Football: Princeton’s ‘O’-Line Ironman

A common room with two TVs and Xboxes that are constantly running could be in any guys’ college suite. The difference is that the guys playing Call of Duty and Halo all weigh around 270 pounds and are more than six feet tall.

According to senior offensive lineman and co-captain Mark Paski, living in such a suite and developing close friendships with his football teammates have undoubtedly been some of the best parts of his time at Princeton.

“There are a lot of really great guys on the team,” Paski said. “I’ve just had so much fun on and off the field, living with my roommates now and just going through all the good times and the bad times with such a great group of guys.”

The close ties Paski shares with his friends and teammates are evident. In fact, Paski’s natural leadership and bonds with the other offensive linemen give him unique leverage on the field.

“The one thing that gives me an advantage is having such a great relationship with the other guys that play offensive line [so] that you really have the confidence and the trust in everyone else that plays next to you,” Paski said. “If you don’t have a cohesive offensive line, then it’s just a giant mess.”

Head coach Roger Hughes said it’s no surprise Paski became a captain and was voted onto the Unity Council, an organization that Hughes created to improve communication within the team. Senior co-captains linebacker Scott Britton and defensive back Wilson Cates also noted Paski’s consistent, lead-by-example behavior.

“Mark is responsible and dependable … He keeps the rest of us captains in line,” Cates said.

Yet Paski’s demeanor apparently changes on the field.

“I’d say there are moments when he is on the field that an aggression comes out that I don’t see anywhere else in Mark’s life … except for when he’s trying to get a girl to like him by taking them to Twist,” Britton said.

While being six feet, five inches tall and 275 pounds is hardly undersized by any normal standards, Paski claimed that size has always been his biggest challenge.

What he doesn’t mention is the incredible work ethic and dedication required to transform him from a 230-pound high school student to the only lineman in Princeton history to start each of the 40 games of his college career. As a freshman, Paski played in the Princeton-Yale game that cinched Princeton’s most recent Ivy League championship.

“He’s extremely athletic … which gives him a huge advantage and allows us to do some of the things we do offensively because he can get onto the linebackers,” Hughes said.

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As any athlete can attest, talent only gets you part of the way. Paski’s coaches and peers described him as the essential Princeton student-athlete, attributing his good decisions — such as those that propelled the team toward victory against Yale this past Saturday — to spending extra time watching film, understanding every aspect of the game plan and learning about the Tigers’ opponents.

“He’s still very humble and still understands that he needs to work very hard to maintain that level and continue to improve,” Hughes said. “I think one of the things that makes him special is that he’s never satisfied. He’s always looking to get better.”

Last Saturday’s triumph against Yale was in his 20th and final home game. Paski will play his last game for Princeton against Dartmouth this coming Saturday.

“I think I’d have to give a lot of credit to my coaches, especially [assistant coach Adam] Hollis, who’s really helped me and the other offensive linemen really develop our technique and skills through our time here, and also Jason Gallucci, our training and conditioning coach, who’s helped me in so many ways,” Paski said.

This year, Princeton football has faced surprise setbacks. Some star players, including Britton and senior running back Jordan Culbreath, have experienced injuries that cut their season short.

“It’s been a very unique year, but Mark keeps a steady positive attitude and keeps on working hard and really sees the silver lining in all situations,” Hughes said.

An obvious question looms: What will Paski do after football? After Princeton? While he said he can’t imagine how he would have spent every fall Saturday afternoon without football, Paski admitted that the future will be different.

“I would someday like to go to graduate school and get either a politics or business degree. Ultimately my goal is to get into politics later on down the road,” Paski said.

He then began to joke around.

“People say certain workplaces are like a competition or a sport,” he said, “but you’ll never be able to just run down the field and hit someone, since that would be illegal.”