Marco Battaglia (2007) - Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame

Marco Battaglia

Induction:
2007
Class:
1996

Marco Battaglia concluded his career as one of the most decorated players in Rutgers football history. He became the first tight end in NCAA history to be named conference player of the year and still remains the only tight end ever to do so from a power conference. Battaglia was voted Big East Offensive Player of the Year following a record-setting season in 1995, where he led the nation’s tight ends with 69 catches, 894 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns to become a unanimous All-American. The Queens, New York, native was recognized by Sports Illustrated as being the top tight end in the decade of the 1990s in their publication of The College Football Book. As a junior, Battaglia was the Big East's leading receiver with 58 catches for 779 yards. Battaglia appeared in all 44 games overall in his career (1992-95) with 32 starts, and hauled in 171 passes for 2,221 yards and 16 touchdowns, all first in the RU record book amongst tight ends. Battaglia went on to play eight years in the NFL, and was a member of the 2004 Carolina Panthers' Super Bowl team. He was an All-New York City and All-State player at St. Francis Prep, and played on three consecutive New York City Catholic League championship teams. In 2017, the Marco Battaglia Football Practice Complex was unveiled, a state-of-the-art practice facility named after one of the Scarlet Knights’ most accomplished athletes. Battaglia currently resides in Queens with his wife Maria and children Ava and Marco, and remains a fixture on the sideline at all Rutgers home games