I knew of Marcus prior to high school but never really knew him or met him until my sophomore year when he joined the high school football team. He was a freshman that year and one of the few that played for our varsity team. Marcus was always a little socially awkward and I noticed sometimes that he was excluded from various groups. However, he was an excellent football player and became part of the team very quickly. Our team welcomed him with open arms. My head football coach was a special education teacher so there was nobody on our team that would make fun of a disabled kid or even use the "R" word. Marcus brought a lot to our team both physically and mentally. He wash't the biggest kid on the team, but he played like it and was a big part of our defense. While Marcus was playing football, it was like the only thing in the world to him. But, besides how good of a football player he was, he taught everyone on the team how to give it there all all the time. There was never a day where Marcus wouldn't go 100%. Every drill and every play he was going as hard as he could. By his example, many kids on the team, including myself, joined him and played with all of our heart. One thing that was really cool with Marcus is that everyone on the team would refer to him as "Grizz" because he was like a big bear on the field. He loved it and would always growl on the line of scrimmage. Some kids on the other team would laugh, but only until Marcus tracked them down and tackled them.
Apart from being a very good football player, Marcus was also a very good student and friend. He was as straight A student and was the best math student I have ever seen. There was times in class where he would correct our teacher or even find an easier way to do a problem. Marcus is one of the most genuine people I know and Im lucky to be his friend.