Editor’s note: This year, Northern Michigan University is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its first and only NCAA football championship in 1975. Steve Mariucci was not only the quarterback of that noteworthy team, but has gone on to become one of the most famous NMU alumnus today.

Mining Journal sports writer Ryan Stieg interviewed Mariucci several times this summer for a two-part story as part of that celebration. On Monday, Mariucci reminisced about his days at NMU leading to that title. Today, he talks about his life since winning the title.

By RYAN STIEG

Journal Sports Writer

MARQUETTE – After almost calling it quits before his college career started, Northern Michigan University quarterback and Iron Mountain native Steve Mariucci led the Wildcats to their first and only national championship in 1975.

What would the Upper Peninsula born-and-bred star do for an encore? Nothing huge. Just a Heisman Trophy-caliber performance.

In 1976 when he was a junior, Mariucci had his best individual season, throwing for 2,304 yards and 14 touchdowns and was a candidate for the Heisman despite playing for a Division II program. He also felt that the 1976 team was more talented than the national title-winning squad.

“That was the ’76 year where we were even a better team than the ’75 team,” he said. “We got beat by Akron (in the second round of the playoffs) in Akron in overtime. I had hurt my wrist against Delaware and I didn’t play, so Todd Krieger, a true freshman who had never played, played for us. We had the best team in the country that year for sure.”

When asked if he expected to be a Heisman candidate, Mariucci shook his head.

“No, I didn’t,” he said. “You just do the best you can every day and train hard. When you get beat and you’re 0-and-10 (as a freshman), you work harder because you have to. When you win and you taste success, you work harder because you love it.

“That’s the kind of guys we had. We were just workaholics. We had fun together, but we worked hard together. We wanted to see Northern win another national championship.”

After leaving NMU, Mariucci tried to make it with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, but that only lasted two weeks. He jokes that Hamilton “decided I wasn’t for them.”

Since then, he’s been a coach at various levels, including being Brett Favre’s quarterback coach with the Green Bay Packers from 1992-95, followed by a season as head coach with the University of California and then NFL head-coaching stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.

After being fired by the Lions in 2005, Mariucci has served as an on-air analyst with the NFL Network. Although he’s gotten some coaching offers, he plans to stay in television.

“I’ve had many chances to get back into coaching,” he said. “I have decided to stay in television, this is my 10th year, because it allows you to have a life. I have three months off after the Super Bowl to do these charity events (such as the popular midsummer golf benefit for the Beacon House in Marquette) and vacation and be with my family. You don’t get that opportunity as a coach.

“So I decided not to take some jobs because I didn’t want to move again or move my family again, or move away from my family. My wife is a saint. She’s done it 18 times and I don’t want to do that anymore. When you’re in television, you can live anywhere you want.

“I think you can stay in television longer than you can coach. It keeps me involved in the game I love. I enjoy the NFL, probably more than if I was doing TV for college. I enjoy the NFL because I know the coaches and I know the players. It’s in my blood. It keeps me involved in the game without winning and losing, without the pressure, but it keeps you in the same arena. I like it a lot and I’m going to do it for a long time.”

Even though he is known more on a national level these days, Mariucci still keeps tabs on the NMU Wildcats and keeps in touch with his former teammates. He even says he still feels “the aches and pains” of running the Wildcats’ veer offense.

“When you’re teammates on any kind of a team, you become pretty close friends because you go through a lot together,” he said. “I guess we feel we have a special bond, in fact, this is our 40th anniversary coming up. I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to make this one because I’ve got Thursday Night Football the night before and then I’ve got to work Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles. So, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to do this, but we stay in touch. We were all back for the 35th year reunion and it makes you feel old.”

He may feel old, but NMU fans will remember him as a young signal caller who put the Wildcats and the U.P. on the map.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.