The Montana Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place last weekend in Billings. Havre High’s Marc Mariani was one of six players chosen by the association to receive an honor.
At the event, which was broadcast and moderated by SWX panelists, Mariani discussed his roots and how being underestimated throughout his career set a fire in him that went from North-Central Montana all the way to the National Football League.
“I always just felt like I had to prove myself,” Mariani said. “So, whether that was out on the practice field, whether that was on the game field, whether that was in the weight room or in mat drills or whatever it was, I always felt like I was the underdog and disrespected and I had to prove myself.”
“I used (that) as a challenge to get motivated every single time I suited up,” Mariani continued.
The conversation ended with a topic about the small-town support that was represented in this year’s Hall of Fame class. Mariani said he always wanted to represent “the Montana Way” and that he was proud to have had a career that had a high school state championship, a blossoming collegiate career as a walk-on at the University of Montana, and a professional stint in the NFL for seven seasons.
“The Montana boys that I played with, we take a lot of pride in where we come from, how we were raised, and how we go about our business,” Mariani said. “It’s pretty awesome to see.”
“It’s not surprising to me because there’s a lot of hard-working good ‘ole boys who know how to make plays and get the job done,” Mariani continued. “It’s definitely an honor to be part of the tradition, part of the legacy of this great state.”
“It was a pretty fun run, especially for a good ‘ole Havre Blue Pony to play seven years (in the NFL),” Mariani said. “It was pretty sweet.”
Congratulations once again to Havre, Montana’s own Marc Mariani on his most recent induction into the Montana Football Hall of Fame.