Seay accepted a
football scholarship at
Cal State Long Beach in 1988. That year while attending his sister's children's Halloween party, shots were fired outside the home, compelling him to shield his 2-year-old niece with his body. As a result, he was injured with a .38-caliber bullet that pierced through his pelvis, kidney, and lung, stopping near his heart (where the bullet still remains). He was hospitalized for weeks, lost a kidney, and spent two months eating only soup, while keeping to strict bed rest. In 1989, he rejoined the
football team, but school officials deemed him medically ineligible, to avoid legal liability in the event that the bullet close to his heart became dislodged, or that a hit might risk damage to his remaining kidney. He sued the university, but before the case went to court, former
NFL great
George Allen, who had just been named the new
Cal State Long Beach head coach, helped him return to the team. As part of a compromise, he dropped his lawsuit, signed a waiver absolving the university from liability, wore additional protective equipment (a pad and flat jacket to protect his back and hip), and took urine tests after each game. As a junior and senior, he earned second-team All-
Big West honors at
wide receiver, with Allen going on record saying: "He's an example for all of us, what I call a solid citizen. He's a leader. One of the highlights of my coaching career is having a guy like Mark Seay on my team." Seay finished his four seasons with 132 receptions for 2,075 yards and 13 touchdowns, and added another 2,121 yards returning kickoffs. ==Professional football career==