Hall of Fame running back and current Southern University head football coach Marshall Faulk has Parkinson’s disease.
Faulk, 53, revealed he was diagnosed with the progressive neurological disorder in an interview with Dr. Sandeep Thakkar on The Caring Neurologist on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
“Since I started on medication, I don’t have a lot of issues,” Faulk said. “I might sleep a little more. … Other than that, the rigidity in my hands, I still have that. I can’t say that it’s gotten worse. And the little tremors I get, they are what they are.”
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Faulk was an offensive star for the Indianapolis Colts (1994-98) and St. Louis Rams (1999-2005) in a 12-year NFL career. He’s one of only three running backs, along with Marcus Allen and Tiki Barber, to reach at least 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards in his career.
A longtime NFL Network analyst, Faulk was hired as the running backs coach at the University of Colorado in February 2025. In November 2025, he was hired as Southern’s head coach.
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According to the Mayo Clinic website, Parkinson’s is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time. Its symptoms include stiffness, slowing of movement, and trouble with balance that raises the risk of falls.
Although the disease is incurable, Faulk revealed “I’m in a good place.”
“A doctor pointed some things out — glaring, like obvious — and I just went to the doctor. ‘Hey, there’s something there, just start on the medication, don’t wait for it to get worse.’ I’m good,” he said. “I haven’t had many episodes. … I appear to be fine.”
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