Mark Bavaro

- This is a fan based page - Mark Bavaro (born April 28, 1963) is a former NFL football tight end who played for the New York Giants (1985-1990), Cleveland Browns (1992), and Philadelphia Eagles (1993-1994). Bavaro was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987 and was a member of the Giants teams that won Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXV. He is a 1985 graduate of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.Bavaro's most well known play probably occurred on Monday Night Football. Here is a description of the play taken from a Monday Night Football broadcast in 2005: "On Dec. 1 1986, New York Giants tight end Mark Bavaro cements his reputation as one of the toughest men in the NFL. With the Giants trailing, Bavaro catches an innocent pass from Phil Simms over the middle. It takes nearly seven 49ers defenders to finally drag him down, some of which are carried for almost 20 yards, including future Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott. Bavaro’s inspiring play jump starts the Giants, who win the game and eventually the Super Bowl."[1]Bavaro was also well known for the way he celebrated a touchdown. A Roman Catholic, he would genuflect in the end zone and make the sign of the cross.Bavaro finished his 10 NFL seasons with 351 receptions for 4,733 yards and 39 touchdowns.Since his NFL career ended Bavaro has done work as a member of the LifeAthletes organization which promotes abstinence. He has also befriended and followed the career of New England Patriots tight end Daniel Graham who idolized Bavaro as a child."Sports bring you into a community, and teach you lots about how to interact. My best memories, more than the great games, were the friends that I made playing at every level. I never had a perfect game, ... even in the NFL, you have to deal with failure. I'm much more comfortable receiving accolades now then I was during my career. Receiving honors while you're still playing puts extra pressure on you, since you can't be good all the time. I was always one of the tougher guys in the NFL. But in football, sometimes you get embarrassed. I'd get beat up by guys who were a lot smaller than me...failures will always happen to you. But don't let your mistakes keep you down."