Dan Marino, the greatest quarterback in Pitt history, walked back in time Tuesday morning when he returned to Central Catholic, his alma mater. Climbing out of his car in the parking lot behind the school on Oakland's Fifth Avenue, he turned around and saw the Cathedral of Learning. “It's emotional,” Marino said. “Then, you remember, where I grew up, from my front porch you also could see the Cathedral of Learning.” If he walked up some steps to Central Catholic's fourth floor, he would have completed the cycle. There, he could see the house where he grew up on Oakland's Parkview Avenue.
Marino came home Tuesday to be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame through its Hometown Hall of Famer program. Marino was greeted in the auditorium by the entire student body, former classmates and coaches and the Central band. Introduced by football coach Terry Totten, also a Central grad, Marino was presented with a plaque bearing his likeness that will be displayed at the school. “Dan Marino never forgot where he's from,” Totten said. “We will never, ever let anyone forget where he's from. He's a good dude and he's a friend.”
Marino, who graduated in 1979 before going to Pitt, remembers how difficult it was to get into Central, academically and financially. He said he experienced more emotions when he remembered his father working a second job landscaping and his mother serving as a school crossing guard. He added, “I almost didn't get in. Being a quarterback kind of helped a little bit.”
Marino also excelled in baseball and was a fourth-round draft choice of the Kansas City Royals. Central teammate Mike Berger, now a vice president with the Miami Marlins, said former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner told him Marino could have been a Hall of Famer in that sport, too. Former Central baseball coach Joe Emanuele remembers walking to the mound one day after Marino, a pitcher and shortstop, had loaded the bases against Wilkinsburg. “I said, ‘What are you going to do? You just loaded 'em up,' ” Emanuele said. “He said, ‘I'm going to pitch this ball and you are going to go and sit down.' ”Emanuele said he returned to the bench and Marino didn't allow a run to score.
The trip to Central was Marino's second to the city in the past month. He attended Pitt's game against Notre Dame on Nov. 7 at Heinz Field when the university retired Jimbo Covert's jersey. Marino said he likes the direction the new administration has set for the football program. He was pleased to hear that coaches were at the school Monday trying to lure some Central players to Pitt. “They will continue to grow the program. They just have to keep getting players,” he said. “Hopefully from Central.”
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
Marino came home Tuesday to be honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame through its Hometown Hall of Famer program. Marino was greeted in the auditorium by the entire student body, former classmates and coaches and the Central band. Introduced by football coach Terry Totten, also a Central grad, Marino was presented with a plaque bearing his likeness that will be displayed at the school. “Dan Marino never forgot where he's from,” Totten said. “We will never, ever let anyone forget where he's from. He's a good dude and he's a friend.”
Marino, who graduated in 1979 before going to Pitt, remembers how difficult it was to get into Central, academically and financially. He said he experienced more emotions when he remembered his father working a second job landscaping and his mother serving as a school crossing guard. He added, “I almost didn't get in. Being a quarterback kind of helped a little bit.”
Marino also excelled in baseball and was a fourth-round draft choice of the Kansas City Royals. Central teammate Mike Berger, now a vice president with the Miami Marlins, said former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner told him Marino could have been a Hall of Famer in that sport, too. Former Central baseball coach Joe Emanuele remembers walking to the mound one day after Marino, a pitcher and shortstop, had loaded the bases against Wilkinsburg. “I said, ‘What are you going to do? You just loaded 'em up,' ” Emanuele said. “He said, ‘I'm going to pitch this ball and you are going to go and sit down.' ”Emanuele said he returned to the bench and Marino didn't allow a run to score.
The trip to Central was Marino's second to the city in the past month. He attended Pitt's game against Notre Dame on Nov. 7 at Heinz Field when the university retired Jimbo Covert's jersey. Marino said he likes the direction the new administration has set for the football program. He was pleased to hear that coaches were at the school Monday trying to lure some Central players to Pitt. “They will continue to grow the program. They just have to keep getting players,” he said. “Hopefully from Central.”
Jerry DiPaola is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
