002 knee injury to start 57 consecutive games before a groin injury forced him to miss five games in 2006 In 52-3 win vs. New Orleans in October 2005, was flagged for his first holding penalty in six NFL seasons Saw his first NFL reception, a 1-yard touchdown catch on Christmas Day 2005 vs. the Bears, negated by a Packers holding penalty Played five games at guard in 2001, then appeared briefly at the position in the 2003-04 seasons Holds a master's degree in educational administration and continues his graduate studies through UW-Madison; in 2005 spent five weeks in England, his research including work on the re-election campaigns of two British Parliament members as well as teaching a portion of an American Studies course at Dulwich College In 2005, established the 'TRIFECTA Foundation,' an acronym for Tauscher's Reading Initiative For Every Child To Achieve, its mission to benefit literacy and education in Wisconsin. With Associated Bank, the foundation already has raised more than $110,000 Participated in a fundraising campaign during the 2005 season for St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, Wis., a Children's Miracle Network hospital; since the hospital received pledges of more than $25,000, Tauscher cut his trademark long hair after the season Pro Summary A consistent veteran and one of the true leaders of the Packers' offensive line, enters his eighth NFL season as an eighth-year starter Looks to bounce back from a significant groin injury that snapped his 57-game starting streak and sidelined him for five games in 2006 Picked up the offense's new zone-blocking run scheme particularly well, developing into the line's best back-side cut-blocker May not look like the prototypical offensive tackle, or NFL player for that matter, but consistently keeps outside pass rushers at bay and remains a key cog in the running game Along with fellow tackle Chad Clifton, is one of the deans on the Packers' offensive line who has become an exemplary model for the team's young linemen to follow Known for his smarts and surprising mobility for his body type, finds success with keen awareness and anticipation, along with what some would consider less-than-textbook technique, allowing no one to argue with the results A popular home-state hero who may never reach household-name status outside Wisconsin, continues to bid for Pro Bowl respect Powerful and agile, regained top form after a 2002 knee injury and did not miss a start until Week 11 of the 2006 season (Nov. 19 vs. New England) Has started 91 NFL games, a fine accomplishment for the former Wisconsin Badger who entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick in 2000 Helped pave the way for the NFL's third-ranked offense in 2004, including team records for total first downs (354), net yards (6,357), net yards passing (4,449), completions (382) and fewest sacks allowed (14) Described as a player who rises to every occasion, hasn't received a lot of double-team help in keeping the edges clean and neutralizing some of the game's top defenders His 2002 knee injury mainly a distant memory now, he worked diligently during the second half of 2006 to return from a groin injury by season's end Admittedly not 100 percent in the season's final two games, expects to have no lingering effects from the injury come training camp 2007 A valued player, his immediate success as a starter and subsequent strong recovery from injury is largely attributed to his desire. Though primarily a tackle, has the versatility to also play guard, which he was called upon to do for the first time as a pro late in the 2001 season, then again early in 2003 and for a brief time in 2004; also has lined up as an extra tight end, and briefly registered his first NFL reception, a 1-yard touchdown in 2005, before a penalty wiped out the play The football fates initially provided the Wisconsin native with an instant opportunity when he was called upon to start the Packers' first three preseason games as a rookie in 2000 after back problems sidelined veteran right tackle Earl Dotson He soon found himself again in that role when Dotson went down with a year-ending back injury on the second offensive play of a game in Week 2 Proceeded from there to make a profound impression on the Packers' coaching staff, playing so well over the course of the season that he was accorded NFL all-rookie honors Joined Clifton in the starting lineup during the 2000 season to give the Packers their first pair of rookie starting offensive tackles in 48 years; not since rookies Tom Johnson and Bob Dees had opened at tackle Nov. 16, 1952, at the New York Giants had it occurred for Green Bay The Packers' confidence in him was further documented when he was signed to a six-year contract extension, through the 2008 season, on Nov. 27, 2002, while on injured reserve 2006 Season In his sixth full season as the Packers' starting right tackle, started 11 games and was inactive for five others with a groin injury, which limited him to 771 offensive plays Had entered the year in a new role as a mentor to several young offensive linemen, after being mentored himself on