“He really loves football,” Rachael said. “His room at home is decorated with Dallas Cowboys stuff. He follows all the statistics and watches all the games on television. He’s deep into it.”

Marquise attempts to play touch or flag football whenever possible during the summer months at the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta’s Lake Laurie unit. His reverse walker slows him down and wears him out, but he does not care. He would rather be forced to work twice as hard as everyone else and be able to play than sit back and watch everyone else have all the fun.

“I am a great defensive player,” he said, having accepted his limitations. He knows he cannot hold the football and run for the touchdown as a part of the offense. He can, however, stop a member of the opposing team from doing so. He works hard to balance his strengths against his weaknesses. “I have a lot of heart. Others would have given up a long time ago. I just figure there’s always someone out there worse off than me. My mom says I am really dedicated.”

Marquise described his mom as his single biggest fan. When she suspects that he’s getting a little “down in the dumps,” she pumps him up with one of her spirited and motivating speeches.

“She’s like a cheerleader,” he said. “She always has a ‘Go, Marquise’ for me. Because of her I don’t really think about giving up.” At the often difficult age of 13, Marquise has managed to find an inner peace many search and long for their entire lives. It’s evident in the smile he wears on his face day in and day out, rain or shine.

When asked about this megawatt smile that tugs on the heart, Marquise said, “My mom says I have been smiling since I was a little baby. I don’t know why. My friends think I am crazy ’cause I never get mad about things like they do. I just cannot do it.”

Turning his attention on the future, Marquise would like nothing more than to someday work as a football coach. He knows how to play the game; he watches the NFL network religiously. He knows how to motivate others to try their very best; he learned that skill from his mother.

“I want to go to a good college and learn how to be a football coach,” he said, taking the discussion one step further. “I think I will go somewhere close to where my mom lives, if they offer a degree in football coaching. I don’t want to go too far from home because I think I would get homesick. Plus, my mom would worry about me. If I can’t do it that way, I want to go to the University of Texas.”