When most students think of the typical St. Olaf professor, visions of bow ties, intellectuals and sweater vests may come to mind. Rarely would former professional boxer be a character trait that students would expect of one of our beloved St. Olaf professors. However, Gordon Marino puts a twist into the norm with his past as a professional boxer.

Marino, a current philosophy professor here at St. Olaf, became interested in boxing in high school. He boxed on amateur teams, but it was not until his senior year in college that he seriously began to box. He started his undergraduate education at Vanderbilt University. Next he moved to Boing Green and finally ended up at Columbia. While in his senior year at Columbia, he suffered a football injury that prevented him from playing the sport any longer. Thus, he began to work on his boxing at boxing clubs in NYC where he was able to train with some of the best boxers on the professional scene. Soon after, he signed a professional contract and fought professionally for two years. At the end of the two years, he decided that it was time for him to focus more on academics, which is exactly what he did.

It was six years before Marino would return to sports, in any fashion. During his absence from sports, he worked diligently on his education. He started graduate studies in psychology at NYU, but decided rather to switch to philosophy, in which he earned he graduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Next it was on to the University of Chicago, where he received his Ph.D. from the Committee on Social Theory department.

After attaining his degrees Marino began teaching at Yale, where he returned to sports. Marino started coaching the Yale football team. After this, he continued his coaching as head boxing coach at the Virginia Military Institute, and he is currently a volunteer assistant football coach for the Oles. He enjoys being able to encounter students in different contexts because he is both a professor and a coach. He feels sports play an important role in students' lives because, "Sports are a vehicle for the education of the whole person." Teaching has had an impact on the way he coaches due to the way it made him realize the teaching aspects involved in coaching, making him a better coach.

So how did St. Olaf entice such a renaissance man with teaching jobs at Harvard, Yale and MIT under his belt ? "The big attraction for me was the Kierkegaard Library," stated Marino.

As Marino tells it, we have a one of a kind library right here on campus. It established in 1976 and was originally housed in Holland Hall's attic. It was later eventually moved to its current location in the lower library. The library contains many original volumes and studies of Kierkegaard's (a famous Danish philosopher) life and work. The collection was compiled by Howard and Edna Hong. It is truly an amazing collection, and is visited by scholars from all around the globe.

Presently, Marino is living in Northfield. The students he teaches at St. Olaf include upper, as well as lower, class students. He also does free lance writing for newspapers and magazines. His wife Susan, a neuro scientist, is also a professor here, as well as at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Gordon Marino has led a highly interesting life, and has many fascinating stories to share. So whether you're interested in Kierkegaard's philosophy or improving your left hook, a chat with Gordon Marino will give you a wealth of information you may not have bargained for.