By Christian Heimall, Staff Writer
He's one of the most efficient quarterbacks the game has ever seen, has proven he knows how to win in the playoffs, and one of his favorite targets is Pierre Garcon. And who knows, maybe someday Peyton Manning will be as good as him.
Greg Micheli completed 74% of his passes and threw 81 touchdowns, up against just 9 interceptions in his career for a 197.4 quarterback rating (the best in college football history, on any level). But this Super Bowl Sunday, the former Mount Union quarterback will be sitting on a couch with a few former teammates watching their star product do what he does best.
"Going to get together with some buddies…and root for the Colts," says Micheli who graduated from the Division III powerhouse in 2009, a year after Garcon was drafted. Micheli utilized Garcon a lot in a high powered offense that saw the two lead the Purple Raiders to multiple national titles. "If you look at the history of Mount Union, every year there's a few really good players and then you always have a few great players and Pierre was one of those greats for us."
Despite the great chemistry on the field, Micheli says the relationship between him and the now Indianapolis standout stayed on the gridiron. "We didn't really have much of a relationship at all…we were friends," said Garcon's former passer. "Off the field he was extremely quiet, but on the field he was a real fiery guy, extremely intense. The exact opposite of what he was off the field."
Garcon, who was drafted in the 6th round in the 2008 NFL draft, has caught 47 passes for 765 yards and 4 touchdowns on his way to the Super Bowl with the AFC Champion Colts. The rise from a D-3 college in Ohio to the grandest stage in all of sports can be credited to the work ethic of Garcon who still makes trips back to his school as he tries to finish up his degree. "He always had the raw talent but to put it all together in being as efficient as possible was really neat to see," said MIcheli.
Micheli is now a product specialist for a home medical company in Minnesota. After double majoring in math and physics and graduating with a 3.78 GPA. "It's not as glamorous as playing in the Super Bowl, but I couldn't ask for a better situation to start out in."
The 6'3" 200 pound quarterback still tries to keep in touch with his go to guy but says that may change on Sunday. "If they happen to pull out a win, I'll be sure to shoot him a text after the game."
Former prolific Mount Union quarterback Greg Micheli remembers throwing to current Colts receiver Pierre Garcon back in college. (Photo Courtesy of d3football.com)