Mark Pike, one of the top standouts on special teams coverage units for the 1990's AFC champion Bills, died Wednesday following a battle with Non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Pike, who spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Bills, suited up for 173 games for Buffalo after the club made him a seventh-round pick in 1986. He backed up Hall of Famer Bruce Smith on the defensive line for many of those years.
Pike, 57, was a Dixie Heights High School graduate and played at Georgia Tech before being drafted in 1986.
The Bills posted a press release on his death Wednesday afternoon.
"He was a big man who played special teams which was a matchup nightmare for our opponents," Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker, one of his longest-tenured teammates, said in the release. "He was a unique specimen. His ability to run and play special teams with his versatility was unbelievable."
Pike lived in Northern Kentucky after his playing career ended and owned fitness centers in the area.
His oldest son, Zeke, graduated from Dixie Heights in 2012. Zeke Pike, a five-star recruit at quarterback, signed with Auburn in 2012 but derailed his football career with drug and alcohol problems. He is now a motivational speaker and entrepreneur. Zeke Pike was also a starter for Dixie Heights’ Ninth Region championship basketball team in 2011.
Mark Pike's other son, Malachi, graduated from Covington Catholic in 2018. He was a senior and the leading receiver for CovCath’s undefeated 2017 5A state champions and was also fifth in tackles on that team.
Zeke Pike posted an Instagram story with a picture of him and his father Wednesday. His caption said, “Heaven got the greatest today! I’m so proud to be your son. And I promise every day to live and be more like you!! Count your blessings and tell those you love that you love them!!”
According to the Bills release, the key to Pike's effectiveness was his ability to run despite being a defensive lineman. He would routinely bust up wedges and run through blocks to make plays on Buffalo's coverage units.
Pike led the Bills in special teams tackles in seven of the last eight years he played for Buffalo and is still the franchise's all-time leading special teams tackler with 255 career takedowns. That total also ranks second all-time in NFL history to only former New England special teamer Larry Izzo (298).
Pike added another 34 special teams tackles in the postseason for Buffalo.
One of his signature plays came during Buffalo’s memorable comeback from a 35-3 deficit against Houston in the 1993 playoffs. Pike’s block on a successful onside kick during the comeback is regarded as one of the biggest plays in that game, which Buffalo won 41-38 in overtime.
Tasker recalls pre-game conversations with Pike where they would plan to be the spark for their defense if they lost the opening coin toss.
"I remember him and (me) sitting and talking about how we wanted the game to begin," said Tasker. "We felt like we needed to set a tone. We always put that on ourselves. If we're able to do something on a kickoff make sure we stay out there and celebrate, especially at home. Get (the crowd) whipped up. Let's turn it up right away and let's do something. We'd tell Scott (Norwood), 'Don't kick it out of the end zone, so we can make a play.'"
As he faced cancer this fall, Pike recently attended the Week 4 home game against Houston to serve as the club's Crucial Catch honoree, which is the NFL's program to fight cancer through early detection and risk reduction.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon, their two sons, and their daughter, Kramer.
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