veteran lines for much of his career Incredibly smart and agile, showed the ability to adapt to the Packers' new zone-blocking scheme Played every snap on an offensive line that didn't allow a sack from the fourth quarter vs. New Orleans (Sept. 17) to the second quarter vs. St. Louis (Oct. 8); the streak covered 108 passing plays and included a shutout at Philadelphia (Oct. 2) against the Eagles' attacking defense Part of an offensive line at Miami (Oct. 22) that helped the team gain 155 yards rushing, including 118 from Ahman Green Against Arizona (Oct. 29), helped the offense amass 203 yards on the ground (383 total) including 100-yard performances from both Green (106) and Vernand Morency (101) On Morency's 23-yard run that led to a TD in Cardinals contest, took on two defenders to open a running lane; later, on Green's 4-yard TD run, manhandled DE Chike Okeafor At Buffalo (Nov. 5), blocked for Green's 122 rushing yards and 427 yards of team offense At Minnesota (Nov. 12), suffered a groin injury in the third quarter and missed the rest of the game The setback snapped his 57-game starting streak dating back to the start of the 2003 season and sidelined him vs. New England (Nov. 19), at Seattle (Nov. 27), vs. the New York Jets (Dec. 3), at San Francisco (Dec. 10) and vs. Detroit (Dec. 17) Returned to practice Dec. 14 and started the final two games, vs. Minnesota (Dec. 21) and at Chicago (Dec. 31) 2005 Season Started all 16 games at right tackle, extending his starting streak to three full seasons (48 contests, 51 including playoffs) Played 99.6 percent of the Packers' offensive snaps - more than any Green Bay player on that side of the ball - most of which came at right tackle, though some were as an extra tight end At Carolina (Oct. 3), held Pro Bowl DE Julius Peppers without a sack and made a key block to spring Green on an early 10-yard run In 52-3 win vs. New Orleans (Oct. 9), was called for his first holding penalty in six NFL seasons Also made the key block on RB Najeh Davenport's 24-yard burst, pushing LB Sedrick Hodge out of the way to open a hole Helped to extend the offensive line's streak of passing plays without a sack to 111, at Minnesota (Oct. 23) At Cincinnati (Oct. 30), started at right tackle and saw his first action as a blocking tight end Part of an offensive line at Atlanta (Nov. 13) that helped the offense gain 351 yards and blocked for the team's first 100-yard rusher, Samkon Gado On Gado's 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Falcons contest, helped open a hole and then pancaked S Kevin McCadam, the final defender in position to make a play At Philadelphia (Nov. 27), held All-Pro Jevon Kearse without a sack and helped pave the way for Gado's 111 rushing yards In first Bears contest, at Chicago (Dec. 4), blocked Adewale Ogunleye to allow Gado to get over the goal line on a 2-yard TD Against Detroit (Dec. 11), was part of an offensive line that helped produce 330 total net yards and escort Gado to the franchise's single-game rushing mark for a rookie, 171 yards Two weeks later, caught a 1-yard touchdown in the second quarter vs. Chicago (Dec. 25), but a Packers holding penalty nullified the play 2004 Season Started all 16 regular-season games for the second straight year and the third time as a professional Played for all but two of the team's 1,094 offensive snaps, helping Packers allow a franchise-low 14 sacks, including a team-record eight games with no sacks Also started NFC Wild Card playoff against Minnesota (Jan. 9) Helped the Packers to 152 yards on the ground in the season opener at Carolina (Sept. 13), going up against Panthers' stellar defensive front Along with 2000 draft classmate Clifton, made his 50th NFL start vs. Chicago (Sept. 19) Virtually shut down the Giants' Michael Strahan (Oct. 3), holding him without a sack Helped Green Bay to 157 yards rushing in win at Detroit (Oct. 17), called upon to move to right guard for two plays early in the fourth quarter after an arm laceration sidelined starter Marco Rivera Against Dallas (Oct. 24), helped team to 220 yards rushing and 486 yards of total offense Contributed along an offensive line that helped gain 206 yards on the ground vs. Minnesota (Nov. 14); on Green Bay's final offensive play, opened a hole for Green, who barreled ahead for 7 yards, setting up a 33-yard Ryan Longwell field goal to win the game At Houston (Nov 21), aided the offensive line in providing excellent pass protection for Brett Favre's 383 yards passing, including no sacks allowed Helped the Packers to a season-high 231 rushing yards in Monday night victory over St. Louis (Nov. 29) Combined with Kevin Barry to seal defenders inside and spring Davenport on his 40-yard scoring run in Rams contest; also kept Rams Pro Bowl DE Leonard Little without a pressure Held Kearse without a tackle at Philadelphia (Dec. 5) In rematch win over Detroit (Dec. 12), was part of a line that opened holes for 116 rushing yards and allowed only one sack to an outstanding Lions front four In division-clinching triumph at Minnesota (Dec. 24), provided solid protection for Favre's 363 yards passing Moved inside to