Hello 11W community,
This is the first time I’ve posted anything on here, and honestly was hesitant to; however, seeing the support readers of this site give and the reach we have as a Buckeye Nation, I thought it would be right to share this story of one of the greatest guys I’ve ever known.
Last week, my neighbor and very good friend unexpectedly and tragically passed away. I was hanging out with him on Master’s Sunday, watching golf and he was healthy as could be. Later that week he began to feel sick and finally took himself to urgent care on Friday, where he was immediately sent to the hospital and diagnosed with HLH (Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis), which is a rare auto-immune disease that is highly fatal. He was in the hospital for a little over a week before he ultimately passed away. Because of who he is, I thought this might be a good forum to share more about him.
Marcus Outzen was a quarterback at FSU in the late 90’s, playing as Chris Weinke’s backup for most of his career. He, known as The Rooster, was thrust into the starting position when Weinke was injured late the ’98 football season. His biggest accomplishment in football was taking down Florida that season as a starter, when both teams were ranked in the top 5, which secured them a spot in the BCS National Championship game. He started the title game that year, but FSU unfortunately lost to Tennessee. He is so widely known by Seminoles fans for his heroics as a backup, it very much reminds me of Cardale Jones (excluding a championship win of course).
Marcus’ football history and somewhat relating to Cardale’s obviously has made me think to post something here, but I also want to share about his life outside of football. Marcus has made an impact on countless people’s lives and I am grateful to have been friends with him while he was still with us. He has left behind a wife and three young children. His oldest son, Colton, will be a freshman in high school next year. Colton has his eyes set on becoming a collegiate wide receiver and is already showing off his skills in younger travel teams before even getting to the high school level. While I’m sure FSU is a top school he would like to attend if he can, his dad always would tell him to keep his options open and consider other schools. I took Marcus and Colton with me to the Penn State game this year, a picture of them is below in front St John’s Arena where Game Day was set up. They were both in shock by the size of Ohio State and it’s fanbase; it definitely left a lasting impression.
I’m also posting here because Marcus was the main provider financially for the Outzen family. The family has a lot of struggles to face and it will be tough, and navigating their financial future is going to be a big one. There is a GoFundMe set up for Marcus’ that I thought I would share here, if any Ohio State fans would like to share the buckeye love to a family that has lost a great one. All donations go to Marcus’ wife. Who knows? Maybe we will see Colton in Scarlet and Gray one day as well. If you feel inclined to make a donation to the family, no matter how small, make sure to send a Buckeye emoji to show that Buckeye Nation is with them.
GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/878a9fb5
