TCNJ Football Player Mark Gardner
Mark Gardner (Flemington, NJ/Bishop Dunne) is a senior wide receiver for The College of New Jersey football team. He grew up catching footballs in Dallas, Tx and has been known to make a mean turkey and cheese Shorti at Wawa. Judging by this photo, Gardner took it to heart when he was once told by one of his football coaches that he wasn’t working hard enough.
Question: You were born, raised, and attended high school in Dallas, Tx. What about moving to New Jersey surprised you the most?
Mark Gardner: In history class in Texas they teach us that New Jersey is cold and that the area of 27 New Jerseys could all fit in one state of Texas. That is mostly true, it is cold here, and I continue to HATE the cold! Also I live in Flemington, which is mostly boring farmland. It’s full of cows and horses. That is a huge difference from the city streets of Dallas.
Q: What is the most difficult aspect of playing the wide receiver position?
MG: I would have to say there are two things. The amount of running you are required to do, although you do get use to it over time. The second is blocking. Although it is a part of the game, I'd rather make spectacular one handed catches than blocking for running backs, which I'm sure they all are aware of.
Q: How does music factor into your routine as a college football player?
MG: It honestly plays a huge part. Sometimes I get too wound up before games, and rely on music to calm me down. On the bus ride to away games I usually listen to a little Coldplay, The Dream, and even some Beyonce. That playlist is called "Slow Jams", and usually puts me to sleep. After I get off the bus and in the locker room I turn up the volume and listen to more music to get me rollin'. Artists like Jay-Z, Lil' Wayne, and Young Jeezy get me there. I even listen to the song Stanky Legg a couple of times. It’s from Dallas you know!!
Q: You have worked as a lifeguard and also at Wawa. What learning experiences from those two positions can you take with you into your career in business?
MG: Wawa was actually pretty rough. Eight-hour shifts making sandwiches or taking people's money isn't the best experience in the world, but taught me how there will be long days that you just have to fight through. Being a lifeguard was fun, just because of the amount of people you meet. I can take those social skills and certainly use them with coworkers or sales clients in order to strengthen the relationships I can have with those people.
Q: Can you remember the worst you’ve ever been reamed out by a coach and why?
MG: YES!! Coach Alercio my sophomore year. He told me that I was lazy and didn’t have the work ethic to make it as a solid college football player. Even though he said it much worse, he was right.
Q: If there was a celebrity (of your choice) that was having trouble in the water during your lifeguarding shift for you to save, who would it be and what would you say following your act of heroism?
MG: If you would have asked me this question in high school, I would have said Jennifer Lopez, without a doubt. Since she’s all old now, like 40, I'm going to have to say Jessica Biel. I would tell her that I saved her life, Justin Timeberlake is wack, and we need to start dating TODAY!
Q: What part of living in Texas would your friends from New Jersey have the most trouble adapting to?
MG: The HEAT! During camp all I hear is, ‘Oh my god it’s hot! I can’t stand the heat!” blah blah blah!! It does get humid up here yeah, but nothing even CLOSE to the 100+ temperatures we get down south. It’s not hot here, trust me!!
Q: What are you plans after graduating college?
MG: After college I want to do one of two things. First, I want a job! I know thats hard in these times but TCNJ provides a great networking program and a degree from here means alot. If not, I want to go to graduate school for my MBA, hopefully back in Texas, thats still my home!!