Giradie Mercer (2019) - Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame

Giradie Mercer

Induction:
2019
Class:
1999

In the four seasons that Giradie Mercer suited up for the Thundering Herd, the Marshall football team won 50 games and lost only four. The Washington, D.C., product was a force from the beginning - his three tackles for loss during the Thundering Herd’s I-AA National Championship run during his freshman season was just a taste of what would follow for the defensive tackle. Over the next three seasons Mercer anchored the defense and wreaked havoc on opposing offenses, leading Marshall to three consecutive Mid-American Conference titles. As a junior, Mercer helped Marshall to a 12-1 record and the school’s first bowl victory (48-29 over Louisville in the Motor City Bowl) as he led the Thundering Herd with 16 tackles for loss and was named first-team All-MAC. He was also first-team all-conference as a senior, when he led Marshall with 24 tackles for loss and also with five quarterback sacks, as Marshall went 13-0 and finished with a No. 10 ranking in the final polls after dominating No. 25 Brigham Young 21-3 in the Motor City Bowl. Following his Marshall career Mercer played four seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets. Mercer was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.