Dave Marendt’s habit of bringing a small bag of gold-painted nails to Franklin College football practices started 14 years ago.
The longtime Grizzlies assistant coach uses them to build confidence.
Marendt, one of the team’s two receiver coaches, gives nails to a player for accomplishments ranging from a great catch to impressive downfield blocking to skills as a leader. Previously, he handed nails to deserving offensive linemen, running backs and defensive backs when coaching those positions.
Now 71, Marendt is more than three times as old as the players he attempts to motivate, and yet his words and gestures remain impactful.
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"There is no doubt that he has such an impact on so many of our players that I don’t even know about. He finds ways to motivate them and let them know what their roles are,” Franklin College head coach Mike Leonard said. "That fire is still inside him.”
Marendt graduated from Indianapolis Howe High School in 1966, began attending college in Chicago and eventually transferred to St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer. He played receiver for coach Bill Jennings, who Marendt describes as an excellent motivator.
Marendt’s head coaching tenure began with a two-year stint at School 78, a junior high in Indianapolis. He went on to be head coach at four different high schools: Mt. Vernon in Hancock County, Lebanon, North Atlanta (Georgia) and Edinburgh.
A member of the Grizzlies coaching staff since 1999, Marendt is enjoying what’s by far been his longest stay at any one place. The coach credits every one of his stops for providing a learning experience that made him better.
“They help you to deal with all of the different issues that come up. It helps give you good vision and how to work with people,” said Marendt, who admits to being a much more intense coach prior to joining the Grizzlies staff. “When I got into college coaching, that kind of leveled off.
“Working with a different mindset and with players on a personal level. For me, I just didn’t feel that I had to be like that. High school guys have a different concentration level because of their emotional maturity.”
Marendt’s arrival at Franklin College preceded that of Leonard, the Grizzlies coach since 2003, by four years. He originally worked for Bill Unsworth, who later became Edinburgh’s head coach for five seasons (2010-14).
Leonard knew Marendt from the latter’s time at Lebanon and Mt. Vernon and wanted him to remain part of his staff. Eventually, Marendt, wanting his players to be tough as nails, bought nails, painted them himself and began distributing them.
The first nail went to Nathan Aker, the former South Putnam football coach who earlier this month took the job at Monrovia. Aker was a Grizzlies offensive lineman from 2002-05.
Time hasn’t lessened the gesture’s significance. Aker, after all, still has all five of the nails Marendt awarded him on the bookshelf in his home office.
“It was one of those things where he recognized your effort, and it really kept your mind right when someone wants to help you and motivate you,” said Aker, 35. “I knew I wanted to someday be a football coach. Coach Marendt taught me how to be a coach and how to care about people.”
Senior slot receiver Joey Siderewicz keeps his nails in plain sight on his dresser. He earned his first as a freshman member of the Grizzlies’ scout team.
“First and foremost, I think every player sees how into the game of football (Marendt) is. I don’t think there’s a problem at all with the age difference,” Siderewicz said. “It’s always great to sit with him and hear his stories. Because he’s been around so long, he does have good insight.”
For years, Marendt has fielded questions of how much longer he would like to keep coaching. He didn’t have his answer in his 50s and 60s, and he doesn’t have an answer now. He finds it difficult to step away from the blend of competition and working daily with young people.
“To think you’re going to be doing something like this in your 70s, I never thought about it,” Marendt said. “I would say for the last 10 years I would tell my family this was the last year. Then I would get down to that time and just couldn’t do it.”
Marendt underwent back surgery in March and currently uses a cane to help assist on long walks and while climbing stairs. Nonetheless, he plans to be on the sidelines when Franklin College starts practices Aug. 15.
And for that, the coach deserves his own gold-painted nail.
