Lawrence Marsh - Family Business
Saturday, September 11, 2010 | Football
By Susie Epp, UF Communications
When Florida senior defensive end Lawrence Marsh departed Augusta, Ga., in 2005 and headed to Gainesville to begin classes and play football, he left his most prized possession behind: his family.
He is the oldest of five children, two of whom he keeps in close contact with. His sister and brother live with his mother in Augusta.
“I talk to my mom every other day,” said Marsh. “But when I call home, I make sure and talk to my brother and sister too. I want to make sure that they are staying out of trouble and are doing the right things.”
During the two weeks of summer vacation Marsh has enjoyed in each of the last five years, Marsh goes back to the Peachtree State and makes a point of spending time with his siblings and talking to them about life and being a good person.
“I try and spend as much time as I can with them when I go home,” said Marsh. “I talk to them about making our mom proud, stuff they like to do and becoming a good and better person.”
Marsh's athletic focus and influence have rubbed off on his brother. At nine years old, he plays football, baseball and golf.
“I want him to stay interested in sports so he stays out of trouble,” said Marsh. “Sports always kept me out of trouble when I was growing up, and I want to relay that message to my brother.”
Another piece of advice Marsh pushes is the importance of doing well in school.
“I want them to realize that no matter what they end up doing, they have to keep up with their schoolwork,” said Marsh. “If they don't do well in school, they may not be able to do what they want to do.”
Despite Marsh's desire to become a good influence and lead his little brother the right way, he does not necessarily want him to follow the same path he took.
“I want him to be his own person,” said Marsh, a sociology major on track to graduate in fall of 2010. “That's something I stress a lot. No matter what he decides, I always tell him, 'follow your heart.'”
His sister, for example, is a 16-year old who loves to sing, participates in the school choir and hopes to pursue a musical career. This does not prevent Marsh from offering her advice.
“I always tell her to be a lady and to learn from our mother,” said Marsh. “I want her to grow into herself and I encourage her not to follow the wrong crowd and to stay away from bad things.”
In his sophomore season at Florida, Marsh helped the Gators win their third National Championship as the starting defensive end, prompting his coaches and teammates to come up with the nickname, “Monster Marsh.”
Since the glorious 2008 campaign, Marsh has suffered several injuries that have slowed his development and decreased his contributions to the squad. In 2010, Marsh plans to earn back his nickname, using his family as motivation.
“My mom has been through a lot and she has been so tough,” said Marsh. “When I see how tough she is, I know that I can be tough too. She has done so much for me and my family.”
It's clear that his coaches and teammates feel that Marsh is up to the challenge of finishing his collegiate career on a positive note. A sign of the respect that he has earned is being voted one of six team captains entering his senior year.
“I don't know anybody who's got more passion or hunger to go have a great year than Lawrence Marsh,” said defensive line coach Dan McCarney. “He'll be an unbelievable success in life. I don't know if it was like that when I got here, but I know right now when football is done, off the field he'll be really, really successful in life."
Although he has several individual and team objectives etched in his mind for the Gators this fall, Marsh is only striving for one thing.
“My ultimate goal in life is to make my mom proud,” said Marsh. “If she is proud of me, then I am proud of myself.”