right guard during the fourth quarter of regular-season finale at Chicago (Jan. 2), replacing starter Rivera, who was resting his knees 2003 Season The Packers' starter at right tackle for the fourth straight year, made a successful return from the knee injury that had taken away most of his 2002 season Started all 16 games for the second time in his pro career (also 2001) Also started both playoff contests Played all but six snaps during the regular season, yielding to Barry for the final half-dozen plays in 41-7, Monday night victory over Oakland (Dec. 22); otherwise, was in for the other 1,025 offensive snaps Had returned gradually from his injury, as a rule practicing only once a day early in training camp and not seeing game action until the third preseason game, at Cleveland (Aug. 15) Helped Packers to single-season franchise records for yards rushing (2,558) and yards per carry (5.05), including 1,883 yards by Green to break Jim Taylor's 41-year-old team rushing mark; the 2,558 rushing yards ranked third in the NFL, behind only Baltimore (2,669) and Denver (2,629) Was part of an offensive line that allowed only 19 sacks - tied (with Indianapolis) for the second-fewest in the NFL in '03 and (then) a franchise low for a 16-game season Was personally responsible for four pressures and 1½ sacks, according to his coaches Included in the Packers' low sack number was a (then) team-record six games without a sack (statistic kept since 1963), including three consecutive contests (Sept. 14-21-29) with zero sacks for the first time in franchise history Played a big part in November stretch when Green Bay rushed for 190-or-more yards in four straight games Cleared hole for critical fourth-down conversion on game-winning, fourth-quarter drive at Tampa Bay (Nov. 16), taking out Bucs LB Nate Webster on Davenport's 5-yard run to the Tampa Bay 11; Green Bay scored a TD three plays later for the contest's final points in 20-13 triumph Blocked down to help launch Green's franchise-record 98-yard TD run in finale with Denver (Dec. 28) Played some snaps at right guard early in the year (Barry assuming the right tackle spot) with Rivera's durability limited as he returned from a preseason medial collateral sprain 2002 Season Suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 at New Orleans (Sept. 15), when Saints linebacker Charlie Clemons rolled into him during a sack late in the second quarter Initially diagnosed as having a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, along with possible cartilage damage, a 75 percent tear of the anterior cruciate ligament was revealed during arthroscopic surgery Sept. 17 Placed on injured reserve Sept. 18, he subsequently underwent surgery to repair the ACL Oct. 11 Had played in 34 consecutive regular-season games to open his professional career, including 32 straight starts - a streak that ended without him in the lineup at Detroit (Sept. 22) 2001 Season Served as the Packers' starter at right tackle for a second straight season Remaining consistent in training camp, was able to weather the effort of previous starter Dotson to reclaim his job, and start all 16 regular-season games for the first time as a professional Also opened in both of the team's playoff contests Was named to the All-Pro team of the Dallas Morning News Along the way, was a key factor in Green Bay allowing the third-fewest sacks in the league (22) and the fewest by a Packer team in 27 years (17 in 1974) Helped the Green and Gold to amass 179 yards rushing in season opener vs. Detroit (Sept. 9) With usual starter Rivera hampered by a broken hand, he was moved inside and played at right guard during the second and fourth quarters of the season's final five games - vs. Chicago (Dec. 9), at Tennessee (Dec. 16), against Cleveland (Dec. 23), vs. Minnesota (Dec. 30) and at the N.Y. Giants (Jan. 6) - the first action of his pro career at right guard Helped Green Bay to rush for a season-best 222 yards in Browns contest Later, picked off Strahan on Green's 25-yard scoring run in the first quarter of the 34-25 win at New York (Jan. 6) Threw an important block to help Green get into the end zone on his game-clinching, 9-yard TD run with 1:55 remaining in 25-15, NFC Wild Card victory over San Francisco (Jan. 13) 2000 Season Started the Packers' final 14 games at right tackle after the incumbent, Dotson, reherniated a disk in his back in Week 2, at Buffalo (Sept. 10) Played virtually the entire Bills contest after Dotson was forced out on the second play from scrimmage Made his first NFL start the next week vs. Philadelphia (Sept. 17) Having seen special teams duty in the season opener, played in all 16 games as a rookie Was named to the all-rookie team of Football News Helped the Packers to average better than 100 yards rushing per game (102.7) for the first time since their last Super Bowl season (1997) Stymied the formidable Reggie White in Monday night game at Carolina (Nov. 27), holding him without a tackle or sack With Clifton, formed Green Bay's first pair of starting rookie offensive tackles in 48 years (since Johnson and Dees, Nov. 16, 1952, at N.Y. Giants); the