Doug Marrone's face brightened, the way faces usually do when their owners are rescued. In this case, Marrone was awash in tediousness, Big East football media day a few months back, answering questions about his third string safeties and all the other non-thinking media inquiries now about the "importance of confidence" (nah, they should go out there petrified) and the "importance" of a fast start to the season (no, let's start 0-6).

"Coach," the rescuer began, "kind of an oddball question here. But what do you remember about your days at Coast Guard?"

Yes, the big guy wearing orange and blue Saturday at Rentschler Field coaching Syracuse used to wear orange and blue at Coast Guard. Marrone, steadily leading the Orange back to relevance, was the offensive line coach at the military academy by the Thames in 1993.

"Coast Guard!" Marrone said jubilantly, almost alarmingly. "I loved that place."

Marrone's football career has touched the rural (Cortland, N.Y.), the city (Boston, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans) and, of course, the hub of the hemisphere (New London). Of all the gin joints in all the world, though ... 

"I've been a lot of places," Marrone said. "But if my career had stopped there ... I would have been very happy if my career ended at Coast Guard."

Hard to fathom, almost, unless you understand the loyalty Coast Guard inspires.

The Bears went 4-5 that season, former coach Bill Schmitz's first, ending four years later with a playoff berth. It was a lifetime ago for Marrone and a year that afforded him a lifetime of remembrance.

"Of all the places I've been," Marrone said, "that's the place where the most kids keep in touch with me. They're all captains and pilots now.

"It's amazing," he said. "I was on Nantucket with my family one time and two people approached me and say, 'You're Doug Marrone.' They told me they went to Coast Guard and how they're officers now and that 'we follow your career.'"

Marrone and the Orange went 8-5 last year and won the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Syracuse is 5-3 this season with a win over West Virginia. The talent level has improved. Maybe that's because Marrone knows that no matter what obstacles may arise in recruiting to snowy Syracuse, it's nothing like the old days.

"Coast Guard has such high standards," he said. "It limits your talent pool. It might be the toughest school to get into as far as applicants per the number of people accepted. It's amazing what they go through. And they all do it with smiles on their faces.

"And it's really a different feeling to coach there," he said. "When you make a decision to bring someone in, you're thinking, 'this person is going to protect our country.' You have a great responsibility. They're going to represent the United States of America. I was really excited about that."

Marrone's name is still mentioned fondly around the academy. His stop was brief. But then, there's really no such thing at Coast Guard, where they always leave the light on.

Marrone looked disappointed when there were no more Coast Guard questions forthcoming. His unexpected, if not triumphant, trip into the past was an episode of "This is Your Life," done in a few minutes. Soon, it was back to confidence and third-string safeties.

If you are watching the game Saturday against UConn, just know that the one of the biggest guys in blue and orange used to be one of the biggest guys in blue and orange. It was a happy, worthwhile, substantive time in Doug Marrone's life.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro.