Cowboy Tough: Jackson Marcotte's career ends, but his legacy lives on

But Marcotte's five-year stint in Laramie wasn't all smiles and silly pranks. Some of Marcotte's darkest days came at UW, particularly when head coach Craig Bohl told the 6-foot-7 tight end he might never play football again.

As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Marcotte suffered a gruesome knee injury against Utah State, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Marcotte had reconstructive surgery, and his rehab started with simply learning how to walk again. 

After rehabbing his knee for seven months, Marcotte was cleared to return to the field during the COVID-condensed season in 2020. He played in five of the Cowboys' six games that year, catching one pass for 12 years against rival Colorado State.

Somewhere down the road, Marcotte's knee suffered a setback. Tests revealed his ACL and PCL had been torn for the second time in less than a year.

After Marcotte's second knee injury in as many seasons, Bohl pulled Marcotte into his office and told him his football career was likely over. Days later, Marcotte was given the same prognosis from three different doctors.

Against the odds, Marcotte successfully rehabbed his knee for the next nine months and played in eight games for the Cowboys last season. His health continued to be good into this year, as he collected three catches for 11 yards during UW's 7-6 campaign.

Marcotte's attitude toward football shifted after the unfortunate string of injuries. Seeing how close he was to losing football all together, Marcotte started to appreciate his time with the Cowboys over the past two seasons.

"Those injuries were rough, but they were the best things that could have happened for me as far as my development," Marcotte said. "They completely changed my perspective of playing sports and playing football. Coach Bohl had said this after I had started playing here, and I went through that, he said, ‘You have a different view on this now that other guys aren’t going to have because you almost lost it.'

"For the last two or three years since that injury happened, I’ve just had a different perspective going into every single day. I’ve been super positive, and that’s hard to do. The amount of stuff and the amount of demand that we have, still being able to enjoy every rep you get and every single practice you get to go to and ultimately just enjoying those moments that you get to have with those teammates was everything."

Academic pursuits

While recovering from his second major knee injury in 2020, Marcotte was accepted into law school at UW. He's now halfway through earning his Juris Doctor, which led him to making the difficult decision to step away from the Cowboys to focus on school, despite having one season of eligibility left because of COVID-19.

"It was kind of a weird thing when the whole COVID year happened because they were like, 'Oh, hey, you have a whole extra year,'" Marcotte said. "There was that aspect to it, because it was like, what do you do with that? My first instinct was to just stay and play, but you go through school and you go through playing, five years is normal. Five years is the normal track. You mature and everything, and I’ve been through a lot physically. That definitely played a role in it.

"Sometimes you just know it’s time to be done. I felt like for me, it was time."

On top of the toll football has taken on his body, Marcotte's decision to retire from football a year early also came down to switching his focus from sports to law school. 

"Another big thing was being able to focus on my last three semesters of law school and being able to just focus on that," Marcotte said. "Playing football kind of impeded my ability to leave Laramie to do internships and stuff like that. Without (football), I’m able to apply for more stuff."

Marcotte's decision came before the Cowboys played Ohio in the Arizona Bowl last month. Knowing the bowl game would be his last time suiting up in brown and gold made the trip to Tucson even more emotional.

"Most of my teammates knew already, because I had told them," Marcotte said. "It was just one of those things where, it’s easy to take for granted every time you even get ready for practice throughout your career. It’s really easy to just not want to do it. But those last two or three weeks, it was just me trying to go out there and have as much fun as I could.

"I knew this would be the last time I would ever do anything like that, and nothing really compares to that feeling."

Knowing the Cowboys' trip to Tucson would be his last game gave Marcotte a different perspective for the bowl experience. The tight end had traveled to the Arizona Bowl the last time UW played in it in 2019, but Marcotte knew this time was different.

"It’s been incredible," Marcotte said. "Going into my last game, I did a lot of reflecting on my time here. I’m so grateful for this place and this state and the coaches I was surrounded by. Not necessarily because I progressed so much as a football player, but it was more about how they progressed me as a person."

More than a game

Marcotte's decision to step away from football wasn't an easy one. The hardest part was less about football and more about leaving the teammates and coaches he's been around for the last five seasons.

"Our team spends so much time together," Marcotte said. “I think that’s lost a lot. The amount of time we spend together really creates these incredible bonds and relationships to where it’s more about just being friends. You’re brothers.

