Mariani spends time with fans and friends in Havre

Havre Daily News/Daniel Horton

Mike King of Fort Belknap, 8, gets a Tennessee Titans helmet autographed by the Tennessee Titan, Marc Mariani on Monday at the Holliday Village Mall in Havre. Mariani returned home to Havre and signed autographs and took photographs with fans from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

When you take a closer look at what exactly it is the Tennessee Titans wide receiver, and return man extraordinaire, Marc Mariani is doing when he visits the Holiday Village Mall in Havre, it is clear that the event is so much more than just autographs and photo opportunities.

In fact, it is those same autographs and photo opportunities that open the doors to what it is Mariani is truly trying to accomplish in the few hours he is able to spend with his adoring fans.

Mariani spent four hours at the Holiday Village Mall Monday. He spent his time signing everything from helmets, footballs and jerseys to University of Montana Grizzly gear, ticket stubs and barbecue spatulas. But while giving his writing hand the short breaks that it desperately needed, Mariani also spent time hugging, high-fiving, shaking hands and posing for portraits with old friends, family and fans, all in the name of charity, and just saying hi.

"I was that kid, 10 or 15 years ago, " Mariani said. "I was the one getting the (Montana State University-Northern) Lights autographs, so if a kid, or if somebody leaves having any kind of impression on their lives, then I have done something. That means a lot to me, and that is why I am here. To me it is just about shaking hands and saying hi, and to be able to give back is just incredible.

"And to me, that (giving back) is a very important part, " Mariani added. "The only way a place like Havre can prosper and move forward, is that if everybody helps each other and if everybody gives back. And one of the most important things to me is the youth of Havre and the Hi-Line because they are the future. But it feels very good and very humbling to be able to give back. "

Fans could bring in whatever they wanted for Mariani to sign for free, but they could also purchase an autographed photo or take a portrait with Mariani, which they would receive in a couple of weeks. The proceeds from the photographs and portraits will be split between five different local charities, including the Blue Pony Booster Club, Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, Great Northern Area Special Olympics, Havre Food Bank and St. Jude Thaddeus School.

Nobody forces Mariani to return to Havre, and nobody forced Mariani to sign hundreds of autographs. And, last year especially, nobody forced Mariani to stay at the mall until the early hours of the morning to sign autographs for each and every person who waited nearly all day in line.

Mariani returns home when he is able to, and having a signing like he has held at the mall for the last two years, he said, is a privilege and way to say thank you to a community and town that is filled with people that have followed his every move, from St. Jude's, to Havre High School, to the University of Montana and now to the National Football League, where he has already embarked on his third season with the Titans.

"This is my home, and will always be my home, " Mariani said. "Havre, north-central Montana and the Hi-Line, this is definitely where I keep my bed, and this is home to me. I have my family and great friends here, and this is just my support system. It is important for me to come back, and it isn't something I feel like I have to do, it is something that I want to do, and I always enjoy doing it. This is where I am from and I am proud to wear it on my sleeve.

"There was a lot of people that influenced me along the way, " he added. "And a lot of them are still around. And now that I am in the situation that I am in, and that I can give back and show my appreciation, that is important to me. I want to say thank you in any way I can because I wouldn't be where I am today without all those people in my life, helping me and influencing me on my journey. "

The majority of the crowed that made their way up to the mall Monday were from Havre. There were a lot of local youth who were eager to talk to Mariani, but there were also fans from Tennessee, Washington, and other parts of Montana who happened to be in town for the signing.

Isaiah Dunk, a junior from Power just happened to be in town and was ecstatic, to say the least, to get a Titans football signed by a Montana hero.

"This is just incredible, " Dunk said. "(Mariani) made the pro bowl his rookie season and is from Montana, so to have him from my home state is just really cool. It is nice to see him doing this; Montana is such a tight-knit place with the low population, so this is just cool. "

The goal for Mariani is to give back to the community, and to be able to say thank you to all those who have supported him over the years, and to those that still do. Anyone who watched him with his fans last year — and Monday — clearly sees that Mariani is accomplishing his goal. And Mariani also said that as long as people still want him around, he will always come back.

It probably is safe to say that Mariani will continue to sign countless autographs for years to come.