The Observer, March 30, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 22
Hugh Marshall closes in on 20 years of dedicated service at Case
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It was almost 20 years ago when Hugh Marshall took on the Equipment Manager position in the Case Athletic Department. Since that time he is estimated to have seen close to 1000 athletic events here, and has cycled tens of thousands of loads of laundry.
While athletes can always count on having a crisp clean uniform waiting in their lockers, they may not always realize the work that gets done behind the scenes.
"I remember one weekend back in the early '90s when I had just gotten back from a trip to St. Louis with the football team," Marshall said. "It was late evening, the soccer team had a game the next day, and there was football practice on Sunday morning. Needless to say, I was stuck in the laundry room doing 24 consecutive loads of uniforms and practice jerseys – in only one washer and one dryer. I was in there for more than 24 hours straight, I guess sometimes what I do can just feel underappreciated."
However, some athletes at Case may beg to differ, such as Tom Zagorski, center for the football team.
"Hugh is one of those people, not just in the athletic department, but on the entire campus, who makes Case a special place to go to school and play sports," Zagorski said, who, returning for a fifth year, has been at Case long enough to know a thing or two about how important it is to have an equipment manager who is on top of things.
Marshall is in fact on top of his job, and his numbers as well. Of the nearly 1000 athletic events he has seen, Marshall has been on the sidelines for exactly 191 Spartan football games.
"Football is a little closer to my heart, because it is the one sport where I actually feel involved and get to be on the sidelines," he said. "I've got to be ready every play in case someone needs something. I try to get them back in there as fast as I can."
And, in all his games on the sidelines, he recalls a few games that stick out as the most memorable ones in his career.
"It was either 1989, or '90 when we played a very good Ohio Wesleyan team, and we were projected to lose," he said. "On the four-yard-line, we hit their fullback and made him fumble. Then, the very next play, our running back went straight up the middle for a 96-yard touchdown. It completely changed the game."
The Spartans unexpectedly won that game in a 41-16 blowout.
Marshall mentioned other games such as a 3-0 win against Carnegie Mellon in 1996, which ruined the rival's playoff chances and was the first of back-to-back shutouts of CMU by the Spartans.
While Marshall may be fond of football, and remembers something about all 191 games he's been a part of, he claims that there is something more rewarding about being the equipment guy at a school like Case.
"The friendships I've made, and the kids I've met are the best part about this job," he said. "I feel like I share the whole college experience with them, and it is just great."
Marshall may be able to count games and laundry loads, but it may be difficult to keep track of all the friendships he has made. And though at times he may feel underappreciated, his alma mater of West Geauga High School in Chesterland recently made Feb. 21 "Hugh Marshall Day." The school named the scorer's table after him in honor of all his work there for the past 40 years, changing his mind a little.
It has been a long time since Nov. 2, 1987, Marshall's first day on the job as equipment manager. So when he turns 54 on May 9, and participates in his 200th football game at Case, both milestones may seem like just another notch on his belt.
During his tenure here, he has been a part of many special events and projects, including the complete re-construction of the athletic complex. He was also selected to become a member of the fraternity FIJI. He even took part in a football game where students in the dorms asked that the public address system in the old stadium be turned down so they could study without interruption.
"Only at Case," Marshall chuckled, "Only at Case."