"Our tight end room was really close to each other. It’s not like we’re just going in every day and having fun with each other. There were days where I was mad at somebody. You go through those normal things that just happens when you spend a lot of time with someone. Through that pain and through that fun, and getting both sides of that, it becomes the best thing in the world. Having that taken away, that’s the hardest part."

Another sacrifice that came along with the decision was not being able to represent the state of Wyoming on the football field on Saturdays next fall.

"The support we’ve had from the state of Wyoming and the people here has just been incredible," Marcotte said. "It’s something that I’m so grateful for. Anywhere you go in the state, if you have a Cowboys football shirt on, they’re going to stop and talk to you. That’s a really unique and cool thing for an 18- to 22-year-old kid to go through. When you can handle that the right way, it’s just something that not a lot of other people get.

"Not being able to run out into the stadium on Saturdays, that hurts, but I’ll be excited to watch the other guys do it."

Marcotte isn't exaggerating when he mentions his teammates becoming lifelong friends. He remembers Bohl giving him advice during his recruitment back in Illinois that ended up becoming true to a T. 

"He told me, ‘This is going to be the best time of your life. You’ll probably meet your wife, you’ll probably meet your groomsmen, and you’ll probably meet your best man here,'" Marcotte said. "I’m engaged now, I’ve met my future wife here, and the best friends I’ve ever had and the guys that will be standing right next to me at my wedding, I met them here.

"That means more than anything, just the relationships and the things the University of Wyoming has given me. Playing football is not an easy thing. It pushed me to the brink every single day, and that has set me up for a lot of success for the rest of my life.”

Marcotte had his doubts when he was a 17-year-old kid processing a potential move across the country. But knowing what he knows now, Marcotte said becoming a Cowboy was one of the best decisions he'll ever make.

"I was really excited to come here because I felt like it was the right place," Marcotte said. "I would love to be able to go back and tell myself, 'Hey, you’re right. Trust your gut.' It’s a hard thing, because you think you’re going to go somewhere, and you’re going to be a starter, and you’re going to be on all the posters and everything, and I wish I could go back and tell myself that none of that stuff matters.

"When I was in high school, I knew I wanted to leave home and go somewhere farther away, and I fell in love with Wyoming. I wish I could go back to affirm those thoughts to my younger self and tell him, 'You’re going to the right spot.'"

Leaving his mark

It's a daunting task for Marcotte to reflect on how others remember him for his time spent at UW. But as the decision has slowly settled in, Marcotte is confident his ability to defy the odds and fight through the adversity of two major injuries was noticed by those who stuck by his side the whole way.

"I want to be remembered as being tough and just embracing that Cowboy Tough mantra," Marcotte said. "That’s what got me through everything. I want to be remembered as a guy that wouldn’t say no. You can tell me my career is over, but it’s worth it to come back and play for this program and to play for this state.

“On top of that, I tried to come out to practice every single day and have so much energy and just be super positive about getting to do that. A lot of guys didn’t understand where I was coming from with that because of the things I’d been through. A lot of guys haven’t sat in the head coach’s office after not playing a whole year and been told, 'Hey, your knee is gone. I think your career is over,' and in the days following that, being told by three doctors that your career is over and still coming back from that."

One of Marcotte's favorite memories in Laramie was the Cowboys' 31-17 win over CSU in the 2021 Border War. Hearing the fans at War Memorial Stadium sing the "Ragtime Cowboy Joe" fight song with the players was a memory he'll look back on for the rest of his life.

"It was the loudest thing I’ve ever been a part of," Marcotte said. "It was one of those moments where I just remember stepping back and telling myself, 'You are so lucky to be here. This is one of those great things that no one else gets to do.'"

While the Cowboys never won a Mountain West title during his five-year tenure, Marcotte's experience in Laramie goes far beyond the standings or stat sheet.

"A lot of the time, we get caught up with wins and losses," Marcotte said. "At the end of the day, in 10 years, I’ll wish I won a Mountain West championship forever. But in 10 years, I’m going to look back and just be grateful that I had that opportunity to do so. I want guys to remember me for that, and I want them to continue that on. I hope that continues for Wyoming football."

Marcotte's focus has quickly shifted from the Cowboys' tight end room to applying for internships to help guide him through the second half of law school. While he's still not completely sure where the degree will take him, he already has his office decal planned for whatever office he ends up in down the road.

"I’m a Cowboy through and through now," Marcotte said. "I’ll have all of my jerseys hanging up wherever I end up. Wyoming took me from Illinois and just completely changed me. I tell people I’m from Wyoming now. It’s 'Go Pokes' forever, and I’m all for the Cowboys."