University of Minnesota Athletics
Leaving His Legacy - Senior Mark Setterstrom
9/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
A prime example of this bunch is starting guard Mark Setterstrom. He is a physical specimen, who has established himself as one of the top guards in the nation while also displaying a blue-collar work ethic that has helped him improve each day. There may be a few guys who come along that can match Setterstrom’s combination of size, speed, or athleticism. However, it is safe to say that Golden Gopher coaches will struggle to find the kind of person that Mark Setterstrom is, combined with his athletic talent. He is the model student-athlete. Mason realizes this. He is realistic and knows that he only gets to work with his players for three to five years. His attitude is not to lament the loss of great athletes, but to appreciate having them around.
After a practice last spring, he called Setterstrom over to tell him how much he appreciated him. He walked up, put his arm around him and said, “Mark, I’m going to enjoy every minute with you the next year.” “Why would you say that?” the humble Setterstrom replied. “Because, I’m going to miss the heck out of you when you’re gone,” Mason stated.
It’s not only the head coach who has taken a liking to the four-year starter. Setterstrom has received plenty of acclaim from the media, fans and other coaches during his years at the U of M, but to have the head coach, come up to him and praise him like that was incredible. “I felt pretty privileged, to have him say something like that,” Setterstrom said. “He is a great coach, and he has inspired me a lot over the years. It’s great playing for a guy like that, who makes you feel like all that hard work is appreciated. It makes it all worth it.”
Setterstrom deserves the praise. One does not achieve what he has without putting the time in, on the practice field, in the weight room, watching film and hitting the books. Not only has he started all 39 games in his career, but he has also improved and become one of the best in the nation at his position, all due to hard work.
“You are not going to find a finer young man in college football than Mark Setterstrom. He doesn’t say a word. All he does is work and work and work. He brings it every day,” said Mason.
Setterstrom himself credits his hard work as the key to his success. “The most important thing I’ve learned in my time here is that anything you want to accomplish takes hard work. You have to put in a lot of hours. The more time you put in on your own, the better you are going to be. Football takes a lot of dedication,” the senior guard commented.
Although Setterstrom has put the time in to become an elite lineman, his career donning the Maroon and Gold has flown by. It seems like only yesterday that the wide-eyed freshman out of Northfield, Minn., was put into the starting lineup to do battle in the trenches of one of the toughest conferences in college football. Setterstrom cannot believe that it was three full seasons ago, when he was adjusting to the speed of the collegiate game. He reminisces about his “Welcome to the Big Ten” moment in his first Big Ten game against Purdue.
“My freshman year, in the Big Ten opener, there was a play that was blown dead, and I was still kind of going. I got knocked down by one of the big linebackers that Purdue had at the time. He stood over me and said, ‘Welcome to the Big Ten.’ It seems almost like it was from a movie, but that made me learn pretty quick what I was in for,” Setterstrom remembered.
Nowadays it is Setterstrom who is punishing opposing linebackers and welcoming them to the Big Ten. Talking to him, you wouldn’t know it though. Full of excitement in his younger years, the upperclassman has developed a maturity that has made him more composed. Through his experience, Setterstrom has learned how to turn it on during games, and become more laid back.
“It’s a maturity factor,” Setterstrom said. “Playing right away my freshman year, I was very excited. It happened so fast and everything flew by. I was just trying to keep up. I didn’t know what to expect. As the years went on, I learned the times to turn it on and buckle it up, but there is also a time to get your mental game ready. Now I’m confident in my abilities, so it’s easier to play my hardest and play well. I don’t have to worry about technical things as much.”
His maturity is further noticed when he talks about his career endeavors. Even with a probable NFL career looming after the 2005 season, Setterstrom claims that his effort in the classroom will not be compromised. In fact, because his degree is so important to him, he is taking more classes than usual during the season to attempt to complete it on time.
“I know that the best way to increase my opportunity at the next level would be to finish this year strong in all aspects. It’s important to keep sharp mentally too. I can’t just take a break. I want to finish my degree,” stated Setterstrom.
It is that kind of attitude that makes Setterstrom such a special player. Even with the potential of a professional career, he remains focused on finishing his civil engineering degree. Another attribute that has made the talented guard unique is his durability. Like most collegiate football players, Setterstrom has been nagged at times by minor injuries, but he has played through the pain and been lucky enough to not have any major setbacks.
“I’ve been blessed and lucky that I haven’t had any major injuries,” Setterstrom said. “I’ve been dinged up here and there and played through some pain. Like Coach Mason says, ‘Football is a tough game.’ I’ve really been lucky to be able to start every game in my career.”
