Owen Marecic: More Perfect Than You Know

There's a lot to love about Stanford graduate Kelli Anderson’s profile of Cardinal starting fullback and middle linebacker Owen Marecic in this week’s Sports Illustrated. Like the fact that, according to his mother, the first words Owen spelled out loud were Tyrannosaurus rex, or that his teammates refer to the human biology major as ‘The Wisest,’ or that Jim Harbaugh keeps one of Marecic’s cracked helmets, signed by his senior leader, in his office.

Seriously, if you haven’t already, go read it now. The first person who sends me a copy of Harbaugh’s 900-word tribute referenced toward the end of the profile earns my eternal gratitude. Mock submissions from Cal and USC fans are welcomed.

At the risk of taking the deserved praise for Marecic to Tim Tebow-like levels (too late?), here are a few items about the Most Interesting Man Perfect Football Player in the World that weren’t quite perfect enough to survive the cutting room floor:

• Not only does Marecic take all of his own tests and write his own papers, but he grades them, too. He’s not just a two-way athlete, see, he’s a two-way student-athlete.
• The third word Marecic spelled out loud was Kal.
• While Marecic is still waiting for the hair on his head to reach the requisite 10 inches before he cuts it off for Locks of Love, he’s been donating his fast-growing chest hair since he was 4.
  
• Marecic is the Cardinal’s unofficial emergency kicker, punter, and long-snapper. In other words, he’s a special teams injury away from becoming I-A college football’s only current three-way player.
• Tebow once asked Marecic to be his spiritual advisor and personal quarterback coach.

Kidding aside, Owen Marecic is the man, and it's great to see him getting the national recognition that the Cardinal's players, coaches, and fans have known he's been worthy of throughout his Stanford career. Bust some helmets against the Irish, oh wisest one.