Hidden Figures: The Marcus Brothers
Submitted photo
Joe Marcus during his playing days at Florida State.
Submitted photo
Pete Marcus visiting Mike Sefcheck, the popular overseer of State Recreation Parlor.
Fayette County has a rich sports history and unfortunately, the stories and exploits of many great players and coaches have been lost and forgotten by the sands of time.
This is the fourth in a series of articles that will explore some of these hidden figures. This article concerns former South Union High School standouts Pete and Joe Marcus.
Pete Marcus was born Dec. 17, 1917, in Rillton, Pa.
Marcus played football at South Union in the mid 1930s. He was part of Blue Devil squads that posted records of 2-5-1 in 1934, 3-2-3 in 1935 and 2-6 in 1936 under head coach Howard McKee.
Marcus played offensive and defensive tackle for the Blue Devils and was an All County selection in 1936.
When Marcus graduated from South Union, he was originally slated to play football at the University of Kentucky, but he wound up at Western Kentucky and played on the freshman team in 1938.
The 6-foot-2, 190 pound Marcus moved up to the Western Kentucky varsity in 1939 as a reserve tackle. Under second-year head coach Gander Terry, the Hilltoppers posted an overall record of 7-1-1 and finished 5-1-1 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The lone loss was to Tennessee Tech, 10-0, and they tied rival Murray State, 12-12.
The Hilltoppers were once again 7-1-1 in 1940 and 4-1-1 in conference play. They were defeated by Louisiana Tech, 7-6, and played a 0-0 tie with Morehead State.
The Hilltoppers, like many college football teams during World War II, were losing players to the draft. Marcus was the only experienced tackle returning as he entered his senior season, but he was probably going to be drafted. Marcus was so highly thought of by Coach Terry that in the preseason scrimmage the White team was called team Marcus. They defeated Harry Bowling鈥檚 Black team, 12-0.
Marcus suffered an ankle injury in October, but played the whole season for Western Kentucky as it posted an overall record of 4-5-1 and a 3-1-1 mark in conference play.
Marcus eventually was drafted and served in the United States Army.
Marcus played one season in the National Football League with the Washington Redskins in 1944. He played offensive and defensive end, appearing in three games. Marcus toyed with the idea of signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers after he was released by Washington.
An interesting anecdote about Marcus playing with the Redskins. Washington officials were puzzled by the coolness between Marcus and teammate Ev Sharp. Finally, they discovered the reason. Both had been in the Army and Marcus, who had been an MP, had once pinched his new teammate.
Marcus said, 鈥淪harp got a little bit rowdy at the time, but you know, since we鈥檝e been playing together, I like that about him. It helps me now.鈥�
Marcus resided for many years in Elyria, Ohio. He passed away on April 20, 1997.
The younger brother Joe Marcus starred at South Union in football as a center. He was part of a South Union team that notched six wins in 1944. Marcus was All County and drew high praise from his Coach Bill Hoak.
鈥淩ip Haley was the heart of our team,鈥� Hoak stated at the time. 鈥淐enter Joe Marcus was an outstanding player. Marcus was a fast, aggressive player who made two out of every three tackles.鈥�
鈥淢arcus was a very good player,鈥� Haley offered. 鈥淗e was older than I was and he took me under his wing. I appreciated that.鈥�
Marcus joined the Navy at 17 and earned his high school diploma in the service.
He attended Findlay College in Ohio after serving in World War II. He transferred to Florida State and was an outstanding player for the Seminoles.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Marcus played center on FSU teams that posted records of 7-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play, winning the Dixie Conference title in 1948 under first-year head coach Don Veller. The Seminoles went 9-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play, winning the Dixie Conference title for the second consecutive season. The Seminoles were invited to the program鈥檚 first bowl game, the Cigar Bowl, where they defeated Wofford on Jan. 2, 1950.
Marcus was Florida State MVP in 1949. After college he joined the Air Force and served in Japan.
Marcus received a law degree from the University of Miami in 1956 while attending night classes and working for General Motors Acceptance Corp.
Marcus was a former assistant public defender for Dade Co. and city attorney for Florida City for 12 years.
He was also an assistant professor of law with the Florida State extension programs at Homestead Air Force and Key West Navy bases.
Marcus passed away from cancer in May, 1983 in a Dallas hospital. He was 56 years old.