One of the major assets of having Setterstrom around at this point in his career is his ability to teach the underclassmen on the offensive line. Not the most boisterous player, Setterstrom is a player who leads by example and demonstrates the right way to carry oneself as a student-athlete. There is no bad lesson that younger Golden Gophers could take away by trying to follow suit of “Sette” as he’s called by players and coaches. Setterstrom realizes that as a senior he is looked to for leadership and has tried to coach up his teammates whenever necessary.
“I definitely have tried to take on a leadership role,” he remarked. “We have some great young offensive linemen that I’m really trying to pass on what I’ve learned over the years. Technique pointers and things like that can really help a guy. Sometimes, we can give a different flavor, not to take away from the coaches, but they cannot watch every guy in every drill we do in practice. So I feel it’s my duty to help out with the younger guys.”
In a sport where 105 men are expected to come together and bond in hopes of reaching a common goal, it puts a team a step ahead having a guy like Mark Setterstrom as a leader. His team-first attitude is something every coach in the nation tries to get their players to embrace.
Mason recently said, “If Maroney (Laurence) scores, the hole might be big enough for me to score, and he (Setterstrom) goes and picks Maroney up and celebrates with his team. He is very unselfish. He embraces the idea of team in college football.”
Mason and Golden Gopher fans can expect to see similar scenarios even more this season. Not just because the Gopher offense is extremely talented, but because Setterstrom has not lost sight that when it comes down to it, football is fun. He is going to look back and think of his time in the Maroon and Gold as the best four years of his life.
“Going through this year’s two-a-days, it finally hit me. This is my last hurrah here. It’s been great and it’s gone by so fast,” he stated. “I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’ve played in a lot of games and had a lot of fun, but I really want to go out with a bang this year.”
Yet there is something missing, something that would top it off, something that would truly complete the legacy that Mark Setterstrom will leave behind.
What is that? The “bang” he speaks of, a Big Ten Championship.
“That’s the most important thing that keeps the drive going. To be able to accomplish that, I can’t even put into words what that would mean,” Setterstrom said.
After the 2005 season the University of Minnesota and Mark Setterstrom will part ways. He will be remembered as one of the Golden Gopher gridiron greats. A class act, a true student athlete, a talented football player and an overall nice guy, who hopefully is allowed to “go out with a bang.”
Story by Dominic Ladd, athletic communications graduate assistant Golden Gopher head football coach Glen Mason will be the first to tell you that he is going to be extremely sad to see this year’s senior class go. The senior class is packed not only with talent, but with character and class. These men are not just good football players; they are good people.
A prime example of this bunch is starting guard Mark Setterstrom. He is a physical specimen, who has established himself as one of the top guards in the nation while also displaying a blue-collar work ethic that has helped him improve each day. There may be a few guys who come along that can match Setterstrom’s combination of size, speed, or athleticism. However, it is safe to say that Golden Gopher coaches will struggle to find the kind of person that Mark Setterstrom is, combined with his athletic talent. He is the model student-athlete. Mason realizes this. He is realistic and knows that he only gets to work with his players for three to five years. His attitude is not to lament the loss of great athletes, but to appreciate having them around.
After a practice last spring, he called Setterstrom over to tell him how much he appreciated him. He walked up, put his arm around him and said, “Mark, I’m going to enjoy every minute with you the next year.” “Why would you say that?” the humble Setterstrom replied. “Because, I’m going to miss the heck out of you when you’re gone,” Mason stated.
It’s not only the head coach who has taken a liking to the four-year starter. Setterstrom has received plenty of acclaim from the media, fans and other coaches during his years at the U of M, but to have the head coach, come up to him and praise him like that was incredible. “I felt pretty privileged, to have him say something like that,” Setterstrom said. “He is a great coach, and he has inspired me a lot over the years. It’s great playing for a guy like that, who makes you feel like all that hard work is appreciated. It makes it all worth it.”
Setterstrom deserves the praise. One does not achieve what he has without putting the time in, on the practice field, in the weight room, watching film and hitting the books. Not only has he started all 39 games in his career, but he has also improved and become one of the best in the nation at his position, all due to hard work.
“You are not going to find a finer young man in college football than Mark Setterstrom. He doesn’t say a word. All he does is work and work and work. He brings it every day,” said Mason.
Setterstrom himself credits his hard work as the key to his success. “The most important thing I’ve learned in my time here is that anything you want to accomplish takes hard work. You have to put in a lot of hours. The more time you put in on your own, the better you are going to be. Football takes a lot of dedication,” the senior guard commented.
