Football Dreams: A Semipro Player's Perspective
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Hey my fellow souls! My new book is live - Many Lives, One Soul: My Journey to Becoming Whole
Marc Tagliaferri
July 27, 2024
So, Thursday night, I came home from the movies with the family .....
So, Thursday night, I came home from the movies with the family .....
It was an awesome time. I turned the TV on, and we have preseason football. I mean, football, people. Heck yeah.
Anyways, lately, I've been trying to do a football blog, but this is about preseason, right? So I'm going to do a blog about semipro football. Back in 2000 and 2001, I played for a semipro team called the Dowagiac Dawgs, and it was just awesome. It was a great group of guys.
We had a blast together. It was just a lot of fun, you know? For a lot of us, we were able to relive our dreams. Some of the players on the team were extremely talented. Some, you know, not so much, but their heart was bigger than most. They were out there just hustling, and everybody was playing well. It was an honor to play under Coach Peavey. I really enjoyed him; he was a very good man with a good family. I appreciate that I met them all.
Just to say for the record, we were in Dowagiac, which is in Michigan. At the time, I lived in Sturgis, Michigan. It was quite the drive to work. I was a production manager at a pallet company (PMI) that I built from the ground up with two men. One guy was named Brian, and the other was Frank. I won't say their last names, but they were the money and the brains, I guess, and I was the mule. It was cool. I was good with it. You know? I was doing it for my family and trying to grow.
But, anyways, I wanted to chase a dream, and it was a blast. I just want to say to all those guys out there playing semipro football, man, I'm so jealous. I wish I could still do it. It was amazing. I think it's great that you guys are out there doing it. Be careful. Nobody wants to get hurt. Most of you have babies and families, and you're just out there reliving your dreams. I remember it. It was amazing. There's really nothing like it at all.
In Dowagiac, we were ranked number seven in the nation for a while. We were pretty good. We ended up losing in the playoffs, but it was a great team. The bond and kinship you made with the people at the time, family get-togethers, going to people's houses, and having barbecues with the coaches were incredible.
Sometimes people look down on semipro players or athletes, but they work every day. They have jobs. It's like the NFL before the NFL, when players still had jobs at stores or gas stations. That's what semipro is all about. You had small stadiums, rented high school fields for home games. You don't make any money. If you get hurt, you're on your own. I have a knee that's cracked in half because our safety busted my knee in practice. Am I supposed to be mad? No. Heck no. He hit me good. I'm glad he was tough. It's cool to be able to tell stories about it to my kids. I don't remember his name, but he was a tough guy. He made me laugh all the time too. I remember a few of them.
One guy named Chet was a wide receiver DB/safety and our punter. He was my friend and a very good athlete. If I remember correctly, he was from Texas and was a really good high school football player there. Last I saw him, he was doing well, and his family was doing well. I'm blessed that he was part of my life and that I knew everyone on the team.
I have to say, everyone needs to realize that playing semipro is pretty cool. People do NASCAR all over the country, and it's cool. I live in Angola, and they have this Angola racetrack that's lit up. Speaking of that, I work with a guy named John Nash. He hustles, and he's a boss at my job. He's a good guy. Today, I found out he played semipro football too, in South Bend. The Dowagiac Dawgs don't exist anymore. A year after we played in Cassopolis, they moved to Kalamazoo. I think they won the championship the next year, which is awesome.
I went to try out for that team, had an open tryout, and cracked my left ankle. Before I played semipro, I hadn't walked in two years. I tore my leg off on a forklift at work and got it caught on a beam. I turned my whole left leg around. I have part of my hip and foot, three bolts, and redone ligaments. They told me in 2000 that I'd never be able to run again, let alone play semipro, but I did. And by the way, my cane is still on the wall. I have a nasty limp sometimes, but that's about it.
So, my buddy John played too. It's cool that two semipro players work at the same place and have great talks about it. For the past two years, we've both been in a Fantasy Football League at work. It's competitive. These guys know what they're doing. It's tough to get to that championship game. But John has beat me in the championship game the last 2 years.
I'm about to close this, but I want to end it with this. Before the season started for us, there was an article released on Sunday, June 17, 2001. It's called "Semipro Football: One More Year of Glory. Area Players Chase Football Dreams." It's pretty cool. I'm not going to read the whole article, but I have to say, shout out to my homie Schaffer. I appreciate you that night up in Escanaba. Just saying, man.
Here's what the article had to say about semipro players: Maybe these guys ride a fine line between the football world and the regular world. Maybe they practice under the hot sun, trying to recapture their unfulfilled dreams, but they seem to be happy. Whether the Dawgs go to Tampa, or whether any of them make it to the big show does not really matter. What matters is playing. Every member of the team has a story about the path back to football. Tagliaferri represented them well. “When I was younger, I had opportunities I didn't capitalize on”, he said. “But this is it right here. One more year of glory.”
I'm telling you guys out there playing, enjoy yourselves. Don't hurt each other because you get mad. It's the game. Enjoy yourselves. Who cares who's hating on it? To all you semipro players, holla. Deuces.
Oh, and by the way, I'm trying to do this side thing called "Deuces Two Cents," and my confidence is just killing me. I'm telling you. It's killing me. So I'm throwing this out there: I think Justin Fields is about to have the craziest year ever. It's like Slash 2.0. Why couldn't it be? What a story. And I have to say, this is rough because I am definitely a die-hard Raider fan. But if Tomlin can get this done with Fields and the Steelers make it deep into the playoffs, how would that set his legacy? For real, I already know he's got some trophies, and he earned them all. No doubt whatsoever. But, man, what a story, right? That's actually my prediction, but that goes with "Deuces Two Cents."
For the past two years, I think Zamir White is the bomb, and I think he's going to lead the league in rushing if the Raiders give him the opportunity. It's just laying right there. So, anyways, I'm working on this "Deuces Two Cents" thing. I'm extremely nervous, my confidence is low, but I thought I'd drop it in the blog as I talk about semipro and the greatness of being a part of it. And to everyone that I knew and met, just thank you, even for the cracked knee, brother.
Out.
Marc Semipro Clips.mp4"Stay blessed, stay true to yourself, and always remember, you’re never alone on this incredible journey. Wishing you an abundance of peace, love, and an overflow of good vibes until our paths cross again. Thanks for being a part of this adventure with me. Until next time, Deuces!"
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