Wake Forest Traditions
 Football is a Family Affair for this Deac
Mark Makovec runs into another member of his family.By Jay Reddick Everywhere he goes on the football field, it seems, Mark Makovec runs into a member of his family. When Makovec was a redshirting freshman in 1994, the Deacs defeated Army, 33-27, and standing on the opposite sideline was Mark's brother, Mike. Now, this season, when Wake Forest takes on Navy in the home opener on Sept. 10, Makovec will have the opportunity to face another family member - his second cousin is a junior third-string quarterback for the Midshipmen. Of course, when you step back and look at Makovec's family background, it's a wonder every football program east of the Mississippi doesn't have a Makovec on the roster. Mark grew up in Nesquehoning, Pa., the son of - you guessed it - a football coach. Mark played pee-wee ball beginning at the age of 6 or 7, then joined the freshman team at Marian Catholic High School when he was in seventh grade. It says a lot about the family that Makovec's father quit his job as coach at Panther Valley High around that time, when Mike Makovec joined the varsity at Marian, to avoid coaching against his own sons. Two other cousins also played college football. Still, it is obvious that both father and brother have had a profound impact on Mark Makovec's life on and off the football field, which helped make beating Army in 1994 that much more special. "When I was a sophomore in high school, and my brother was a freshman at West Point, he used to always bring some of his teammates home," Makovec said. "So I knew probably 12 of the starters on that team that year. It was a thrill to see all those guys, and it was exciting to beat them." Still, Makovec has made a tremendous name for himself at Wake Forest, seeing action in nearly every game as a backup linebacker and special-teams stalwart over the past three seasons. This year, finally, the 6-1, 222-pounder will get his chance in the starting lineup at Demon linebacker. "I've waited a long time to be in the position I'm in," Makovec said. "It's been hard being behind Dave (Zadel), but it's been good being behind an experienced guy like that. I'm ready to hopefully step in and meet what's expected of me." You'll often hear a fan say of a player who seemingly has been in one place forever, "Shouldn't he have graduated by now?" Well, Makovec is one of the few who can say he has. He earned his degree in Health and Exercise Science last spring and is currently in a 12-month graduate program to get his masters degree. Makovec got a taste of what it will be like this summer, attending classes for eight weeks while working out with the rest of the team, but he is as yet unsure how graduate school will fit in with football. "I don't know what to expect," Makovec said. "There will be a lot of times where I have to go to high schools and observe as part of the masters teaching program. I'm carrying fewer credits than I have in the past, and some of them are independent studies, so I'd like to finish early if I can." Like the rest of his teammates, Makovec has gotten stronger and faster and thinks that will be a key to the Deacs' success in 1998. But the senior has been here long enough to remember the way things used to be and to give credit where credit is due. "Being here as long as I have, you notice all the changes around campus, whether it be the tennis center or the soccer stadium," Makovec said. "Now, with the weight room and the field house, they (the athletic department) have put so much into football. We see how important we are, and it gives us confidence and the attitude that we can go out right now and compete with anybody." As nice as it is to dress in comfort at Bridger Field House, Makovec says the weight room and weight training staff have been the biggest change since his arrival. "It's amazing the things that our team has gained as a result of that (weight room) and Ed Ellis' work," Makovec said. "It helps us in recruiting, too. My bench went up about 30 pounds since the spring, and that's consistent with everyone else on the team. I've gained about 10 pounds since then, and that extra weight helps a lot." Of course, as everyone knows, the Deacs' experience, depth, and added power and speed have raised the bar for the coming season. Sports Illustrated has Wake Forest rated No. 22 nationally in its preseason poll. Makovec looks at the squad and sees that isn't too far off. "When you play college football, you dream about going to a bowl game," Makovec said. "Last year, I thought we had the talent to go, but we lost a couple of tough games. We take that experience with us and hopefully get a little bit better. "We have a lot of people returning. We're confident in our abilities, but we realize that our schedule's hard, and we have to take every game seriously." Makovec and his classmates share an important place in the rise of the Deacon program - theirs is the first class to be largely made up of fifth-year seniors, including a redshirt year. Makovec would like to see the team's efforts come to fruition, but even if they don't he wouldn't change a thing. "I'm really proud to have had the opportunity to be here," Makovec said. "I look back on it, and my class has been through some tough seasons. We see where the program is going now, and our class is a big part of it, seeing the benefits of hard work, and trying to relay that message to the undergraduates: Don't come here to play Florida State and the rest, come here to beat them. We're not here to be a stepping stone, we're not here to be everyone's homecoming game, we're here to win football games, and that's the No. 1 priority."
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