Marc Edward Colombo (born October 8, 1978) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

for 11 seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He is currently the offensive line coach for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played in the NFL for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

and

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

. After his playing career, he served as an offensive line coach for the Cowboys and Giants.

Early life

Colombo was born in

Bridgewater, Massachusetts Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city's population was 28,633. The historic town center of Bridgewater is located approximately south of Boston, Massachusetts and approxima ...

and attended Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School where he earned ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', ''

Boston Herald The ''Boston Herald'' is an American conservative daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarde ...

'', '' Brockton Enterprise'' and '' Taunton Gazette'' all-scholastic honors as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

offensive tackle. He also earned All-Northeast honors from ''SuperPrep''. He helped lead his team to two conference titles in four years (1993 and 1996), his team advanced to the Division 1 Super Bowl in 1996. He recorded 75

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

and five sacks as a senior. He also played basketball and baseball. He won the ''Brockton Enterprise'' and ''Taunton Gazettes all-scholastic basketball honors while helping lead his team to the conference title as a senior. He was also an honor roll student.

College career

Colombo attended

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, where he graduated with a degree in

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

from the College of Arts & Sciences. He also worked on an undergraduate major his senior year. In

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, as a freshman, Colombo redshirted so that he could adjust to college football. In

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, as a redshirt freshman, he played in six games, including the final two. In

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, as a red-shirt sophomore, he played in seven games, including Boston College's 62–28 loss to

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

in the Insight.com Bowl. In

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, as a redshirt junior, he started all 11 games at right tackle. It was also his first year as a starter in college. He helped the offense rank third in the

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

in total offense with 414.9 yards per game (30th in the nation) and rushing offense at 201 yards per game (21st in the nation). For the season, the offensive line gave up just six sacks. He helped running back William Green to rush for 1,164 yards marking the third-straight season that Boston College had a 1,000-yard rusher. In

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, as a redshirt senior, he earned All-Big East honors playing at both offensive tackle positions as a senior as part of an offensive line that helped the offense record 4,361 yards, including over 1,000 rushing yards.

Professional career

Chicago Bears (2002–2005)

Colombo was selected in the first round (29th overall) of the

2002 NFL draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted ...

by the

. He spent three injury-plagued seasons with the Bears before being released early in the

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

season. In

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

, Colombo was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

after suffering a dislocated

patella The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...

and femoral nerve damage during a road game against the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

on November 18. He missed the entire

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

season after being placed first on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list on August 13, and then on

. He also missed most of the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

season; he was finally activated from the Reserve/PUP list to the active roster on November 8, 2004. In 2005, he played in the Bears season opener; however, he was waived the next week, on September 13, 2005.

Dallas Cowboys (2005–2010)

Colombo was out of football until he signed with the

on November 1,

. He was then inactive for his first three games with Dallas. He then played on special teams in a road game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, and on the road against the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

and then against the Rams. In

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, he was named the starting right tackle after

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

and started every game in one of the Cowboys most productive and efficient offensive seasons in franchise history. The offense scored 425 points (26.6 points a game), the fourth most in the league. The team was second in the league in third down efficiency (48.8%), the franchise's highest rating in that category since

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. The team also averaged 360.8 yards per game in total offense, the fifth-most in the league and the most for the Cowboys since their

Super Bowl XXX Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion fo ...

winning season of

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Colombo started every game at right tackle for the second consecutive year. He played a key role in one of the most successful offensive seasons in club history while helping the team to a franchise record-tying 13 wins and the first

NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It has four members: the Dallas Cowboys, New Yo ...

title since

. The offense finished the season second in the league in scoring (first in the conference) with an average of 28.4 points per game. The 455 points scored marked the second-most in franchise history behind only the

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

team (479 points). With an average of 365.7 yards per game the Cowboys were third in the league (second in the conference) in total offense. The team ranked fourth in the league (third in the conference) in passing with an average of 256.6 yards per game In rushing, the Cowboys were 17th in the league (seventh in the conference) with an average of 109.1 yards per game. The offense gained 478 total yards and scored six touchdowns, which tied for the fourth most in a season opener in franchise history against the Giants as Tony Romo threw for a season-high 336 yards. The offensive line blocked for a 100-yard rusher, Marion Barber, a 100-yard receiver, Terrell Owens and a 300-yard passer, (Tony) Romo in a road game against the Bears on September 23, for the first time since a road game against the Redskins on September 12,

. On March 9, 2007, Colombo was re-signed by the Cowboys to a two-year contract worth US$7 million with a $4 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. On December 25,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, he finalized a contract extension worth $22 million, with $11.5 million guaranteed, through the 2012 season. On November 15,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, in a game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, Colombo broke his left fibula after a defensive player rolled into his leg. The injury opened the door for Doug Free to start 7 games, while performing at a high level. Colombo made his return on January 3,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

in the playoff game against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

which Dallas won 34–14 to advance to the second round to face the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

which was a 34–3 loss. On July 28,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, after five seasons in Dallas, he was released as part of a youth movement on the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

Miami Dolphins (2011)

On July 31,

, Colombo was signed as

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

by the

, reuniting with former Cowboys offensive Line Coach

Tony Sparano Anthony Joseph Sparano III (October 7, 1961 – July 22, 2018) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have l ...