Although Setterstrom has put the time in to become an elite lineman, his career donning the Maroon and Gold has flown by. It seems like only yesterday that the wide-eyed freshman out of Northfield, Minn., was put into the starting lineup to do battle in the trenches of one of the toughest conferences in college football. Setterstrom cannot believe that it was three full seasons ago, when he was adjusting to the speed of the collegiate game. He reminisces about his “Welcome to the Big Ten” moment in his first Big Ten game against Purdue.
“My freshman year, in the Big Ten opener, there was a play that was blown dead, and I was still kind of going. I got knocked down by one of the big linebackers that Purdue had at the time. He stood over me and said, ‘Welcome to the Big Ten.’ It seems almost like it was from a movie, but that made me learn pretty quick what I was in for,” Setterstrom remembered.
Nowadays it is Setterstrom who is punishing opposing linebackers and welcoming them to the Big Ten. Talking to him, you wouldn’t know it though. Full of excitement in his younger years, the upperclassman has developed a maturity that has made him more composed. Through his experience, Setterstrom has learned how to turn it on during games, and become more laid back.
“It’s a maturity factor,” Setterstrom said. “Playing right away my freshman year, I was very excited. It happened so fast and everything flew by. I was just trying to keep up. I didn’t know what to expect. As the years went on, I learned the times to turn it on and buckle it up, but there is also a time to get your mental game ready. Now I’m confident in my abilities, so it’s easier to play my hardest and play well. I don’t have to worry about technical things as much.”
His maturity is further noticed when he talks about his career endeavors. Even with a probable NFL career looming after the 2005 season, Setterstrom claims that his effort in the classroom will not be compromised. In fact, because his degree is so important to him, he is taking more classes than usual during the season to attempt to complete it on time.
“I know that the best way to increase my opportunity at the next level would be to finish this year strong in all aspects. It’s important to keep sharp mentally too. I can’t just take a break. I want to finish my degree,” stated Setterstrom.
It is that kind of attitude that makes Setterstrom such a special player. Even with the potential of a professional career, he remains focused on finishing his civil engineering degree. Another attribute that has made the talented guard unique is his durability. Like most collegiate football players, Setterstrom has been nagged at times by minor injuries, but he has played through the pain and been lucky enough to not have any major setbacks.
“I’ve been blessed and lucky that I haven’t had any major injuries,” Setterstrom said. “I’ve been dinged up here and there and played through some pain. Like Coach Mason says, ‘Football is a tough game.’ I’ve really been lucky to be able to start every game in my career.”
One of the major assets of having Setterstrom around at this point in his career is his ability to teach the underclassmen on the offensive line. Not the most boisterous player, Setterstrom is a player who leads by example and demonstrates the right way to carry oneself as a student-athlete. There is no bad lesson that younger Golden Gophers could take away by trying to follow suit of “Sette” as he’s called by players and coaches. Setterstrom realizes that as a senior he is looked to for leadership and has tried to coach up his teammates whenever necessary.
“I definitely have tried to take on a leadership role,” he remarked. “We have some great young offensive linemen that I’m really trying to pass on what I’ve learned over the years. Technique pointers and things like that can really help a guy. Sometimes, we can give a different flavor, not to take away from the coaches, but they cannot watch every guy in every drill we do in practice. So I feel it’s my duty to help out with the younger guys.”
In a sport where 105 men are expected to come together and bond in hopes of reaching a common goal, it puts a team a step ahead having a guy like Mark Setterstrom as a leader. His team-first attitude is something every coach in the nation tries to get their players to embrace.
Mason recently said, “If Maroney (Laurence) scores, the hole might be big enough for me to score, and he (Setterstrom) goes and picks Maroney up and celebrates with his team. He is very unselfish. He embraces the idea of team in college football.”
Mason and Golden Gopher fans can expect to see similar scenarios even more this season. Not just because the Gopher offense is extremely talented, but because Setterstrom has not lost sight that when it comes down to it, football is fun. He is going to look back and think of his time in the Maroon and Gold as the best four years of his life.
“Going through this year’s two-a-days, it finally hit me. This is my last hurrah here. It’s been great and it’s gone by so fast,” he stated. “I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’ve played in a lot of games and had a lot of fun, but I really want to go out with a bang this year.”
Yet there is something missing, something that would top it off, something that would truly complete the legacy that Mark Setterstrom will leave behind.
What is that? The “bang” he speaks of, a Big Ten Championship.
“That’s the most important thing that keeps the drive going. To be able to accomplish that, I can’t even put into words what that would mean,” Setterstrom said.
After the 2005 season the University of Minnesota and Mark Setterstrom will part ways. He will be remembered as one of the Golden Gopher gridiron greats. A class act, a true student athlete, a talented football player and an overall nice guy, who hopefully is allowed to “go out with a bang.”
Story by Dominic Ladd, athletic communications graduate assistant
