Marcus Ray Marcus Kenyon Ray ( born August 14 , 1976 ) is an American football coach and former player . In college , he played for the Michigan Wolverines football team and was a member of the 1997 squad that won a national championship . Ray played professionally in the National Football League ( NFL ) for the Oakland Raiders and for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe . He has since coached football at the high school and college levels . Early life and college career . A native of Columbus , Ohio , Ray attended high school at Eastmoor Academy . He played college football at the University of Michigan , red - shirting in 1994 before earning varsity letters and wearing jersey # 29 in each of the next four seasons ( 1995 – 1998 ) . In 1995 , Ray started six games at free safety . The following season in 1996 , he started all 12 of Michigan ' s games at strong safety and earned All - Big Ten Conference honors . Ray intercepted three passes and made 100 total tackles on the season , tied for second best on the team with Jarrett Irons behind leader , Sam Sword . Ray started all 12 games at strong safety for the 1997 Michigan Wolverines , who won a share of the national championship after completing a 12 – 0 season with a victory in the Rose Bowl . That season , the Wolverines set the NCAA Division I - A season record for fewest yards allowed per completion by a team . Ray intercepted five passes , second on the team to Heisman Trophy winner , Charles Woodson . His 71 total tackles and 44 solo stops were each third on the team behind those tallied by Sword and Dhani Jones . Ray appeared on the December 1 , 1997 cover of " Sports Illustrated " in an action shot from that season ' s Michigan – Ohio State football game with Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver , David Boston . Ray again earned all - conference honors , and was a second team All - American selection by the Associated Press and " Sporting News " . The 1998 consensus preseason All - American was selected as a co - captain of the 1998 Michigan Wolverines football team , but he was suspended for six games by the NCAA for associating with a sports agent . As a result , he only started three games in 1998 . Ray completed his Michigan football career with ten interceptions , now seventh most in program history . He tallied 229 total tackles including 148 solo stops as a Wolverine . Professional playing and coaching career . Ray appeared in eight NFL games for the Oakland Raiders in 1999 . During the 2000 season , he played with the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europe , where he contributed to the team ' s efforts that took them to the World Bowl . Ray served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for various high schools in Columbus , Ohio between 2001 and 2003 . In 2004 , he began a three - year tenure as defensive backs coach at Ohio Dominican University . In 2007 , he served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater , Michigan . The following year , he was a graduate assistant for the Central Michigan Chippewas football team . Ray returned to Ohio Dominican as an assistant coach for a season in 2009 . In 2010 , he became the defensive coordinator at Mifflin High School in Columbus . Writing . In 2010 , Ray wrote a book of inspirational thoughts entitled , " Rays of Light , Volume 1 " Let There Be Light " " . He published it in 2011 through his company , TEAM RAYROC LLC , of which he is CEO and president . Family . Ray has four sons : Marcus II , Malik , Marquis , and Jayden .