union first occurred when Clifton entered the lineup vs. San Francisco (Oct. 15) Was the first of five seventh-round draft choices (224th overall) by Green Bay in 2000 College Was a one-year starter (1999) and two-time letter winner (1998-99) for Wisconsin Showed remarkable improvement and perseverance over his college career, making the team as a walk-on in 1995 and playing little for two straight seasons (1996-97) before contributing substantially his final two years, including a starting assignment as a senior Was invited to both the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Game, the only 1999 Badger to appear in two postseason all-star contests Twice was selected to the Academic All-Big Ten team (1998-99) Was a member of two straight Big Ten and Rose Bowl championship teams (1998-99) Took over as the starter at right tackle in 1999, replacing the departed Aaron Gibson Had backed up Gibson and left tackle Chris McIntosh, a pair of future NFL first-round draft choices, in 1997 and '98 Received a B.A. degree in history in 1999 and began work on a graduate degree while playing his final season for the Badgers; completed coursework and exams and received a master's degree in educational administration in May of 2003 Since has begun work on pre-doctorate studies through UW-Madison; spent five weeks in England before the '05 season as part of his program, his research including work on the re-election campaigns of two British Parliament members, Malcom Wicks and Geraint Davies, as well as teaching a portion of an American Studies course at Dulwich College Personal Given name Mark Gerald Tauscher Name is pronounced TAU-sher Nicknamed 'Tausch' Born in Marshfield, Wis. Single Won all-state and all-conference honors in football his junior and senior years as an offensive lineman at Auburndale (Wis.) High School Named team MVP as a senior Also made all-conference teams in both basketball (center) and baseball (third base) as a junior and senior Earned three letters in football (as an offensive and defensive tackle) and baseball, lettering twice in basketball Also was a member of the National Honor Society in high school Has displayed his considerable batting power annually in the Brett Favre Celebrity Softball Game, held at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis.; he socked three home runs in the 2001 contest Father, Dennis, is a reporter for the Marshfield (Wis.) News-Herald and covers Packers home games for his newspaper, enabling him to deliver personal reports on his son's progress and performance to the readers back home Enjoys giving time to local charities, including reading at several area elementary schools (Howe, Fairview, Pioneer, Sauk Prairie and Fox Lake) to promote reading programs; also has worked with the Salvation Army, UWGB literacy program and the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics In 2005 established the 'TRIFECTA (Tauscher's Reading Initiative For Every Child To Achieve) Foundation,' its mission to benefit literacy and education in the state of Wisconsin; held golf outings each of the past three springs to raise money for the foundation With Associated Bank, TRIFECTA has raised more than $110,000 for distribution in Wisconsin Participated in a fundraising campaign in 2005 for St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, Wis., a Children's Miracle Network hospital; because the hospital received pledges better than $25,000, Tauscher cut his trademark long hair after the season, with donors having the chance to be randomly chosen to take part in the cutting ceremony In 2006, ate dinner and played games with local patients at the annual Families of Children with Cancer holiday party Also spent a week traveling with pediatric cancer patients to participate in winter activities around Wisconsin as part of former college teammate Jerry Wunsch's Circle of Friends program Spoke to young Punt, Pass & Kick finalists in 2002 Was a guest speaker at the Future Farmers of America banquet in Cambridge, Wis., in April of 2001 Was an assistant teacher of seventh grade at De Forest (Wis.) Middle School while in college Organized a charity basketball game, also in De Forest, to benefit cancer research in March of 2000; he also has given time to D.A.R.E. in that city Hobbies include playing golf and tennis Residence: Green Bay Player Stats Back To Top Year GP GS 2000 Green Bay 16 14 2001 Green Bay 16 16 2002 Green Bay 2 2 2003 Green Bay 16 16 2004 Green Bay 16 16 2005 Green Bay 16 16 2006 Green Bay 11 11 NFL totals (seven years) 93 91 Postseason 5 5 On injured reserve for Packers game during '02 playoffs Additional statistics: Miscellaneous tackles - 2 in 2000, 1 in 2001, 1 in '01 playoffs; 1 in 2003, 2 in 2004; NFL total: 6. NFL debut: vs. N.Y. Jets, 9/3/00 First NFL start: vs. Philadelphia, 9/17/00 CAREER TRANSACTIONS 2000: Selected by Green Bay Packers as first of five seventh-round choices (224th overall) in '00 NFL Draft, April 15...Signed first contract, June 21. 2002: Placed on injured reserve (left knee), Sept. 18...Signed six-year contract extension, Nov. 27. CURRENT CONTRACT EXPIRATION: After 2008