Marc Mariani
Encyclopedia
Marc Steven Mariani is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 for the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...

 of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 for the Montana Grizzlies
Montana Grizzlies
Montana Grizzlies is the nickname given to the athletic teams of the University of Montana. The women's basketball team, however, uses the moniker Lady Griz...

. He was drafted in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...

.

Havre High School

Mariani attended Havre High School
Havre High School
Havre High School is a high school in the small town of Havre, Hill County, Montana. The school colors are blue and white and the mascot is the Blue Ponies.-Notable alumni:*Jill McLain, beauty queen*Marc Mariani, Current NFL football player...

 where he was awarded 10 letters: three each in football and basketball and four in tennis. He was named all-state at wide receiver. In his senior season he had 48 receptions for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns.

He served as a team captain as a senior in football. His 2004 football team was 12–0 and the state “A” champion. He participated in Montana’s annual East-West Shrine Game.

Montana Grizzlies

Mariani, a walk on at Montana in 2005, did not play football his first year. In 2006 Mariani played in all 14 games and had eight tackles on special teams. He did not have a reception as a receiver. In 2007 Mariani saw action in 11 games with three starts. His first touchdown came against Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...

 when he caught a 27-yard pass in the second quarter. Mariani finished the season with 15 catches for 231 yards and one touchdown. He also led the Big Sky and was 11th in the FCS in punt returns. As a junior in 2008 Mariani started all 16 games and caught 69 balls for 1,308 yards with a career-best 15 touchdowns. His Best game came against Southern Utah
Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University, or SUU, is located in Cedar City, Utah. It was founded in 1897 as an extension of the Agricultural College of Utah, by the citizens of Cedar City.During its history, the school has been known as:...

 when he tied a school record with 4 touchdowns. He set a school record with 2,265 all-purpose yards, which is the fifth most in Big Sky Conference history. He led the Big Sky in punt returns, averaging 16.22 an attempt, which ranked him fourth in the nation. He was a first team All-Big Sky picks at both wide receiver and a returner. He was named second team All-American by the Sports Network. His best season came in 2009 when he caught 80 passes for 1,479 yards and 13 touchdowns. His 1,479 receiving yards set a single-season record at Montana. Mariani led the conference with seven 100-yard receiving games and in multiple touchdown games with 4. He was a unanimous All-Big Sky pick at wide receiver, a second team selection as a return specialist and was named a first team All-American by the Associated Press. His best game came against South Dakota State
South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University is the largest university in the U.S. state of South Dakota, located in Brookings. A public land-grant university and sun grant college, founded under the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act, SDSU offers programs of study required by, or harmonious to, this Act...

 when he gained 389 all-purpose yards, the second highest total in Big Sky single-game history; he caught 12 balls for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns, returned four kickoffs for 178 yards and 40 yards from 6 punt returns. In 2009, Mariani did not catch a game- winning touchdown pass from quarterback Andrew Selle in the 2009 FCS Semifinal vs. Appalachian State.

Mariani finished his college career as one of the most successful receivers
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 in the college's history with records in career receiving yards (3,018), receiving touchdowns (78) and career all-purpose yards (5,441). Mariani played college football with Jeff Fisher's son Brandon who was a linebacker on the team.

Tennessee Titans

Mariani was drafted by the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...

 in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. Unlike previous years, the 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first round on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at 7:30 pm...

 and later signed a 4-year deal with the team. In week 4, he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. In week 11, he returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...

. Mariani was selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

as a return specialist for the AFC. Marc set two Pro Bowl records in the 2011 Pro Bowl: number of returns and total return yards for a game.

External links

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