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Former Razorback Mark Pierce has been sentenced to eight years for a probation violation related to a fatal crash that occurred late last year in Fort Worth, Texas, according to the Fort Worth Star Telegram. The former UA fullback could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of an intoxication manslaughter charge.

According to police, Pierce swerved into the wrong lane with his Chevrolet Trailblazer and hit a Burleson, Texas man's van head-on. The man, Lance Shetler, died at the scene.

Former Arkansas fullback Mark Pierce, shown here in an Aug. 11, 2003 photo, was sentence to eight years in prison this week. (TIMES Photo/Andy Shupe)

Pierce fled the scene on foot but police caught up with him as he attempted to reach his mother's house.

Here's more from the Fort Worth Star Telegram:

Police said that alcohol containers were in the Trailblazer and that Pierce appeared to be intoxicated.

Although Pierce refused the blood test, a mandatory one was later done as allowed by state law.

Pierce had several headline-grabbing incidents -- on and off the field -- while at the UA. Here's a recap, compiled late last year in this report:

Pierce was dismissed from the Arkansas team after the final regular season game of 2003. Then-coach Houston Nutt did not explain the reasoning for the dismissal. Earlier in the pre-season, Pierce was arrested in the early morning hours of Aug. 31, 2003 on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental operations following a run-in with Fayetteville police outside a club on Dickson Street. He allegedly shouted profanities at officers while they questioned one of his friends, Razorback softball player Stephanie Hunter.

Pierce was also suspected of beating up a man outside Wedington Liquor Store in Fayetteville earlier that night on Aug. 30, and a warrant was issued later stemming from the occurrence for a third-degree battery charge.

Pierce failed to appear at a court hearing to face the three misdemeanor charges on Feb. 11, 2004.

Pierce had a history of personal matters that affected him greatly on the field. Pierce's father, Rick Pierce, died unexpectedly in his sleep Dec. 2, 2002. The news of his death came just days before the Hogs' appearance in the SEC Championship in 2002.

Pierce also took a leave of absence from the Razorbacks in July 2003 to deal with "emotional problems," according to Nutt. In January 2004, after leaving the team to pursue an NFL career, his agent, Jason Medlock of Houston, dropped Pierce as a client because he created "problem after problem," according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

In March 2004, a report surfaced of a Mark Pierce being stabbed to death by four men in Fort Worth, Texas. At the time, Pierce's age matched the man who was killed, and because his hometown of Weatherford, Texas was so close to Fort Worth, rumors spread that it was the former Razorback. That, however, was not the case.

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