Mark Schlereth is a man’s man, food-lover and prime time performer.
“Success” is such an arbitrary term. For some, success is defined by facing another day. Others call something a success by just finishing what they started. Hell, for me success is using a Crockpot and remembering to turn it on.
And for guys who can barely turn on a Crockpot like us, Mark stopped by to share a few easy to make/impossible to screw up food items from DiGiornio, Farm Rich, and a TV from LG that looks good enough to eat for your Super Bowl party this weekend.
For Mark “Stink” Schlereth, success is defined by his drive and passion for the game. “Stink”, as his close friends call him, was drafted 263rd overall by the Washington Redskins in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Fast forward almost 30 years to that draft day, and “Stink” has become a household name for football fans. From winning his three Super Bowl rings, to making two Pro Bowls and of course a long-standing TV personality, Schlereth has defined an NFL superstar.
A superstar from a position where not many expect superstars to be “bread.”
The 11-year NFL vet played his games from the guard position. He owned the trenches as a member of the HAWGS offensive line on the 1991 Redskins, and led the way Terrell Davis‘s 2,000 yard season.
We got the chance to talk to Mark about his NFL lifestyle, personal quirks and even about some of his past championship moments.
Question and Answer with “Stink” Schlereth
Question: Where did Stink come from, and do you even like being called Stink? Give me the rundown. How did that come about?
Answer: You don’t get to pick your own nickname, right? Like the dude who introduced himself as “Killer”, that dude gave himself a nickname. That dude is a tool box, right? You don’t get to pick your own nickname… The nickname “Stink” comes from when I was a rookie with the Washington Redskins, my sister taught school at an Eskimo village in… Akiachak, Alaska right on the Kuskokwim River. In the very first run of salmon during the year, the natives would dip-net the salmon, cut the heads off, bury them in the ground and dig them up weeks later and eat them rotten and they called them “stink heads”… From that point forward I was dubbed “Stink head”, and eventually it just shortened down to “Stink”. That’s the truth, and the good story… which is also true is one day I had to really urinate during a game, and I just went and it just became a ritual that I would pee in my pants during games if I had to… Which was pretty much every game if I had to so that’s how… the moniker stuck. I used to urinate in my pants every game so… anybody who knows me… if we’re acquaintances you ask for Mark. Well for buddies you say “Stink” and that’s just the way it goes.
Q: “Stink” I want to ask you about your first Super Bowl Victory in ’91, you blew through the playoffs. You beat Atlanta in the divisional round 24-7, you beat Detroit in the NFC Championship game just manhandled them 41-10, and then you beat Buffalo in the Super Bowl. Is that the most underrated Super Bowl Championship team in history?
A: Well it depends… I think USA Today ranked them as the best Super Bowl team in history when you talk about the complete team. Offense, defense and special teams. Yeah I think they probably get the credit that they deserve… Think about this, in 19 games over the course of the season including the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Nineteen games total against great defenses in Detroit, great pass-rushers in Atlanta, and obviously the Buffalo Bills with their pass-rushers with Bruce Smith the Hall of Famer. In 19 games we gave up nine sacks… it wasn’t just the offensive line, obviously the quarterback is involved, the receivers are involved, Ernest Byner was a great blitz pickup guy, our tight ends were involved, but… when you think about nine sacks in 19 games it’s an incredible record.
Q: “Stink” when was the last time you wore all three of your Super Bowl rings at once, and what do you do with the AFC and NFC Championship rings that you got?
A: I don’t have any AFC or NFC Championship rings because every time I went to the Super Bowl I won. So, you only get AFC Championship or NFC Championship rings when you lose in the Super Bowl… Only the loser of the Super Bowl gets an AFC or NFC Championship ring so I was fortunate enough to be on great teams that went 3-0 in the Super Bowls that I got to play in. The only time I’ve ever put all three on… I had someone challenging me about Baker Mayfield, some Oklahoma fan [saying], “what have you ever won?… Baker is the greatest, what have you ever won?” And I just took a picture of my hand with all three Super Bowl rings on and basically said, “I don’t know let me think about that.” And posted that on social media, and it got a lot of attention. For the most part I don’t ever wear the rings.
To check out our full interview with “Stink”, check out this link:
Note from Paul: I’m going to be honest with you. I wrote this article 6 years ago. But it’s even more true now. 
“Get your popcorn ready!” In this interview with the latest member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame 
