Maye endured troubles on his path to success

Mark Maye's name is frequently found among the passing leaders in the history of North Carolina football. One can only wonder how many of the records he would own had he been able to play three or four full seasons.

As it was, he threw for 3,459 yards in his career. That is sixth on the Tar Heels' all-time list. And he actually played less than two years.

"It was frustrating at the time," Maye said, "and, sure, I wish I wouldn't have been hurt and that I could have played more. But a lot of guys get hurt in football. That's part of it. I don't look back with regret. Instead, I like to focus on the positives, and there are many."

Maye was a three-sport star at Independence High School in Charlotte, NC. He played basketball and baseball and was highly recruited in football. He was the ideal quarterback, possessing a rocket arm and good size at 6-4 and 210 pounds. His final five schools were Alabama, Carolina, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Florida State. He narrowed it to UNC and 'Bama.

"It wasn't a hard decision at all," he recalled. "I had liked Carolina growing up. The campus was beautiful, it was a great academic school and I liked the coaches."

Maye, a Morehead Scholar, went to Chapel Hill with a bright football future. He was red-shirted his freshman season of 1983. Then, on the first day of pre-season practice in '84, he hurt his throwing arm.

"I felt a twinge in the back of my arm," he said. "I tried to play through it, kept trying to throw. I would rest it and try throwing again, but I just couldn't throw the football. I tried everything, but my arm wouldn't respond. It turned out I had torn the labrum in my shoulder, and it was loose."

Maye played a little. He started against N.C. State and didn't even attempt a pass in the first half. He eventually went to Los Angeles where Dr. Frank Jobe, who has operated on numerous major league pitchers, performed surgery. As a result, Maye sat out the entire 1985 season, holding a clipboard instead of a football.

In 1986, Maye found himself backing up Jonathan Hall. In the middle of the season, Hall was hurt, and Mark finally got his chance. He went on to complete 110 of 176 passes - about 63 percent - for 1,401 yards and 10 touchdowns. Against N.C. State, he completed 19 passes in the second half and threw for 193 yards in the fourth quarter in a 35-34 loss. He connected on 25 of 40 passes without an interception in Carolina's 32-30 win over Maryland. He threw for 316 yards in that game, 311 in the State contest and 319 against Duke. Maye led the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 141.3 passing efficiency.

"It was a disappointing season," he said. "We had a lot of seniors and expected to do better. We had some close games we didn't win. I felt I should have played better. But we went to the Aloha Bowl, and we had a good time even though we lost."

A 30-21 loss to Arizona in Hawaii left the Tar Heels with a 7-5 record. They went 5-2 in the ACC, good for a second-place tie with N.C. State and a half-game behind Clemson.

Maye was the starter all of the 1987 season, completing 143 of 270 passes for 1,965 yards and nine touchdowns as Carolina finished 5-6, 3-4 in the conference. The highlight came at Georgia Tech where the Yellow Jackets led at halftime, 21-3. The Tar Heels stormed back behind Maye, who threw for 296 yards in the second half and 406 for the game. He completed 23 of 38, including a 93-yard scoring pass to Randy Marriott. UNC won, 30-23.

"We came out in the second half and went to a no-huddle, two-minute offense," Maye said. "We had to throw, and that's always fun for a quarterback."

After graduating in the spring of 1988 with a degree in business, he signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was their third-string quarterback for a year, but did not play and was released following the season. Two years later, he was the starting QB for Raleigh-Durham in the World Football League, but he re-injured his shoulder early in the season and retired.

"I think it was more like football retired me," Maye laughed. "I went back to Carolina -- I think they were wondering, 'Is this guy ever going to leave' -- for graduate school. I was a grad assistant under Mack Brown for a year and worked in the athletic department with John Swofford for a year. That was when I met my wife, who was an undergraduate at Carolina."

Mark and Aimee have been married seven-and-a-half years. They have four sons: Luke, who is five; Cole, four; Beau, 17 months; and Drake, nine weeks. Maye has his own business, working at home, as he manages money through trading stocks.

"I'm family-oriented," he said, "and I love having the opportunity to be around my wife and our kids. It's great having the chance to be involved with the kids and watch them growing up. There is nothing like being a dad."

Maye treasures his time at Carolina. "I loved every minute. The best thing was the people. They were so supportive when I was hurt. It's easy to say I was unlucky. But after looking into my shoulder, Dr. Jobe told me I might not be able to ever throw again. So, it turned out I was fortunate.

"When you are 18 or 19 and playing sports is your world, things are out of perspective. At the time I was hurt, I was crushed. I equated my self-worth with how far I could throw a football. It was who I thought I was -- a quarterback. All of a sudden, that was taken away from me.

"My faith in God was the most important aspect if my being able to handle the trials with my arm," Maye said. "I realized the world doesn't revolve around football. That was the greatest positive to come out of it.

"And I can't say enough about the people in the athletic department, my teammates and the fans. The biggest thing about my experience at Carolina was the people. I made some good friends and had some wonderful times. My wife and I tell young people that if they have the chance to attend Carolina, they should do it."

Maye buys season tickets to Carolina football games every year and enjoys getting back when he can. His family lives in Huntersville, which is 15 minutes from Charlotte. He plays basketball and golf and coaches his son's baseball team.