A Powerful Homecoming

From the time Marc Mariani was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 2010, he's given back to his home town in a variety of ways. The former Havre High great has signed autograph upon autograph, helped raise money for worthy causes like the Boys and Girls Club of the Hi-Line, St. Judes School and many others.

On top of all that, he's become a shining example of what it means to truly be a role model.

But, on Tuesday afternoon at Pepin Park, Mariani, even in the midst of a thunderstorm, gave back to his home town in a way he's been wanting to do for a long time.

Mariani, who is about to embark on his third season with the Chicago Bears, was home to put on an NFL Play 60 event and, because of what Play 60 represents, this homecoming was very special and very important to him.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time," Mariani said. "I wanted to do something different, something unique. I wanted to bring the Chicago Bears and Play 60 to Havre and give these kids something that hasn't been done here before. So this one is for the kids, they support me, and look up to me, and so I want to give them something fun, something these kids will always remember."

And 270-plus kids, from grades K-8 certainly got something they'll always remember with Tuesday's Play 60 event. They got to interact with a true hometown hero, a true celebrity, something that doesn't come around every day in Havre, or north central Montana. They got to meet one of their biggest heroes, and, being able to do that for so many kids is something that means a lot to Mariani, and is something he would have cherished had he had the same opportunity when he was growing up in Havre.

"It's crazy. When I first started playing in the NFL and I came back and did those autograph sessions and things like that, those kids then are growing up now, they're in high school and even college now. So this is about that next generation. It's been long enough that, these kids are kids I haven't had a chance to hang out with before, or cross paths with. So that's really exciting for me.

"It means the world to me to be a role model for these kids," he continued. "It's an exciting day for me, and it just means so much to me to be able to come home and do this for the kids in this community."

Of course, the kids didn't just get to see, meet and take pictures with their favorite Havre superstar; they got to participate in the NFL's national program - Play 60 - which is designed to help fight child obesity in America. It's another issue that is important to Mariani, and it's one he said he was so glad he could bring to Havre for the first time.

"The basic goal of Play 60 is to get kids to play for 60 minutes a day, just being active, whether it's sports or playing the guitar or whatever, it's just to get kids off the couch, away from their cell phones and video games and be active. When I was growing up in Havre, me and my friends played everything, we tried every sport, we were always out doing something. So if we had something like this when we were growing up, I would have been the first in line to sign up for it. So it really means a lot to me that I can bring Play 60 to Havre and get these kids involved in it. It's really special for me to be able to do that."

Of course, giving back to his community has always been important to Mariani. He's been doing it in a variety of ways, really since he started to make a name for himself as a wide receiver for the Montana Grizzlies. That's when hundreds of young Havreites and youths across the Hi-Line and Montana first took notice of Mariani. He was a walk-on who made it with the biggest and most popular sports team in the Treasure State, and that perseverance carried him to what has now become a very successful NFL career.

Once again, he took his time in Havre to deliver that powerful message of perseverance to the throngs of kids who were at the Play 60 event in Pepin Park.

"Dream big, work hard, don't let anyone tell you can't do it, never quit," Mariani said. "I was just like all of these kids when I was growing up. I lived right here in Havre, went to school here, played in this park; I was just like all of these kids. I was in the same place as these kids are now. And if I can do it, so can they. These kids can be anything they want to be."

Of course, the place Mariani is in now is Chicago, playing on Sunday's at famed Soldier Field. And while the Play 60 event Tuesday was one of the most important days he's had this summer, as he takes so much pride in giving back to the community where he came from, he's also looking forward to returning to Chicago, where the Bears' training camp starts at the end of this month.

Mariani is coming off a 2015 campaign in which he set career highs for catches (22) and receiving yards (300). And, with a full year under his belt in the Bears' strong passing attack, he's hoping to build on the momentum he created last fall.

"Definitely looking to pick up where I left off," Mariani said. "I feel like I've had a really good offseason, so I'm looking to have a big fall. I know nothing is guaranteed, but because of what I was able to do last year, and the work that's been put in since, I'm really optimistic that I can go in there and do what I do well. If I do that during this training camp, I'll be in good shape and I'll have an opportunity to help the Chicago Bears win games this season."

And, with Mariani getting ready to embark on another season in the most popular sport in the world right now, he'll continue to be a role model for Havre's youth, which is why Tuesday at Pepin Park was so important, and so special to the former Blue Pony and Grizzly great.

"It means so much to me that these kids look up to me, and view me as a role model," Mariani said. "So anything I can do to give back to them, to interact with them, it just means the world to me. And this Play 60 event is a great way to do that. It's really important that these kids are active, and involved, and out in the community like this, and I'm really excited and glad I was able to help them do that with something like Play 60."