Mark Tilki named region's top defensive player for Divs. II and III

When praised, senior Mark Tilki humbly prefers to redirect credit towards others -- his football teammates and coaches, and his family. But earlier this month, the standout cornerback stood alone when the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston recognized him as the region's top 2003 defensive player in Divisions II and III. Tilki is the only Jumbo ever to receive the Joe Zabilski Award, which is given in honor of the former Boston College football player, Northeastern coach, and Gridiron Club President after which it is named.

Tilki's achievements on the gridiron were notable throughout his four years in brown and blue. But in his senior campaign, he shone as one of New England's top playmakers on both defense and special teams. Tilki finished the season with 29 tackles (23 solo), 131 interception return yards on five picks, and three touchdowns. As a return specialist, he averaged 10.6 yards on punts (201 yards on 19 punts) and 26.2 yards on kickoffs (343 on 11), which earned him a third-consecutive nod onto the All-NESCAC squad for special teams.

According to head coach Bill Samko, making the all-conference team as a sophomore is a rare accomplishment and just one example of how great Tilki's contributions have been since day one.

"He's a great athlete -- arguably one of the more decorated football players in Tufts history," Samko said. "The one knock would be his size [5'9", 170 pounds], but certainly he's strong, he's tough, and he's legitimately fast. And as important as his sheer speed was his quickness. He can change directions, he's very athletic."

This fall, Tilki was also named All-NESCAC on defense for the second time, was selected to the prestigious New England Football Writers' Division II-III team, to the Football Gazette All-East Region 1st team, and to the d3football.com All-America 3rd Team.

Samko said that Tilki's raw skill on the field is matched by a personality, work ethic, and leadership skills that have been equally valuable to the team.

"As important as his performance was, I think his leadership is probably his greatest strength," Samko said. "He has drive. He's a very intense competitor, and I think that flows into everything he does. When the whistle blows, he's gonna go a million miles an hour from the start to the finish."

Given the obvious talent and athleticism Tilki consistently displayed as a four-year starter at Tufts, it is difficult to believe that just one season into his football career, at the age of six, he considered quitting the game for good.

"The first year I went out I was really tiny, barely making weight to play for the youngest age group," Tilki explained. "It turned me off from football just because it was hard for me to compete. I was fast but being so small, I got knocked around a lot."

After that first season in Pop Warner, Tilki took a two-year hiatus from the sport. He returned only when one of his three older brothers lured him back onto the field with a promise of five dollars for every touchdown eight-year-old Mark could score.

Back on the gridiron, Tilki fell in love with the game. And he was good.

"My brother never went through with [the bet]," Tilki said. "Because I scored a lot."

Besides bribing him to give the pigskin another try, Tilki -- who's bigger now, but still one of the smaller athletes on the field -- credits his brothers with guiding him both in life and in football. He says that it's likely that they also fostered those very skills that make Tilki so effective come game time -- toughness and speed.

"The tough aspect goes along with just being the youngest with three older brothers, getting beat up and them throwing me around," Tilki said. "That's maybe why I got to be fast, running away from them."

The four Tilki brothers grew up in Derby, Connecticut, and all played football. The valedictorian of his high school class and an electrical and biomedical engineering double major at Tufts, the youngest Tilki is also the only one to go on to play collegiate ball.

With his Tufts football career over and even time in the classroom here winding down, Tilki now looks ahead to finding a job -- he's most interested in engineering cells with a biomedical company -- and eventually plans to attend graduate school. When he leaves Tufts, Tilki knows that football will provide some of his most satisfying memories.

"Not just from the actual game, but [also] the people in the program made it worthwhile," Tilki said. "From all the coaches, who are excellent, who are there for you on and off the field, to the players being like brothers... it's a joy. They are all my best friends, it's like a very close-knit family."

Tilki attributes much of his success on the gridiron to the coaches and teammates with whom he feels so close. Primarily an offensive player in high school, a broken wrist as an incoming freshman relegated Tilki to defense, where, with the help of his Tufts coaches, he found that the position was actually a good fit. Defensive coordinator John Walsh, Tilki said, brought a new, more mobile style of defense to the Jumbos when he joined the coaching staff in 2001, and "made defense fun."

As for his brothers in brown and blue, Tilki stressed the influence that his teammates have had on him, through shared camaraderie, dedication, and pure talent.

"It's totally about having confidence in your teammates," Tilki said. "When everybody wants to win, when everybody wants to see you win, when you're looking for everyone on the team to do well, when you're not selfish and nobody on the team is like that... it really helps you to be the best you can be with the talent you have."

Tilki has proven himself exceptional, though, in the amount of talent and level of dedication that he has given his teammates and coaches to work with.

"If you had 20 Mark Tilkis, you wouldn't have too many problems," Samko said. "If [every player] could capture his attitude, you've got a great chance to win. Because that's what he is: he's a winner, with everything he does."