Mark Andrews has emerged as one of the best tight ends in the NFL. A T1D Champion on and off the football field, his passion for the sport and commitment to inspire and help improve the lives of those living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) go together like… Well, throwing and catching!

Diagnosed with T1D at nine years old, Mark had a life-threatening experience at the University of Oklahoma that briefly left his football career in question.

Determined not to allow T1D to interfere with his dreams, he persevered and became one of the nation’s top tight ends in college before being picked up by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

“To be put on this stage, I’ve always wanted to give back and for me, that’s with diabetes — that hits home for me,” Mark shared in an interview with our partners at Beyond Type 1.

“Helping kids with diabetes is something that I’ve found has given me the most reward: raising awareness and talking to people about how I use technology and what I do with it, it’s to help people with everyday life and share some of that.”

“I’m going to work as hard as I can to be the best tight end that I can be, and hopefully one of the premier tight ends in the league,” added Mark. “I want kids to see where I’m at today like I saw Jay Cutler, and I hope it inspires them to go out there and play sports and be active — to follow their dreams, no matter what they may be.”

Racking Up the Points to Fund T1D Research

As a T1D Champion and advocate for the community, Mark has racked up quite a winning record.  He has served as a JDRF youth ambassador; formed a One Walk Team and raised funds for T1D research; made JDRF his charity for the annual NFL My Cause My Cleats Campaign; and now, he’s partnering on an exciting new campaign to benefit JDRF.

This football season, Mark is teaming up with Tandem Diabetes Care on a Fantasy Football campaign. 

For every fantasy point that Mark scores, Tandem will donate $150 to JDRF for T1D research. Every yard that he gains and every touchdown he scores will contribute to a donation at the end of the season, up to $25,000!

Whether Mark is on your fantasy team or not, find out how you can still join the fun.