Robert Marve isn’t a household name. Or at least his name’s not known in very many households and almost never by everyone in a home. Still, you need to know about this guy. Trust me on this one.
Robert plays football and is in his sixth year of eligibility at Purdue. No, this isn't a joke about Mr. Blutarsky’s academic performance. In college, athletes are often “red-shirted”, which means that they’re given five years to play four. Usually this is done to give students time to develop into their full athletic potential. Occasionally a player who has already used her or his redshirt year sustains a season-ending injury and, upon very special approval from the NCAA, is given a “grey-shirt” year. That’s where Robert was last year, and why he's back for his sixth and final year right now.
The story starts nearly 6 years ago when Marve was awarded the 2006 Mr. Football honor in the state of Florida. In the FBS petri dish that is the Sunshine State, that award normally means a guy is pretty special. But there are certainly down years when, for whatever weird reasons, pickins are just slim. Marve wasn’t one of those downers. His senior year he broke 2007 Heisman Award winner Tim Tebow’s records for single season passing yards (4,380) and touchdowns (48), and he threw merely 13 interceptions out of 280 completions (a 31 year old Florida state record).
The University of Miami won the right to Marve’s services, but the youngster broke his arm in a car accident before he started school and had to sit out a year. The following year, he started for the ‘Canes, but he made some terrible choices including – everyone learned later – accepting inappropriately free trips to nightclubs (courtesy of a well-heeled Miami booster) where some of the female employees had difficulty keeping themselves...uh...clothed. To make matters worse, he complained publicly about his coach at Miami and announced that he would transfer. His grades, evidently, weren’t exactly stellar, either. Marve must’ve realized that between his arm injury and his reputation as a ne’er-do-well, he would need to find a football program in the middle – or maybe beginning – of a serious rebuilding program. New Purdue Head Coach Danny Hope provided Marve with just such an opportunity. Marve showed up in West Lafayette with a gigantic script ‘R’ on his left tricep and a matching ‘M’ on the right one. This whole thing was a gamble – for both sides.
Shortly after transferring to Purdue, Marve tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), which required surgery. Fortunately for him, the recovery process would coincide with his required year off due to the transfer. Marve battled back and won the starting job for the 2010 season. Unbelievably, after only 4 games, the repaired ACL tore again, putting Marve back into the surgery-recovery-rehab-competition cycle for the third time in his young career. He was finally cleared to play mid-season 2011 and helped an improving Boilermaker team earn their first bowl bid in four years.
Something changed in Marve during his recoveries. His interviews were less cocky. His grades improved. He referred to getting his priorities straight and, now and again, to what his faith in God’s providence had meant through the struggles. Last year Robert made Academic-All Big Ten and this summer he graduated from, and began his master’s degree program at, Purdue.
As the 2012 season rolled around, Marve was in competition again for the starting job, but narrowly lost that honor to Caleb TerBush, 2011’s returning starter. TerBush broke a non-legal team rule and had to sit out the first game, so Marve got the call. It was a good day. No, make that a great day: 295 yards on 30/38 passing (79% completion rate) with 3 TDs and 1 pick. Immediately the question heard repeated was: why isn’t Marve starting? Coaches have their reasons, and Danny Hope had his when he named TerBush (a very good signal-caller in his own right) the starter for the September 8 game at Notre Dame, but I'm not sure I understand it.
When TerBush got off to a slow start against the Irish, Hope put Marve in to
try a turn-around. It worked perfectly:
Marve orchestrated a critical touchdown drive to tie the game 7-7 with nine
seconds to go in the first half.Then came the play in the picture to the left.
Marve's ACL had torn for the third time. It wasn’t as severe as the others, but it was enough to land Marve on the trainer’s bench immediately and in the doctor’s office shortly thereafter. Repairing the tear would require surgery, which would also mean an end to his season, and they simply never give seventh years at the NCAA home office.
Robert has elected to put off surgery until after the season, in the hope that he can rehab the knee and get back to playing speed yet this fall. In all likelihood, his football career is nearly over. The guy who was once a shoe-in for the NFL won’t attract much interest from Sunday teams after having torn his ACL three times. Nope, Marve is fighting back for the pure love of the game, and to play one more time with his teammates—his brothers.
Here’s a video of an interview Marve gave during the week after the ND game.
What chokes me up is how this young man has gotten his world squared away, has developed a grown-up perspective on football and life, and keeps fighting back – not with misplaced arrogance or vengence, but with joy and selfless determination. I only wish I was this mature when I was 23.
His response is a case study in Romans 8:28.
Robert Marve stokes my hope—hope that even in what’s been called the “Entitled-Generation” guys like this still exist. And, by the way, they exist abundantly in that supposedly knuckle-dragging sport we call football.
