Standing at six foot three and 290 lbs, Keith Marco grew up larger than many of his peers, proving to be an intimidating force on the football field. But beneath his imposing exterior, his goofy personality and empathy towards others made him a “teddy bear” to his friends and the Cal Poly community.
“One time, we were all just hanging out with our moms, and he just ran outside and jumped on one of the tables and it completely snapped,” Keith’s high school friend and fraternity brother, Rob Murray said. “It was so random, but it was really funny to everyone.”
Marco played left guard for Cal Poly and was a junior pursuing a food science degree. On June 6, he passed away from a pulmonary embolism at 21 years old.
“His capacity for love and people was limitless and his uplifting huge bear hugs were priceless,” his mother, Audrey Marco, said. “No matter where we were or what we were doing, it was always fun and laughter-filled with Keith.”
Pulmonary embolisms happen when blood clots occur in the arteries of the lungs. He was rushed to UCLA Medical Center on May 23. He was put into a medically induced coma on life support and passed away as an organ donor on June 6, 2024.
Keith wanted to follow in the footsteps of his sister, Emma Marco, who graduated in food science in 2021 with an accelerated MBA in 2022, according to Audrey. Keith was set for an internship with Symrise this summer, a flavor and fragrance company that produces products for companies such as Coca-Cola.
“I was so proud of him, especially how he navigated and still managed to get into his dream school, even though he didn’t take the typical path to get there,” Emma said.
Off the field, Keith loved to cook. He often bonded with his friends, such as business administration senior Aidan Najah, by sharing his culinary skills.
“One time he came after class, and I was trying to cook a steak for the first time, and he asked me, ‘Have you really cooked a steak before?’ And he leaves and comes back with rosemary that he picked, grabs some butter, and just teaches me how to cook steak.”
Inspired by his passion for cooking, Lambda Chi Alpha and other friends held a barbecue in his honor June 5. About 300 to 400 people attended, creating a memorial garden at the fraternity house. His friend, chemistry senior Olivia Everett, helped make scrapbooks for friends to sign.
“Keith was that person that made a lot of people feel like they had a family in college,” Everett said. “I think that’s why he was able to bring so many people together.”
Like many others, Najah gravitated towards Keith because he was a great listener and made the effort to check in with people.
“I learned from Keith on how to be genuine, how to be honest with not only others, but yourself, and how to always see the good in people,” Najah said. “Keith truly changed my life and how I look at things. And now that he’s gone, I will always carry those values with me. He was the purest form of human.”
Dr. Amanda Lathrop, Dean of Graduate Education, was a professor in the food science department during Keith’s freshman year. To her, Keith stood out due to his patience and positive leadership with a lab group that initially struggled in class.
Keith developed a strong relationship with Lathrop and often babysat her kids after school.
“One thing that stuck out with me is that he was the same person with his close friends, with his acquaintances and faculty members that he interacted with,” Lathrop said.
Despite his football career riddled with leg injuries in high school and college, Keith always stayed upbeat, according to Lathrop. At Redondo Union High School (RUHS), he had reconstructive knee surgery and missed his senior season.
Head coach Keith Ellison, who was defensive coordinator during Marco’s tenure at RUHS, said he could never stay mad at him due to his charm and positivity.
“The thing I’ll remember most about him is how good-natured he is and how much he really enjoyed life,” Ellison said. “He was a goofball. He was never upset or down. I can’t say enough how good of a young man he was.”
During his freshman year at Cal Poly, Keith’s father passed away from cancer. He found support in his friend Makenzie Massey, a child development senior. She opened up to him about her own losses, which uplifted each other through the grieving process.
“It was funny because Keith literally did not care where we were,” Massey said. “We could be at a party, and we’d find a quiet space to spill what we needed to spill, and then go on and have a good time.”
Keith’s perseverance through grief while balancing football and school earned him the “Courage” award in Lambda Chi Alpha during his freshman year. In his sophomore and junior years, Marco earned the “Kindness” award. There are five character awards given to one of the fraternity’s 110 members based on nominations and votes.
“I don’t think there’s anybody that could make you feel more loved after leaving a conversation,” Murray said. “He actually cared about what you were saying.”
Tommy Symer, Cal Poly’s Lambda Chi Alpha president, said Keith was a trusted confidant for many members. While at Cal Poly, Keith is the only member he knows to win multiple character awards.
“He never held an official leadership position, but he was really the glue of Lambda Chi Alpha and one of the people that everyone relied on for a positive outlook in their day-to-day life,” Symer said.
For more information about Keith, the Marco family has set up a memorial website for those with stories and photos of Keith to share.