, who was the team's head coach. He became the starting right tackle when Vernon Carey was moved to right guard. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

Retirement

On April 20,

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, Colombo returned to Dallas to retire as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Coaching career

Prior to the 2016 season, the Dallas Cowboys hired Colombo as an assistant offensive line coach. On October 29, 2018, the Cowboys released offensive line coach Paul Alexander and promoted Colombo to that position. He would continue in that position for the

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

season. On January 8, 2020, it was reported that Colombo would not return to the team's coaching staff following the firing of head coach

Jason Garrett Jason Calvin Garrett (born March 28, 1966) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was most notably the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 2010 to 2019. Garrett played college f ...

and subsequent hiring of

Mike McCarthy Michael John McCarthy (born November 10, 1963) is an American professional American football, football coach who most recently was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 2020 Dallas Cowboys season, 2020 t ...

. He then followed Garrett to the

to coach the offensive line under Joe Judge. Colombo was fired by the Giants on November 18, 2020.

Personal life

Music career

Growing up, Colombo had a love for rock music, which led him to begin playing guitar when he was about 22 years old. He credits

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...

, the lead singer of Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame band

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

, as his primary influence. He attended his first Metallica concert at 13 years old. And as of 2007, he has attended 16 Metallica concerts. Some of his favorite bands are

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

Pantera Pantera () is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Arlington, Texas in 1981 by the Abbott brothers (guitarist Dimebag Darrell and drummer Vinnie Paul), and currently composed of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, an ...

, and

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

. He joined his first band in 2002, called "Blackmuff". Then during his tenure in Chicago, he played with another metal band called Mercs. Mercs played many shows throughout Chicago, at popular nightclubs such as Double Door and Bottom Lounge. He currently is the lead singer and plays rhythm guitar in a metal band called "Free Reign", along with former

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

guard Leonard Davis and

guard Cory Procter. With the help of manager John Gomez (Silver Tongue Management), the band signed a recording contract with the Australian company Riot Entertainment on June 23, 2009.

Family

Colombo is the son of Gayle and Edward Colombo, he has a younger brother named Matthew, who appeared on

The Bachelorette A bachelorette is an unmarried woman. Bachelorette may also refer to: Film, television, and related * ''The Bachelorette'', a reality television dating show part of ''The Bachelor'' franchise with numerous versions: ** ''The Bachelorette'' (Am ...

with Ashley Hebert. He is also a cousin of Steven Marciano, a former Boston College football player. He is married to Jessica, and he has two children, a daughter named Olivia, who was born in January 2008, and a son named Jack, born in 2012. He is now a part-owner of "Smashburger", a chain restaurant located mostly in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area.

Community activities/charity work

As a teenager, Colombo was involved in community service activities at St. Basil's Church and at Bridgewater State College. He participates in the annual

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

Angel Tree Christmas Program. He competed in the 2008 Poker for Pets for

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which was founded ...

of Texas. He made annual team holiday hospital visits. He also contributed to the annual team Kick Off Luncheon and ''Cowboys Cookbook'' benefiting Happy Hill Farm. His wife Jessica participated in the Cowboys Wives Christmas Party for The Family Place.

References

External links

Dallas Cowboys bio

Official football

Dallas Cowboys profile
at ESPN.com
Dallas Cowboys profile
at

Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Sports is a sports news website launched by Yahoo! on December 8, 1997. It receives a majority of its information from Stats Perform. It employs numerous writers, and has team pages for teams in almost every North American major sport. ...

Profile
at CBSSports.com
Profile
at

Pro Football Reference Pro Football Reference (PFR) is an online statistics database for professional American football maintained by Sports Reference. The site provides career statistics for players, teams, and games, as well as records and NFL draft history. PFR was ...

Boston College Eagles bio

Official music

Marc Colombo
at MySpace
Free Reign
at MySpace {{DEFAULTSORT:Colombo, Marc 1978 births Living people People from Bridgewater, Massachusetts American football offensive tackles Boston College Eagles football players Chicago Bears players Dallas Cowboys players Miami Dolphins players Dallas Cowboys scouts Dallas Cowboys coaches American heavy metal guitarists Singers from Massachusetts Guitarists from Massachusetts 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists New York Giants coaches Players of American football from Plymouth County, Massachusetts