The Man
Special memories, events, photos, news clippings, and personal stories responsible for Marcus evolving into THE MAN he became.
I would like to take this time to invite anyone who has a funny, interesting, or memorable story involving Mr. Marcus to CONTACT US and be a part of his legacy...
My Brother
The life of my brother was truly a gift to my family. We were about two years apart. Growing up together, very fond of him, impressed; he was as a role model to me. His success fueled my life motivating me to never accept failure, meaning never give up. I longed for our lives in the future to be the strong leaders of my family. Life is so precious.
We spoke about our future plans in our family as men. My brother was kind, loving, nice, confident, comforting, and a great son and brother. At school everyone knew him. He was very popular, athletic, strong minded, out going, and was influential. He was good at reading people, but not judgmental at all. Marcus was the friend that everyone wanted. He was cool. I was lucky to have him as a brother. He was amusing to be around, told the best jokes, was funny, and was very entertaining off the field.
My brother was very wise and a deep thinker. It was hard to get on his level. He was very responsible and had his priorities in order. God bless the child that can get his own. If you knew Marcus this was no surprise. God blessed his life. Marcus was smart and intelligent. I never saw my brother down, depressed, or worried. Most of the time he was happy; and I was his number one fan. I would get happy celebrating, knowing, and hearing about his success; I was very supportive.
I appreciate the time we spent together before he passed. He had just returned from North Carolina and one of his friends' was celebrating their birthday party at a club. I got the chance see his moves on the dance floor and we drank together. "Living the life." It was funny to see him acting a fool, hollering at girls while having a good time. He had game and was a gentleman to the ladies complimenting his charisma. His spirit was bright. I miss his presence in my life. We were alike in lots of ways. My brother liked having fun, kept it real, and was down to earth. We never let each other fall. He was strong and he had a warm heart. Life is too short.
By: Jason H. Cassel
Four Proms, One Senior Year
So, how many of you went to your high school prom? Well Mr. Marcus went to FOUR (4) proms in his senior year!! No he didn't have four girls friends, he just wanted to party with his friends!!!!
The UCLA Journey
After finishing Saint John Bosco with a 3.5 GPA and one of the top varsity football players, Marcus earned a full scholarship to UCLA. This was when his real education about life and football began.
Living on the UCLA campus allowed Marcus to meet friends from all over the country, and hanging out in Westwood (the playground of many Beverly Hills socialites), provided the perfect party atmosphere. However, it didn't take him long to learn that football and passing those college classes would demand most of his time. I'll never forget getting a phone call freshman year one Saturday night from Marcus all excited about a party he was at with Snoop Dog, MC Hamper and some other celebrities. He wanted to know if I wanted him to get some autographs for me! I said no, and laughed to myself, but I realized at that moment that his education was just beginning.
But over the next four years Marcus did a good job of balancing his football and his academics; and through it all he learned a lot about himself. I watched this little 150 pound kid transform into a 190 pound monster with good pro potential. I watched him and his good buddy Tyler Ebell, two of the smallest kid on that Bruin team, prove to everyone that they had the biggest hearts.
I love you Tyler and J-Rock (Jason Harrison) for always having my son's back.
Marcus really loved and enjoyed his time at UCLA. He played with and against some of the best players of his time; Matt Ware, Mercedes Lewis, Dave Ball, DeShaun Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew, Adrian Peterson, and a kid by the name of Reggie Bush. The Most important thing, at the end of his four years, he kept his promise to his mother and me and graduated with a BA degree in Psychology.
Favorite Stories
Best Win, Best Lost, Best Memory
BEST WIN
During Marcus' senior year, many of you might remember the 2005 UCLA Bruin football team as a great year. They started the season with eight straight wins and were 5-0 in the Pac-10. This season also included three (3) of the most record setting comebacks in school history! One of them was an incredible win in Palo Alto over Stanford.
The Bruins rallied from 21-points down with only 8:26 left, to cap off the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in school history, and win in OT 30 to 27. It was our first win at the Farm (Stanford's stadium) since 1997, and it was the fourth come from behind victory for Bruins during the month of October 2005!
The Press-Enterprise were calling us the Cardiac Kids….The Associated Press anointed us Miracle Workers and called us the Comeback Kids……..It was a great time to be part of the Bruin Family!
BEST LOST
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Still today CBS and ABC sometime use this play as a promo...
I know for Bruin fans this play brings back bad memories... but this was the best game Marcus ever had wearing #15. He finished that game with 16 tackles, including 14 solos, and 2 pass break ups... Marcus was named "PLAYER OF THE GAME" for UCLA along with Reggie Bush for USC.
UCLA vs. USC Dec 2, 2006 Program
BEST MEMORY
The Los Angeles Times BLEACHER REPORT, called this game one of the six best wins of the decade for UCLA. As a matter of fact, it was ranked #1 of the six. It was the 2006, 13 to 9 win over USC at the Rose Bowl.
1. UCLA 13, USC 9, in 2006
This was unquestionably the biggest upset in the history of the crosstown rivalry... Led by defensive linemen Justin Hickman and Bruce Davis, UCLA's defense were absolute studs... Eric McNeal's tipped interception... sealed the deal on a victory that broke a streak of 63 games in which USC scored at least 20 points. Most importantly, it denied those Men of Troy a shot at the national championship.
Now emotionally I just could not attend this game. This was the first game after Marcus' funeral service... But many of the Bruin fans did inform us that there was a picture of Marcus on the large screen, and a moment of silence was observed in his memory. The way that Bruin defense stepped up that day will always be my BEST MEMORY..................
NFL & Beyond
On May 5th 2006, Marcus signed a free agent contract to play for the Carolina Panthers. He pulled a hamstring in training camp and four months later was released. He said, "NO NO, Dad I think I'm done with football... I PROVED EVERYBODY WRONG..KNOWBODY THOUGHT I COULD MAKE IT THIS FAR". I was very proud of Marcus that day.
The Entertainer
For those of us who knew Marcus as a young man, the only thing he loved more than football was partying and having fun. He auditioned for the movie BABY BOY but lost out to Tyrese Gibson for the role (NOT!!).