Copyright Tim Kupsick 2007GameDay Kaimin
Marc Mariani stood just in front of the Montana end zone inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The 6-foot, 174-pound sophomore from Havre nervously awaited the kickoff. His blond crew cut and thin frame were all but hidden beneath his helmet, pads and the number 80 University of Montana jersey he had worked so hard to wear.
Just two years prior, Mariani had enrolled at the University of Montana with intentions of making the Grizzlies as a walk-on.
Mariani said his first day stepping on the practice field was an overwhelming experience.
“It was a quick transformation from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a huge pond,” he said.
Week one of practice made Mariani wonder what exactly he had gotten himself into.
“The first week was real scary,” he said. “Being out there, coaches yelling at you, guys getting beat up, doing tackling drills you have never done before.”
After seeing all the talent that Montana had, Mariani knew his journey wouldn’t be easy.
“There was a lot of question marks, lots of hard work in front of me,” Mariani said.
Mariani was willing to put in the hard work. He participated in the team’s freshman lifting program that began at 5:30 a.m. four days a week.
He tried not to worry about what he couldn’t control.
“I just had fun with it, I didn’t know where it was going to go,” he said. “I just worked as hard as I could and waited to see where it would take me.”
Although he was uncertain where his hard work would take him, Mariani never doubted his decision to walk-on for the Griz.
“I felt like I could play, I thought I could play and I wanted to prove it to myself,” he said.
Growing up in Havre he envisioned himself playing at Montana someday.
“For me it was just the top goal,” Mariani said. “I am from small town Montana and this has been the biggest goal that I was shooting for as soon as I started playing football. This is what I dreamed of, this is the place I wanted to be.”
As sure as he was about his dream, he was just as uncertain about it ever happening.
“I was more of a basketball player growing up,” he said. “I was always the small guy (on the football team.)”
But Mariani was determined not to let his size stand in the way of his aspirations and by his junior year of high school he was emerging as a standout football player.
Mariani was a first-team All-state free safety his junior season. It was during his senior year that Mariani broke out as a wide receiver, setting the Havre High record in single-season receiving yards.
These kinds of performances garnered Mariani calls from various Division II and NAIA programs. But the one school he wanted to take a look at him didn’t seem to notice.
“I wasn’t getting recruited hard by (Montana),” Mariani said. “I kinda thought at one point I should look around. I didn’t think I would be able to do it.”
Despite not being heavily sought after by the Grizzlies, Mariani decided to take his best shot at playing for the two-time national champs.
“I just wanted to push myself,” Mariani said. “I didn’t want to settle for something and regret not giving this a shot. I didn’t want to go somewhere and always wonder ‘what if I could have made it?’ ”
Mariani was among a handful of walk-ons competing for a roster spot that fall.
“There is not a difference between walk-on and scholarship really,” Mariani said. “You just have to earn respect and earn your spot on the team.”
Part of earning that respect was taking some knocks.
“I remember me and a few walk-on guys got thrown in (a drill),” Mariani said. “We were getting screamed at and yelled at and had no clue what was going on. I think in the first week I got absolutely taken out by Mike Murphy.”
Sophomore wide receiver and fellow walk-on at the time Bryan Riggs was impressed by Mariani’s determination and focus.
The things that made Mariani successful then and now are his hard work ethic and ability to keep a level head, Riggs said.
Junior wide receiver and fellow punt and kick returner Rob Schulte said Mariani put in the time he needed to be a success.
“You can put in lots of time or you can choose not to,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy that puts in the time.”
Mariani said other players on the team kept him motivated.
“The thing is you never stop working,” Mariani said. “As soon as you stop working, someone else is going to pass you by.”
He said although he is very self-motivated it helped to have friends and family encouraging him.
“I made all the decisions,” Mariani said. “But the support I get from my friends and family is everything. When times get hard you need someone to fall back on and that is what I have for sure.”
It wasn’t until after spring meetings that Mariani would get to know if all his hard work had paid off.
“Those last few weeks of spring were nerve-racking as heck,” he said. “I mean you’ve gone through a year of practicing and it all comes down to that, whether you will be on the team next year or not.”
He said he tried to walk into the meeting with the confidence of knowing that he had given it his best shot.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Mariani said. “I was pretty nervous. I thought I had done as well as I could have but it was all up in the air.”
