Three words, “Live Like Keith,” have been on the back of the Cal Poly football team players’ minds this football season.
Former Cal Poly offensive lineman Keith Marco passed away in June due to a pulmonary embolism at 21 years old. After a summer of reflection, the team began wearing stickers on their helmets in his honor throughout the season.
The stickers showcase Marco’s jersey number, 55, and the words “Live Like Keith.” Keith’s friends and family used this mantra during his memorials and celebrations of life.
“We truly appreciate this incredible tribute to his legacy,” said Audrey Marco, Keith’s mother.
Head coach Paul Wulff said the stickers represent Keith’s unwavering positive attitude on the field, in the locker room, and in life.
“Every day I saw him, he was in a good mood and brought in positive vibes to the team,” Wulff said. “You’d just smile when you think of him, and that’s how I view ‘Live like Keith.’”
Wulff was the offensive line coordinator when Marco entered the program. He said the best part of Marco was loving his teammates like brothers who loved him back.
Marco hardly played due to a mountain of injuries throughout his career. He took a redshirt year to recover from a torn ACL and meniscus tear he suffered in his senior year of high school.
He tore his shoulder in the spring of his freshman year, causing him to miss the following season. He also broke his foot in the spring of his sophomore year. Marco played in one game last season, starting against San José State University.
“He was extremely talented as a football player, and as soon as he started getting going, he had a bad break go against him,” Wulff said.
The stickers help Marco’s offensive line teammate, Tyler Charbonneau, appreciate life when things get tough.
“We’re still walking around breathing, and I’m playing football through him, for him,” Charbonneau said.
Charbonneau and Marco entered the program in 2021, spending the majority of their time together.
Marco never failed to impress Charbonneau and the linemen with his playful antics. One year, on the first day of fall camp, the team refrigerator was fully stocked with TruMoo chocolate milk bottles, so Marco decided to take advantage.
“This kid put down eight of them in one day on his first day back,” Charbonneau said. “I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life. It was just that’s just who Keith was, and he’s just smiling, sitting there pounding his eighth chocolate milk of the day.”
In Charbonneau’s final conversation with Marco, they shared an emotional moment. During Marco’s freshman year, he lost his father due to cancer. Last spring, Charbonneau confided in Keith about his own father having cancer.
Keith told him, “It’s hard, but it’s life.” Charbonneau took this to heart, knowing that Keith lived with that mentality because he “knew how to take any situation and make it positive.”
Charbonneau said he did not know that would be his last conversation with Keith.
“It’s one of things that makes you think that everything happens for a reason.” Charbonneau said. “That conversation I had with him some random night is what I needed to hear at the time.”
As Marco was recovering from injury his freshman year, he spent a lot of time with Garrett Weichman, a redshirt senior at the time. The former offensive lineman was also recovering from a torn ACL.
They often traded tips on dealing with their recovering knees. Marco also went to Weichman for football and life advice.
“He helped me a lot because he had been through an ACL injury before,” Weichman said. “I would know my rehab process was going well because he would tell me, and we learned how to deal with the pain together.”
Weichman said Marco’s incredibly social personality is why he flourished in a fraternity and became close with all his teammates. With over 100 players on the football team, Weichman said many players would stay around the same group of people day-to-day, but not Marco.
“People just give a head nod to other people passing by, but he made an effort to say, ‘What’s up? How are you doing?’ with everyone,” Weichman said.
For more information about Keith Marco’s memory, his family set up a memorial website where people can share their stories and moments with Keith.