Albert Marquardt Constructs Fine Career in Orange & Blue
Nov. 18, 2003 Albert Marquardt, better known as "Bert" to friends, wants to spend the rest of his working life building things from the ground up. When he became a Bison four years ago, he had no idea so much useful experience in that area would come on the gridiron. The ground, as in last place, was where Bucknell football was at the end of 2002, and where it was predicted to be again in 2003. But instead of Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium being the empty plot that some thought it would, Marquardt and his teammates have laid the foundation of a proud construction that remains ongoing. A senior wide receiver, Marquardt came to Bucknell in 2000 as a relative skyscraper in his hometown of Girardsville, Pa., having starred in basketball and track as well as football. "I might have been the first person from Girardsville in I don't know how many years to go to college and play football," says Marquardt. But when he came to Lewisburg, suddenly his wasn't the longest shadow in town. That, as Bison fans know, belonged to Jim Horan. And like high rises in downtown metropolises, Horan's name was, and still is, all over the Bucknell record book. Tim Landis, now Marquardt's head coach, had the opportunity to coach against both receivers when Bucknell played St. Mary's College the last two seasons, Landis' former employer. "The last couple years, Horan was the go-to guy. Bert was still a threat, but when you played Bucknell, you had to deal with Horan," says Landis. But instead of being a rival tradesman, Marquardt served as an apprentice to Horan's handiwork. "Jim taught me a lot. To come in and play with that kind of talent and experience took the pressure off me. Even though Jim and I were both hungry to get the ball, I don't think there was any resentment, only competitiveness," says Marquardt. It appears that Marquardt has learned quite well. He has moved into seventh all time on the Bucknell list for receptions in a career, with an even hundred, and sixth on the receiving yards list, with 1,728. Horan and Tom Mitchell still stand as the Petronas Towers of Bucknell receivers, though, far ahead of anyone else who has worn the Orange and Blue. Mitchell ranks first on both lists with 173 receptions for 2,358 yards, while Horan finished with 172 catches for 2,110 yards. Marquardt has just two games left to climb those lists. At his current pace, he could move into fourth on the yardage list behind Mitchell, Horan, and Dave Kucera (1,980). But after Marquardt learned of the new coaching staff's plan for offense, it occurred to him that he might not get such an opportunity to make Bucknell history. The "spread option" offense Landis runs strongly favors the run over the pass. "With the option, one thing people may not understand is even though we run a lot, it opens up the pass. I get a lot of single coverage and the quarterback, whether it's Daris [Wilson] or John Henry [Jackson] or Cole [Ciesnolevicz], does a good job of making the big play," says Marquardt. Landis readily accepted the criticism of some fans that the Bison should pass more, and thus Marquardt should receive more touches. But the coach pointed out the Marquardt is still having a very productive year, even in the new offense. "Probably early on he was skeptical and thought he might just be a glorified tight end, but his yards-per-catch is the highest of his career and he has 29 catches where he had 27 all of last year," says Landis. Marquardt's senior season does figure to be his second-most productive as far as receptions, as he had 41 catches in 2001. But Marquardt's yards-per-catch in 2003 leads that season, 20.4 to 14.1, and albeit slightly, his yards-per-game edges his 2001 average by 1.3 yards. Even so, Marquardt knows next week's Georgetown game will be his last in organized football. In preparation, the civil and environmental engineering major suited up for a different team, though one Bison fans see far more often than the Bucknell gridders. Marquardt put on an orange uniform, swapped the blue for reflective yellow, and spent the summer on an internship with PennDOT. "We worked on road rehabilitation and bridge construction. It really helped me make up my mind to get into construction. It appeals more to me than being in a cube all day," says Marquardt. It looks like the working world will have as difficult of a time as opposing cornerbacks have had at boxing in Marquardt. But ironically enough, for someone who spent dozens of Saturdays and countless hours at practice diving for and scooping at passes, Marquardt says he doesn't want to get his hands dirty when it comes to his professional life. "Working with PennDOT was the best internship around as far as in central Pennsylvania. There aren't a lot of companies around here where I could see my family every day. But I don't want to get a government job, I want to get a private sector job where I sit down with the client, plan out cost and scheduling," says Marquardt. In other words, Marquardt's days in an orange vest were nothing more than a summer fling. But his interest in construction probably will not be, as the soon-to-be-graduate has eyes for his future of the same width as for a rapidly approaching football. "I'd like to observe and get experience while working my way up the ladder. Someday I'd like to own my own company, or if not, be a vice president or something high up in a good construction firm," says Marquardt with a slight chuckle as he let his small-town humility go for a moment. "I want to have helped build something that wasn't there before, taking it from the ground up. I want to be able to say I was part of something, and be able to see it standing there," says Marquardt. As he leaves the Bison football program behind in only a couple weeks, just one victory from an encouraging non-losing season after a 2-9 struggle last year, it appears that Marquardt's dream for his buildings is well on its way to coming to fruition on the football field. |
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