They call Mike Marangelli “Money Mike.” Last week, it was cash in the bank for the Goose Creek High and Charleston Southern grad.
He’s worked his way up in the ranks of the football world for the past decade, mostly behind the scenes, but things in college football don’t run without the equipment manager.
“I’ve learned that my true career aspirations are to go wherever I can to best impact the people around me. Davidson has been that for me. Nice to be back in a small niche community," Marangelli said from his office in Davidson, North Carolina.
He wears many hats. At this level, even more than most.
“I don’t want to say we wing it, whatever comes about- we figure out how to solve problems and take care of people," he said.
At that small school level, the personal touch goes a long way - and it’s not just for ‘his’ players. “Towels ready for them, cooler full of Gatorade—we were out on the field with them shagging footballs and helping them run routes, it was a lot of fun.”
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For a guy who can orchestrate a practice, this, the Boston Symphony. Literally.
Quarterback Drake Maye and all of his New England Patriots wide receivers needed a spot to practice in Charlotte. Davidson, the perfect place.
“I believe they had a lake house on Lake Norman. They came over the last day we were in town, and we were more than happy to host them. I found out at 5 p.m. that they were going to be here the next morning. I have an intern here who is a student at Dean College in Massachusetts, about 15 minutes from Patriots' facility. I shot him a text, I said we’re going to be here at 7 instead of 9. He said, 'can I ask why?' He’s a massive Patriots fan too, and when he got in- I said, in an hour and a half- Drake Maye and his receivers are going to show up and work out on the field. We’re going to help out. He was ecstatic about that.”
The best part of any dream coming true? When it lives up to expectations.
“One of those moments, we don’t get paid a lot in the equipment management world but moments like that, the job pays for itself," Marangelli said. "We have the coolest factor of being on the same field as NFL players who are making millions of dollars and the coolest part, they are just regular guys. Don’t carry themselves with their chest puffed up. They are just having fun, great conversations with you and it’s a blast.”
Marangelli’s intern left with some signed swag. Money Mike left knowing all of the skills he’s amassed over a decade working at CSU, Coastal Carolina and The Citadel were put to good use.
“They are running routes, then they get into NASCAR stuff, which is tempo plays. We run 20 straight plays from one 10-yard line to the other goal line. I was prepared for that, Drake Maye came up and said 'we really appreciate you guys helping us out' and being able to run it as smooth as they are used to at that NFL level.”
Talk about being front and center when needed by a guy who is pretty good at being “under center.”