Making his mark in Europe

Published 10:15 pm Tuesday, August 11, 2009

When he finished playing his fourth and final year of college football at Chapman University, Eric Marty knew he wasn’t finished with the sport.

Marty, a quarterback, had wrapped up what he described as a successful college career with the Division III school in Orange, Calif. Unlike Division I and II schools, which offer scholarships to their players, Division III teams are non-scholarship.

The 2004 graduate of Meadowdale High School set some school records, but more importantly he helped lead Chapman to winning records in his final two seasons, the first time the school finished above .500 in several years.

“It was nice to get that program turned around,” said Marty, who started at quarterback at Meadowdale his junior and senior seasons. “I didn’t feel like I had reached my potential as a football player. I felt like I wasn’t ready to stop playing. I felt I could continue to compete. I knew there were opportunities to play in Europe.”

Marty eventually signed with the Bolzano Giants (Gigantes Bolzano) of the Italian Football League. What followed was a season to remember and a life-changing experience for the 23-year-old Edmonds resident.

As the starting quarterback, Marty led his team to an 8-1 regular season record and into the playoffs where Bolzano defeated Bergamo, a team that had won 11 straight Italian Super Bowls, in the semifinals. Marty then capped off his first season in the Italian Football League with a victory over Lazio in the Super Bowl on June 27.

The journey to becoming an Italian Super Bowl champion took a lot of hard work and perseverance.

Initially, Marty contacted a European football Web site and was able to draw some interest from teams. Marty’s break, however, came about when Chapman defensive line coach Mike Wood, who previously had been the defensive coordinator for the Giants, suggested he contact the owner/coach of Bolzano.

Marty received an offer from the Giants in late December and decided to sign with the team. As with most European leagues, the Italian Football League has a cap on American players. Marty was one of three Americans on the team.

“You’re expected to play. You’re expected to start and you’re expected to play very well,” Marty said.

The level of play in the Italian Football League is about on par with Division III schools. Most good college players could play in Italy without a problem, Marty said.

“The question is not whether you can start over there,” he added. “At the end of the game, the question really is ‘were you able to be an impact player and be an elite player for your team?’”

The answer for Marty turned out be an emphatic yes. But Marty didn’t necessarily know that the first time he set foot on Italian soil.

Marty thought he made a good impression on his coach and teammates in his first few practices when he reported to camp in February. But the night before the first regular season game he struggled and drew the ire of the head coach.

“I was certain I was going to play terrible and be on a plane back to the United States within a couple of weeks,” Marty said. “But I came out and played a good first game. After that I kind of settled in.”

Marty thought his role was going to be more of managing the game since the Giants had one of the top offensive players in Reggie Green, an American running back from Siena College. Green, however, got off to a slow start and also was sidelined for part of the season.

“I had to step up,” Marty said. “(Green) missed five games with a hamstring injury, so that forced a lot more pressure on me.”

Marty completed 61 percent of his passes and threw 26 touchdowns with five interceptions during the regular season.

The quality of players in the Italian Football League varied. Some of the Italian players were very good, but others were less talented. As a result, the Italian version of an American sport turned into a much more wide open game.

“It makes it a lot more fun because there’s so much more room for improvisation and great individual effort, whereas in college football everything is so controlled and regulated,” Marty said.

Because his team didn’t carry a lot of players, Marty also was called upon to play defense (cornerback) for the first time since his sophomore year at Meadowdale.

“It’s just part of the overall experience and the rawness of Italian football,” Marty said.

The Bolzano coach spoke some English and many of the players also spoke the language. Marty went over knowing no Italian but learned enough to call the plays in Italian and to take care of his daily needs – almost.

The transition to living in a foreign country hit some rough patches that first month.

“I was doing all my laundry with fabric softener because I thought it was detergent,” Marty said. “I couldn’t read the label until I went to do it at a teammate’s house and they started laughing at me. ‘Where’s your detergent? This isn’t detergent?’”

All of Marty’s living expenses were picked up by the team, which also gave him a car to use.

“You’re not going to get rich off of it,” Marty said. “At the same time, you’re still playing football and you’re living abroad in Europe with essentially no financial responsibilities.”

The number of fans at games ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 during the regular season. The Super Bowl was played before a crowd of about 3,000 people.

Bolzano’s fans were a dedicated and knowledgeable group.

“They’re very appreciative more so than anything of the effort you put in,” Marty said. “You may not play a great game, but if you play as hard as you can, they respect you.”

While he’ll always remember winning the Super Bowl, the semifinal game was just as memorable for Marty and especially his Italian teammates. Even though the Giants beat Bergamo during the regular season, Bolzano still had to figure out a way to get past the 11-time defending champions in the playoffs. Bolzano pulled out a 28-21 victory to advance to the Super Bowl.

“In the semifinals, it was like the giant had been slain,” Marty said. “It was a team that had run Italy for 11 years.”

The Giants jumped out to an early 14-0 lead in the Super Bowl and went on to win 35-21. Marty threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

The victory was an emotional experience for Marty’s teammates.

“The most special thing I remember about the Super Bowl was the excitement and joy of my teammates after we won,” Marty said. “For many of them, the IFL Super Bowl was a goal, a dream that they had chased for well over a decade and never achieved. To help my teammates realize that goal was very special and rewarding to me.”

Marty also was able to share the experience with his father and mother, who traveled to Italy to see their son play.

In mid-July, Marty returned home to help run Meadowdale’s off-season conditioning program. He’ll also be coaching the tight ends and receivers in the fall.

The plan is for Marty to head back to Europe to continue his football career. He could return to Bolzano, but Marty wants to explore the possibility of playing in Austria, which is regarded along with Germany, as having the top two leagues in Europe.

“If I played well enough in the Austrian Football League and had the opportunity to come back and play some football in North America, whether it’s in one of the major leagues here, that would be my ultimate goal as a football player,” Marty said.

Marty eventually would like to become a college football coach.

Going to school in California forced Marty to grow up and his experiences in Italy was a continuation of the process.

“I felt very fortunate in that some people go study aboard and in a program with 200 Americans,” Marty said. “I went over to Italy and other than the two Americans on my team I lived for six months in Italy with Italian people. My experience was authentic.”

Marty was confident he would be successful when he left for Italy. He also was eager to find out just what kind of a football player he really was.

“You learn a lot about yourself when you’re a continent away from everyone you’ve ever known and in a country where you don’t speak the language initially,” Marty said. “You have these expectations. Can you produce in these situations? Can you be an elite football player? I was able to accomplish the goals I came over with and make some incredible friends and have some incredible experiences.”