Walton sets lofty goals on and off field UM defensive end aims for pro game

ORONO – Marcus Walton has set many goals for himself.

First, the defensive end from White Plains, N.Y., hopes to help the University of Maine football team end its season on a positive note this afternoon with a victory over archrival New Hampshire.

After that, he’ll begin training for a shot at playing professional football while continuing work on his Master’s degree in human development.

Walton aspires eventually to put his sociology degree to work for a government agency such as the FBI, the CIA or the Secret Service. And there’s the group home for underprivileged kids he hopes to open.

Walton doesn’t take anything for granted. He believes he is part of a grander, much more important plan.

“Whatever God has me to do, I’m going to do,” said Walton, who professes his Christian faith as the most important aspect of his life.

“I take a perspective that everything I do, I try to please Him,” Walton said. “If it won’t please Him, I try not to do it.”

For the last four years, Walton has utilized his God-given physical ability to play football for coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder, who this season leads the team with 11 tackles for a loss and five quarterback sacks, has 19 career sacks.

“He’s made some great contributions at the end spot,” Cosgrove said. “He’s really been a guy up front that other teams are aware of, a marquee player.”

Walton has had his share of injuries over the years, all of which have reduced his effectiveness at certain times. He has never made any excuses.

“He’s battled through a lot of things during his career here in terms of injuries and that’s a great credit to him,” Cosgrove said.

Walton, who rushed for 1,535 yards at White Plains High School in 1999, was at first projected as a linebacker. He was moved to end, where he plays a somewhat less-touted role.

Defensive ends do a lot of things that aren’t measured by statistics.

“It’s physical down there and a lot of times you do a lot of the grunt work but you don’t get a lot of the glory,” Walton said. “On Saturday I play for the glory of God and he sees what I do.”

Walton’s strong faith was fostered by his mother, Irene. She took him to church every Sunday as a youngster and made sure he was protected from some of the negative influences in his neighborhood.

“As well as God, she’s been one of my driving forces,” Walton said. “She cared about me, she loved me, she wanted the best for me. She’s a special lady in my life. She’s my best friend.”

It was Irene Walton who found Marcus a spiritual home during his college days. He attends The First Assembly of God Pentecostal church in Bangor.

Walton is happy to share his faith, and a ride to church, with his teammates and other students at UMaine.

“I’m comfortable with it and I want to share it,” he said. “I respect other people’s opinions, but I’m going to be bold about it and let it be known that there’s a God that has helped me get this far.”

On campus, Walton participates in the Athletes in Action, a nondenominational group, and is a member of another organization called Impact. As a graduate student, he also teaches a class, Male Athletes Against Violence.

“We’re always stereotyped to be those masculine players who are the rapists and who don’t care about anything, but we like to inform them that even though we’re players, we’re people just like them,” Walton said.

Walton and his mother also hope to open a group home for troubled kids called Second Chance.