From the Fringe ... Congrats, Marc, you're now an official Hall of Famer

As a fan of the Montana Grizzly football program, I've had some magical memories. After all, I was a student in Missoula during the Dave Dickenson era, and beyond.

I also witnessed the Grizzlies win the 2001 FCS national championship from the front row of the stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, alongside some of my best friends.

That eight-year stretch, from 1993-2001 alone is considered the Golden Age of Grizzly football now, and had it ended there, it still would have been amazing.

As a whole, though, my Grizzly football journey has really been decades-long now, having attended more than 200 home games, and until this year, having not missed one since 2004. Yes, it's been special. It's what being a fan is all about.

But there's one stretch of Grizzly history that, for me, stands out more than any other. And that's the years Marc Mariani played for the Maroon and Silver.

For me, and many others, those years weren't just about Griz football, or how good they were, it was personal. Having coached Marc in tennis, having watched him grow up in front of my very eyes, having him then become one of the greatest football players in Grizzly history, my alma mater, my favorite sports team in the entire world, I sometimes couldn't put that into words.

Of course, there's really no reason to re-count Marc's Montana football accomplishments. I've written stories about them a million times. Yes, that was another reason Marc's Grizzly career was so amazing for me. It wasn't just the fan in me, it was me getting to cover Marc's rise from walk-on to superstar and FCS All-American, and bring it to our Havre Daily News readers, so many of whom were also such huge fans of Marc and the Griz.

Yep, professionally, it was an amazing time for me to be the Sports editor of the Havre Daily News. And while so many of my memories from those years are captured in photos and in my brain, because of my job they're also etched on paper, forever, and that's something that's really cool for me.

So having said all that, here's the point of this column. Marc is being officially inducted into the Montana Grizzly Sports Hall of Fame this weekend. It's an incredible honor and one that isn't bestowed on many athletes who have walked the hallowed halls of UM. 

And while Marc's career was certainly Hall of Fame-worthy, I remember several conversations he and I had, where I would tell him, "You're gonna get in the Griz Hall of Fame some day. It's a no-brainer. But, it may take some time before it happens."

Well, that time has come. And the fact that Marc's going into the Hall of Fame just 14 years removed from his last game as a Griz, that speaks volumes to how great of a Montana football player Marc was. 

To put it even more bluntly. Not only is Marc arguably one of the top wide receivers, if not the greatest, to ever put on a Griz uniform, he's simply one of the greatest players Montana has ever had, and he's now going to be where he belongs, forever enshrined in the Grizzly Hall of Fame in Missoula alongside the likes of Dickenson, Hauck, Krystowiak, Cate Tilleman and the others who are some of the greatest Griz athletes ever.

It's truly an honor that Marc deserves and I couldn't be happier and more proud of him. Because, after all these years, Marc isn't just one of my mom's favorite students she ever taught, he isn't just one of the best football players to ever come out of Havre High School, or one of the all-time great tennis players I was lucky to coach. And he isn't just one of the greatest Griz football players I've ever seen, though he is all of those things, and so much more.

No, above all else, Marc Mariani is someone I'm proud to call a friend. And my friend is going into the Grizzly Hall of Fame. So congrats, Marc. As always, Havre is so proud of you!