Marc Mariani

Marc Mariani

refer to caption

Mariani with the Tennessee Titans
No. 80 Chicago Bears
Position: Wide receiver
Punt Returner
Personal information
Date of birth: (1987-05-02) May 2, 1987
Place of birth: Havre, Montana
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school: Havre (MT)
College: Montana
NFL draft: 2010 / Round: 7 / Pick: 222
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2015
Receptions: 27
Receiving yards: 324
Receiving touchdowns: 0
Total return yards: 4,246
Return touchdowns: 3
Player stats at NFL.com

Marc Steven Mariani (born May 2, 1987) is an American football wide receiver and punt returner for the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the University of Montana, and was drafted in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

High school

Havre High School

Mariani attended Havre High School 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.

College career

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.[1] 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 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.[1] 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 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.[1] His best season came in 2009 when he caught 80 passes for 1,479 yards and 13 touchdowns.[2] 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 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.[3]

Mariani finished his college career as one of the most successful receivers in the college's history with records in career receiving yards (3,018), receiving touchdowns (29) and career all-purpose yards (5,441).[4] Mariani played college football with Jeff Fisher's son Brandon who was a linebacker on the team.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Mariani was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 7th round of the 2010 NFL Draft and later signed a 4-year deal with the team. In week 4, he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.[5] In week 11, he returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins.[6] Mariani was selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl as a return specialist for the AFC.[7] Mariani set two Pro Bowl records in the 2011 Pro Bowl: number of returns and total return yards for a game.

Mariani missed the entire 2012 season after he broke his leg on a first-quarter punt return in the third game of the preseason against the Arizona Cardinals.[8] He was released during final cuts on August 29, 2014.[9]

Chicago Bears

On November 18, 2014, Mariani was signed by the Chicago Bears to a two-year contract.[10] Mariani only played in 6 games during the 2014 season, returning 20 kickoffs for 510 yards. (25.5 average)[11]

On January 3, 2016, Mariani caught a career-high 6 receptions for a career-high 80 yards against the Detroit Lions.[12][13] Mariani ended his 2015 season with a career-high 26.1 yards per return but with a career low 16 returns.[11]

On March 12, 2016, Mariani was signed again by the Chicago Bears to a one-year contract.[14]

Records

Oilers/Titans franchise records

Pro Bowl records

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tennessee Titans: Marc Mariani. Titansonline.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  2. ↑ Marc Mariani Stats, Splits, News, Photos - Montana Grizzlies - NCAA College Football - ESPN. Sports.espn.go.com (1987-05-02). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  3. ↑ http://filemanager.montanagrizzlies.com/mtgriz3/custom_pages/files/mediaguides/football/2009/records_awards.pdf
  4. ↑ Mariani gets four-year deal. Fantasysp.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  5. ↑ Titans reach deals with two more picks | Titans Insider. Blogs.tennessean.com (2010-06-15). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  6. ↑ Titans lose ugly game to 'Skins in overtime. TNJN (2010-11-22). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  7. ↑ Walker, Teresa M. (1977-10-16). "Mariani, Babin Selected for 2011 Pro Bowl". Titansonline.com. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  8. ↑ "Titans WR Marc Mariani carted off field with broken leg". NFL.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  9. ↑ Alper, Josh. "Titans release Marc Mariani on way to 53 players". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  10. ↑ Mayer, Larry (November 18, 2014). "Bears sign return specialist Mariani". Chicago Bears. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Marc Mariani: Career Stats at NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  12. ↑ "Lions vs. Bears - Box Score - January 3, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  13. ↑ "Marc Mariani: Game Logs at NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  14. ↑ Potash, Mark (March 12, 2016). "Bears sign WR/KR Marc Mariani to one-year contract". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  15. 1 2 http://bostonherald.com/sports/football/other_nfl/view/20110131marc_mariani__sets_return_records_in_pro_bowl

External links

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