For 16 years, these two Bulldogs left unfinished business in the classroom. No longer

A former Fresno State walk-on is helping the post-football careers of his more heralded ex-teammates take off running.

Juan Bautista was mainly a special teams player for the Bulldogs from 2000-02. After graduation, the Fresno native followed in his father’s footsteps by attending medical school and now practices family medicine in his hometown.

Bautista understands he’s a rare case. Sure, many Fresno State football players get their diplomas soon after they’re done playing. But there is also a fairly large group – particularly those with NFL aspirations – who conclude their Bulldogs careers without finishing the job in the classroom.

“Many of the guys are eight, 12, 16 units away from their degrees,” Bautista said. “It’s kind of sad.”

Orlando Huff and Dante Marsh, standout defensive players who were both seniors in 2000, belonged to that group. Huff, a two-time all-conference linebacker, went on to play six seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks and Cardinals. Marsh, a two-year starter at cornerback, carved out an 11-year career with the CFL’s BC Lions.

Something else they had in common: Though successful in their post-football lives, one thing kept them from landing the jobs they wanted most.

“It catches up with you,” Huff said. “I needed that degree.”

Sixteen years later, thanks to a boost from an ex-teammate, Huff and Marsh donned caps and gowns during Friday’s College of Social Sciences graduation ceremony at Save Mart Center.

“There are so many guys that don’t have their degrees,” Marsh said. “We’ve got to get them back here and get them finished.”

Huff and Marsh, both 38, say education was important to them during their Bulldogs careers. But in the end, football came first.

So when they reached the spring semester of their senior years, both did what many NFL hopefuls do: register for classes (“in order to keep the scholarship rolling and the Pell Grant coming,” Marsh said) but never attend them.

Marsh spent the months leading up to Fresno State’s pro day working out in Los Angeles. He only came back to Fresno to showcase himself for NFL scouts and promptly withdrew from his classes.

“Just so I wouldn’t get all Fs,” Marsh said. “And that’s kind of where I left it.”

Huff has a similar story, except he didn’t withdraw from those spring semester classes while training for the NFL combine and had to wear the Fs.

“I was trying to do it all, but training was a full-time job in itself,” he said.

Pat Hill, the former Fresno State coach who recruited Marsh out of McClymonds High-Oakland and Huff out of Eastern Arizona College, can empathize.

“It’s a rough situation for those guys,” Hill said. “Training for the combine requires great effort, and that last semester is usually the most difficult classes. They leave them for last. It’s human nature.”

Huff remained in the Seattle area after his football career ended and began working for several high-tech companies including Microsoft and Centurylink Cloud.

They were good jobs that paid well. Problem is, they were always contract jobs with expiration dates. In order to land the full-time position Huff coveted (and was qualified for), he needed a degree.

“I had to go back and finish,” Huff said.

Marsh found himself in a similar situation. Since his final season in 2014 the Oakland native became a personal trainer and launched his own athletic clothing line. He also caught the coaching bug, spending last season as defensive backs coach at Modesto Junior College.

It didn’t take long for Marsh to discover he had reached the glass ceiling of his new profession. With only a high school diploma, he’d never coach beyond the community college level.

“In order for me to make some real money in this business, I need that degree,” Marsh said.

Once Huff and Marsh made the decision to return to school, a former teammate stepped in to help. For the last three years, the Bautista Foundation has awarded more than $40,000 in scholarships to Fresno State students interested in careers in health, law, community service and the arts.

In January, Bautista and a couple other ex-Bulldogs founded Unfinished Business, a nonprofit created to assist former Fresno State football players complete their degrees.

“It’s a lot harder to go back when you’re older, and the more time that passes the harder it is,” Bautista said. “For some people it’s the intimidation of going back. For others it’s the financial reasons.”

Bautista worked with Peter Robertson, director of development at the Fresno State Alumni Association, to establish an endowment. It began with an initial gift of $5,000 with a goal of reaching $25,000 over the next five years.

Through his foundation, Bautista helped Marsh and Huff cover the cost of tuition and books. (Huff also received financial assistance from an NFL alumni program.) The local physician also proved instrumental in getting the pair reconnected with their old sociology professor, Matthew Jendian, so that their transcripts could be reviewed and a new graduation plan enacted.

The goal is to help at least one former Bulldog finish his degree each year.

“I hope it’s a way to give back to Fresno State,” Bautista said. “I want to leave a legacy, and this is the best way for me to help out my fellow Bulldogs.”

Huff took online classes, often studying until the wee hours, while Marsh attended two courses this semester at Cal State Stanislaus.

Both are proud to fulfill a promise each made to his parents (Marsh’s are both deceased) and to set a good example for their kids.

“The main thing is finishing what I started,” Marsh said. “I was six classes short, and it’d be a god awful shame not to finish.”

“It means more now because I know how I’m going to use this degree,” Huff added. “It’s not just a piece of paper.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2017 at 3:39 PM with the headline "For 16 years, these two Bulldogs left unfinished business in the classroom. No longer."