Super Bowl champion Ali Marpet ‘11 is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished athletes to emerge from Hastings High School. During his time at HHS, Marpet was a three-year varsity football player and a two-way lineman, earning all-league honors along with all-section and all-state honors. As a senior, he led the program to its first and only Section 1 finals appearance in 2010.
I sat down with Marpet to discuss what sets the Hastings community apart, his reflections on his time at Hastings High School, and his decision to retire early from the NFL. When asked what he remembers most about his years in Hastings, Marpet pointed to the relationships he built: “I’m still very close with the guys I grew up with. I was a Hastings kid from preschool through high school, and some of my closest friends today are the same people I went to school with.”
At Hastings High School, there were many teachers, coaches, and mentors whom Ali attributes his success to. Head football coach Joe Vaccaro played a large role in Marpet’s growth, as he was integral to his success both on and off the football field. He credits Vaccaro with helping him “become a better person.” Ezra Elliot, who coached Marpet in JV and Varsity basketball and on the offensive line, instilled a great work ethic. Meanwhile, Coach McCann, who is now teaching at the elementary school, redirected Marpet back to football after he stepped away post-freshman year. Marpet said that without McCann’s encouragement, he likely would not have pursued the path that ultimately led to the NFL.
In high school, he believed basketball offered his best chance to play at the collegiate level. That perspective shifted as he developed on the football field and began attracting attention from college programs. Reflecting on that transition, Marpet stated, “It was the aspect of getting better, every day, at something. Getting better was the motivation.”
Ali Marpet was a three-time first-team All-Liberty League selection at Hobart and William Smith College and earned All-American honors during his college career. He also made history as the first Division III player in 25 years to be invited to the Senior Bowl, which is an all-star game for the country’s top seniors. Marpet did not initially view football as a path to a professional career. By his junior year at Hobart, Marpet’s outlook had changed. After earning all-league honors, he began to recognize his potential, later reflecting that it was the moment he realized he was “pretty good” at the sport.“I surprised myself the whole time,” said Marpet. “I did not go to DIII thinking I’d play in the NFL. When it became a reality, every single time there was a chance to prove myself, whether it was the combine, the senior bowl, which is an all-star game, when I worked out with a scout or a coach, every time it felt surreal. I felt like I was playing with house money. It didn’t feel like I had anything to lose because I didn’t have that expectation for myself. The whole process was really exciting and exceeded my expectations.”
Marpet was selected 61st overall in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, becoming the highest-drafted Division III player ever. He was voted to be a team captain for the Buccaneers in 2018 and became one of the highest paid linemen in the league after signing a five-year, $55 million contract extension on October 9, 2018. Marpet was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021, which was the same year Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl.
For Marpet, the moment in his NFL career that stands out the most is winning the Super Bowl. “I think it is cliche to say the Super Bowl, but I think the Super Bowl probably takes the cake. It took so long to get there. There were so many losing seasons I had in Tampa Bay before getting to the Super Bowl, so it really meant a lot. There was a lot of sacrifice, a lot of hard work that really went into that moment, so it made it all the more rewarding.”
Ali Marpet announced his retirement from the NFL on February 27, 2022 at the age of 28 years old. “It was one of the hardest decisions of my life,” he said. “I decided to step away because I had achieved things I wanted to do within football. We had won the superbowl, I had made a pro bowl at that point in my career, I had started 100-some games,” said Marpet. “I was at a point financially where I could pursue things that I found interesting to me. I still had my health, relatively…it felt like I had sort of scratched that itch.”
Currently, Marpet is working towards a doctorate in clinical psychology. He has two young children and is in the thick of it as a new dad. “I’m totally sleep deprived and in zombie mode right now,” he stated. Ali got his master’s this past summer and has two and a half more years until he gets his doctorate.
When asked what advice he would give Hastings students who have big goals but uncertain paths, Marpet emphasized, “We don’t always have great awareness of what our strengths are. I would ask people that you trust — coaches, teachers, advisors, parents, loved ones, people that know what your strengths are, and lean into those things. Work backwards to find pursuits that align with those interests and skillsets.” He added, “Football just happened to be that thing for me. But really it was an avenue to pursue my strengths and discipline. I liked working out. Balancing the things we like and the things we’re good at. That’s what I would advise people to do.”
If Marpet could offer Hastings students one piece of advice, he says it would be this: “Lean in to the hard thing… Do the more uncomfortable, challenging thing. If there’s an option between the easy road and the hard road, take the hard road.”