As he sat down for his final meeting with head coach Bobby Hauck, Mariani crossed his fingers and wished to himself that he had made the team, but he didn’t get his hopes up because he said “there is always that chance.”
The butterflies Mariani was feeling were quickly eliminated when Coach Hauck asked him back for the fall.
Mariani’s dream of becoming a Montana Grizzly had become a reality.
“I hadn’t done anything yet,” Mariani said. “But I made the team and that was my first goal.”
Now, a year and a half after making the team, Mariani is making an impact.
He is the team leader in both punt return and kick-off return average with 13.4 and 40 yards respectively. Mariani’s punt return average is also the highest in the conference and his 40-yard average on kick returns would eclipse the conference high of 26.5 if Mariani had more returns.
Mariani also has the title of being the team’s fastest man.
He clocked in at a 4.49 in the 40.
The ever-modest Mariani downplayed his achievement.
“I probably cheated, it probably wasn’t right,” he said.
Schulte believes the sky is the limit for Mariani.
“He is the people’s favorite,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy you want to see succeed. He has done that and will continue to.”
Mariani understands that Grizzly fans expect big plays from their returners.
“Everyone in Montana is used to a big time punt returner,” he said. “We’ve had (Levander Segars) and (Tuff Harris) those are some big, big shoes to fill.”
Although Mariani has met his goals, don’t think he hasn’t set more for himself.
“My next goal is to help the team win,” he said. “Anything I can do, special teams, returns, receiver, whenever my number is called. That is what it comes down to and that is my immediate goal right now.”
Riggs was impressed by Mariani’s determination and focus.
The things that made Mariani successful then and now are his hard work ethic and ability to keep a level head, Riggs said.
Junior wide receiver and fellow punt and kick returner Rob Schulte said Mariani put in the time he needed to be a success.
“You can put in lots of time or you can choose not to,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy that puts in the time.”
Mariani said other players on the team kept him motivated.
“The thing is you never stop working,” Mariani said. “As soon as you stop working, someone else is going to pass you by.”
He said although he is very self-motivated, it helped to have friends and family encouraging him.
“I made all the decisions,” Mariani said. “But the support I get from my friends and family is everything. When times get hard you need someone to fall back on and that is what I have for sure.”
It wasn’t until after spring meetings that Mariani would get to know if all his hard work had paid off.
“Those last few weeks of spring were nerve-racking as heck,” he said. “I mean, you’ve gone through a year of practicing and it all comes down to that, whether you will be on the team next year or not.”
He said he tried to walk into the meeting with the confidence of knowing that he had given it his best shot.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” Mariani said. “I was pretty nervous. I thought I had done as well as I could have but it was all up in the air.”
As he sat down for his final meeting with head coach Bobby Hauck, Mariani crossed his fingers and wished to himself that he had made the team, but he didn’t get his hopes up because, he said, “there is always that chance.”
The butterflies Mariani was feeling were quickly eliminated when Hauck asked him back for the fall.
Mariani’s dream of becoming a Montana Grizzly had become a reality.
“I hadn’t done anything yet,” Mariani said. “But I made the team, and that was my first goal.”
Now, a year and a half after making the team, Mariani is making an impact.
He is the team leader in both punt return and kick-off return averages, with 13.4 and 40 yards, respectively. Mariani’s punt return average is also the highest in the conference and his 40-yard average on kick returns would eclipse the conference high of 26.5 if Mariani had more returns.
Mariani also has the title of being the team’s fastest man.
He clocked in at a 4.49 in the 40.
The ever-modest Mariani downplayed his achievement.
“I probably cheated, it probably wasn’t right,” he said.
Schulte believes the sky is the limit for Mariani.
“He is the people’s favorite,” Schulte said. “He is the kind of guy you want to see succeed. He has done that and will continue to.”
Mariani understands that Grizzly fans expect big plays from their returners.
“Everyone in Montana is used to a big time punt returner,” he said. “We’ve had (Levander Segars) and (Tuff Harris) those are some big, big shoes to fill.”
Although Mariani has met his goals, don’t think he hasn’t set more for himself.
“My next goal is to help the team win,” he said. “Anything I can do special teams, returns, receiver whenever my number is called. That is what it comes down to and that is my immediate goal right now.”
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