Marc Mariani

Marc Steven Mariani (born May 2, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver and return specialist. He played college football for the University of Montana, and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Marc Mariani
refer to caption
Mariani with the Tennessee Titans in 2014
No. 83, 80, 87
Position:Wide receiver
Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (1987-05-02) May 2, 1987
Havre, Montana, U.S.
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
Receptions:27
Receiving yards:324
Receiving touchdowns:0
Return yards:5,041
Return touchdowns:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

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

Mariani, a walk-on at Montana in 2005 studying Business Marketing & Management, 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 69 receptions 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 four. 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 recorded 12 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns, returned four kickoffs for 178 yards and 40 yards from six punt returns.[3]

Mariani finished his college career as one of the most successful receivers in school history with records in career receiving yards (3,018), receiving touchdowns (29) and career all-purpose yards (5,441).[4]

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Mariani was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft and later signed a four-year deal with the team.[5] In week 4, he returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.[6] In week 11, he returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins.[7] Mariani was selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl as a return specialist for the American Football Conference (AFC).[8] 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.[9] He was released by the Titans during final cuts on August 29, 2014.[10]

Chicago Bears

On November 18, 2014, Mariani was signed by the Chicago Bears to a two-year contract.[11] Mariani only played in six games during the 2014 season, returning 20 kickoffs for 510 yards.[12]

On January 3, 2016, Mariani caught a career-high six receptions for a career-high 80 yards against the Detroit Lions.[13][14] Mariani ended his 2015 season with a career-high 26.1 yards per return but with a career low 16 returns.[12]

On March 12, 2016, Mariani was re-signed by the Chicago Bears to a one-year contract.[15]

Tennessee Titans (second stint)

On September 5, 2016, Mariani was once again signed to the Tennessee Titans after being released from the Bears over the previous weekend.[16] Mariani finished the 2016 season with 795 total returning yards and 0 touchdowns.

Career awards and highlights

Records

Oilers/Titans franchise records
  • Most kick return yards in a single season: 1,530 (2010)
  • Most kickoff returns: 61 (2010)

Pro Bowl records
  • Most kickoff return yards in a single game: 326 (2011)[17]
  • Most returns in a single game: 9 (2011)[17]

Post-playing career

After retiring from football, Mariani now works as a real estate agent for Village Real Estate, a Nashville real estate firm.[18] On August 1, 2018, he was announced as an assistant coach for the Lipscomb Academy Mustangs football team, working with wide receivers and returners.[19]

References
  1. Tennessee Titans: Marc Mariani Archived September 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Titansonline.com. Retrieved on December 5, 2010.
  2. Marc Mariani Stats, Splits, News, Photos - Montana Grizzlies - NCAA College Football - ESPN. Sports.espn.go.com (May 2, 1987). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Mariani gets four-year deal. Fantasysp.com. Retrieved on December 5, 2010.
  5. "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  6. Titans reach deals with two more picks | Titans Insider. Blogs.tennessean.com (June 15, 2010). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  7. Titans lose ugly game to 'Skins in overtime Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. TNJN (November 22, 2010). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
  8. Walker, Teresa M. (October 16, 1977). "Mariani, Babin Selected for 2011 Pro Bowl". Titansonline.com. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  9. "Titans WR Marc Mariani carted off field with broken leg". NFL.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  10. Alper, Josh (August 29, 2014). "Titans release Marc Mariani on way to 53 players". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  11. Mayer, Larry (November 18, 2014). "Bears sign return specialist Mariani". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on November 20, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  12. "Marc Mariani: Career Stats at NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  13. "Lions vs. Bears - Box Score - January 3, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  14. "Marc Mariani: Game Logs at NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  15. Potash, Mark (March 12, 2016). "Bears sign WR/KR Marc Mariani to one-year contract". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  16. Wyatt, Jim (September 5, 2016). "Titans Agree to Terms with WR/Returner Marc Mariani". Titans Online. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  17. "Marc Mariani sets return records in Pro Bowl - BostonHerald.com". bostonherald.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011.
  18. Organ, Mike (May 17, 2018). "Titans: Former Titans returner Marc Mariani goes from free agent to Nashville real estate agent". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  19. Boclair, David (August 1, 2018). "Mariani becomes assistant coach at high school". Nashville Posy. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
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