An American Footballer in Parma: Greetings from the Marine Corps!

Ex-Parma Panther Corey Mazza checks in from USMC training.

Courtesy Corey Mazza

Corey's come a long way from the IFL.

[Ed.'s Note: In 2008, former Harvard wide receiver Corey Mazza chronicled his journey as a member of the Parma Panthers of the Italian (American) Football League (IFL). As we prepare to say goodbye to ESPNthemag.com, Corey sent us this update from his new gig as a new member of the United States Marine Corps. For the record, and because court-martial is such a scary term, the views presented are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the DoD or its components, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.]

I am light years away from Parma, Italy. Sometimes I feel like it never happened. For a little less than a year, I lived with two other Americans with no job other than to play football a few hours a week. We had money, the best wine in the world and some not-so-bad-looking cheerleaders. Let's just say John Grisham's version of life in the IFL, as chronicled in his book Playing for Pizza, is as tame as a lamb compared to the havoc and destruction we brought to Europe.

But the party couldn't go on forever, and I think we were all ready to come back to normalcy in America. It was an amazing opportunity, but I never felt I was being productive with my life.

When my plane from Italy touched down at LAX, my dad was there to greet me. It was bittersweet for him, because he knew I would be picking up and leaving again in only a few weeks. And this time there would be no games, wine or cheerleaders.

Courtesy Corey Mazza

Corey's grandfather, Gino, a former Marine himself, inspired him to join the Corps.

My grandfather, Gino, was a member of the Marine Corps from 1951-1953 and inspired me to enlist. I shipped out to Quantico, Virginia in early October, and what happened over the next three months was the soul-searing, life-changing experience that I had dreamed of. It was also the most physically and mentally demanding experience of my life.

At Officer Candidate School, unlike on the football field, it doesn't matter how big or talented you are. All that counts is heart. Every day, Gunnery Sergeants whose job it is to make Officers out of the nasty Candidates they're sent, will ask you, How much are you willing to give?

(One of my favorite memories from those weeks was when the Instructors realized that not only I, but my rackmate was also from Harvard. We got absolutely lit up. I laugh about it now, but there was nothing funny about it at the time.)

I couldn't really see how I was changing until graduation day. My parents flew in from California and some friends drove down from Boston, including former Parma QB Danny Brown. I think I was shocked as they were at the transformation from SoCal dude to a lean, mean Marine. When 330 Marines, down from the 571 who started the course, took the oath to fight for our country in front of our families, it was the absolute proudest moment of my life. A great moment in the biggest of football games is just that, a game. This was bigger than that. No number on the back of your uniform identifying you to a crowd of spectators, just the opportunity to do the most satisfying and rewarding job out there.

There was some overflow at my next stop in my Marine Corps training, so they took eight fresh Lieutenants and sent us to the Martial Arts Center of Excellence, where we started learning the basics of various hand-to-hand combat techniques from some of the best enlisted Marines in the Corps.

Oddly enough, my sparring partner, Lt. Jason Blydell, was a cornerback for Dartmouth, which meant I had lined up against him for four years in college, talking smack and going one-on-one all game. (For the record, Harvard never lost to Dartmouth when I was there.) Now we found ourselves wearing camouflage and learning various knife techniques on one another.

Courtesy Corey Mazza

Former Parma QB Danny Brown pins bars to Corey's uniform at graduation.

A large majority of the people I met in the Marines were college athletes. My fire-team member, Lt. Garrett Cross, was a Pac-10 tight end at Cal and then played for the Packers; a close buddy, Lt. Mik Visgauss, was an All-Patriot League lacrosse player at the Naval Academy; and an old Harvard teammate of mine, Lt. Matt Drazba, has just picked up in my unit. He was a 300-pound defensive tackle. Now I weigh more than he does, and he smoked me in a 3-mile run the other day.

The transition from athlete to warrior is an ongoing process but is almost complete. Now, we're learning how to be effective Platoon Commanders in a Rifle Company. When we leave here, we could have as many as 45 Marines under our charge, going all over the world to fight our nation's enemies. It's a lot of responsibility, but one the staff is preparing us well for.

I remember when I scored my first touchdown in the Yale Bowl and being in awe of the 50,000 people screaming for our team. But that was nothing compared to the pride I felt hearing a packed Yankee stadium go crazy after the National Anthem over Memorial Day weekend when I was in New York for Fleet Week. I have a new team now, one which everyone knows, respects or fears, and the feeling that comes with it is unbelievable.

It is weird how far I have distanced myself from the life I lived abroad last year as a professional football player in Italy. Ryan Tully, my old teammate, is still in Parma, and hearing his updates reminds me of all the great times. I probably wouldn't go back, though. I feel more comfortable assembling and disassembling an M16-A4 Service Rifle than catching a football at this point.

PARMA UPDATES

Tully came back for his second season. He couldn't say no to the Proscuitto -- or the Italian girlfriend. But they may have broken up, so maybe he will come back after this season … QB Danny Brown is now working at a start-up football helmet company started by former Harvard Players called Xenith. We still talk every night on the phone … Replacement QB Tommie Zetts is a high school teacher now and coaches the football team in Ohio … Coach Andrew Papoccia is now expecting his second child, Tim Tebow Pappoccia … Many of the Italian players, as well as cheerleaders, are not back this year, but the core of the team is. They are 3-1 and finally beat the Bergamo Lions. I was very jealous I missed it … I got a message from a member of another team in Italy asking if I was available to come play. I got very excited for a minute, but then realized my gridiron days are over. Its okay though, I am very excited for the new task at hand.

REMINDER: The views presented are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the DoD or its components, including the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines

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