Marion's long, bumpy road as a Hawkeye leads to final home match

IOWA CITY - It has been a long, winding and bumpy road for Montell Marion.

The University of Iowa 141-pounder has overcome some roadblocks to reach the final home dual of his senior season.

Marion will take the mat Sunday in front of the crowd at Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the last time when the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes host Wisconsin in a Big Ten Conference dual, beginning at 1 p.m.

Marion said he wants to put on a show for the Hawkeye fans in his last home dual.

“I've thought about it and I don't foresee any jitters with it being my last time at Carver,” Marion said. “It‘s going to be a sad thing because it's coming to an end, but I want to put an exclamation mark on my last match in Carver.”

As good as Marion has been on the mat, earning All-America status the last two seasons with an appearance in the 141-pound finals of the 2010 NCAA Championships, he has been just as bad at times off the mat, causing Marion to doubt whether he'd make it to this point.

He faced his share of legal trouble that put his Hawkeye career in jeopardy. Marion was charged with public intoxication in 2008, following his red-shirt season, and then faced “permanent suspension” from an Operating While Intoxicated, First Offense (classified as a serious misdemeanor) by UI Department of Public Safety after his national runner-up performance.

Marion stayed at the UI instead of transferring to another institution to continue his career. He worked to rejoin the team and was reinstated midway through last season.

Iowa Coach Tom Brands said if Marion was willing to fight his demons off the mat then he was willing to fight for him to get back on it.

“You do it for them because of several dimensions, and I happen to be proud of Montell and believe in him,” Brands said. “This is an ongoing process, though. He didn't get inserted on the roster and then in the lineup and all of a sudden he's better.”

The process was interrupted briefly with a traffic violation arrest in December. He was picked up while unknowingly driving with a barred license, because information about the driving suspension was sent to an old address, according to Marion.

“I was kind of shook up then, too,” Marion said. “I was like, ‘Am I going to get kicked off for a fricking barred license?' Luckily, it worked out. Everything's cool. I've got a good head on my shoulders and I'm staying the course.”

Marion said he reflects on his previous transgressions and admits he made some poor decisions.

“It's not as much as saying those things are out of my system,” Marion said. “It's about saying I have a different mindset now. I know when to get out of a situation. I know the right people to hang around. Not going downtown raising hell and that kind of stuff.

“I'm a man and that childish stuff is not in me anymore.”

Marion said he read online blogs and the critical comments contained in them. The words didn't make him feel like a bad person but bad about the decisions he had made. He said he appreciates the support from the administration and coaches, and that if he wasn't a good person he wouldn't be backed by “great people” associated with the program.

“I think he has put himself in the position and re-earned it more than once,” Brands said. “I think there are some people that have really believed in him, and he is a work in progress.”

The seventh-ranked Marion is 19-2. He has wrestled the majority of his matches close, hesitating to be offensive for most of the match. Marion said he is too selective early in matches, looking for the perfect takedown opportunity and backing out if it doesn't feel right. He admits he has to open up more.

“I think my attacks are good. I like to pick perfect shots sometimes,” Marion said. “It's about realizing that every shot is not going to be perfect. It's about getting in there, getting two hands to the leg, up through your opponent, down hard and keeping them flat.”

Brands stressed that with his talent, Marion needed to increase the pace early and score early and often. Relying on his athleticism late in matches to earn victories resembles flipping a coin, according to Brands, who doesn't like things left to chance.

“He seems to be comfortable there,” Brands said. “More comfortable than I am. There has to be more urgency.

“Let it fly. He's got a lot of ability and a lot of potential (and) a lot of firepower. We really haven't seen it all year.”

The year doesn't end Sunday. Marion is still focused on winning a national title, which would be one final acme of a Hawkeye career with plenty of peaks and valleys.

“It's been a dramatic journey,” Marion said. “It's been up and down. This is my first full season. I didn't get the undefeated season I was hoping to get, but that doesn't deter me from anything that I plan on doing coming up in March.”

Marion will be one of eight wrestlers honored after the dual. Big Ten heavyweight champion Blake Rasing, 184-pound starter Vinnie Wagner, Tyler Clark, J.J. Krutsinger, Stew Gilmore and Tyler Halverson also will be recognized Sunday. During their time in the program, the Hawkeyes have won three NCAA championships and three conference titles.