January 7, 2020—Terrence Fede ‘13, the first Marist student-athlete to be drafted to the National Football League (NFL), is a legend at the College. But the admiration is mutual. It’s hard to beat Fede’s Red Fox pride, and he likes to show it.

“I just love everything about [Marist]. I love going back; I love being part of the family,” said Fede.

Following graduation, Fede was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 7th round of the NFL draft. He concluded his career with the New York Giants in 2019.

Prestigious Position in NFLPA
During his time in the NFL, Fede was privy to the abundance of benefits available to current players and saw an opportunity for an externship through the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) where he was able to gain the valuable experience away from the game and build his skills professionally.

Fede’s inclination toward a leadership role was recently recognized by the NFLPA as he was appointed to a one-year fellowship at the union focusing on players’ affairs and Players Inc, the licensing and marketing arm of the NFLPA.

Fede’s fellowship spans all of what the NFLPA has to offer. He works day-to-day preparing and helping current athletes for life away from football. “These guys, me included, we’ve been playing football our whole lives and football doesn’t last forever. So it’s important to get these guys’ minds running early on in their career, because this may end tomorrow,” said Fede.

In this position, Fede focuses one-on-one with current players on benefits offered to them through the NFLPA, such as continuing education, externships, insurance, and more. One facet of his position entails preparing athletes for an externship with their partners, where current players can gain experience off the field, building on their professional goals.

“What I'm doing is I'm interviewing guys to get them ready for when they do have an actual interview with a partner, so that they're well prepared and know how to answer those questions and know exactly what to say and things like that,” said Fede.

This aspect of Fede’s position looks at players’ resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles to set them up for success. However, it doesn’t end there, his position is also to conduct research and ensure the NFLPA is offering the most it can to players to help them succeed on and off the field.

“I help players get more out of football than football gets out of them,” said Fede. During his time in the NFL, Fede took advantage of all that was offered to him and is grateful for those benefits. Now he ensures that players understand what’s offered to them.

An Active Alumnus
Fede graduated from Marist with a major in business administration with a concentration in marketing and a minor in psychology. His experience at the College was so good he has always been committed to giving back to the Red Fox family.

“I’m just literally trying to help Marist in any way possible that I can because, you know, Marist was so good to me. There is no question that I want it to be a great experience for anybody that attends this college,” said Fede.

Whether it’s mentoring new football student-athletes or catching up with the likes of Alyssa Gates, Director of the Center for Student-Athlete Enhancement, or Scott Rumsey ‘91/’06M Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator for Marist Football, Fede tries to be an active alum of Marist. His involvement was recently strengthened as he was invited to be part of the recently formed Marist Diversity and Inclusion Alumni Advisory Board.

“We're just trying to figure out and brainstorm ways to make campus better for the kids who aren't from your typical background, you know, how do we figure out how they can thrive at Marist,” said Fede. “It's things like that, that we're trying to figure out. And it's been good overall, like I said, everything's been positive. We're trying to make plans. So, I'm happy to be a part of it.”

Ensuring that he can make a positive impact on the Marist community has been at the forefront of Fede’s involvement with the College as an alumnus and Gates, one of his closest allies, has been there every step of the way.

Gates and Fede formed a close relationship away from football in the Center for Student-Athlete Enhancement, which continued to flourish after his graduation and selection to the NFL. Gates said what was notable about Fede was his commitment to focusing as hard on his academics as he did on the field. “He wasn't the kind of guy who walked around this campus like he was better than others and he certainly didn't lose his academic motivation. That was always a conversation that we had: no matter what happens I need you to get this degree, you've worked very hard for this degree,” said Gates.

Although Fede accomplished incredible things on and off the field as a Red Fox and in the NFL, he’s never changed who he is at the core. “I always saw this very humble guy who was very close to his family and just wanted to make them proud. I think it’s fair to say he accomplished that,” said Gates.

Fede feels strongly that the combined efforts of his teammates, coaches, and support staff helped him achieve all he did. Fede also noted the accomplishments of the Marist players who came before him like Jaquan Bryant ’11 and Kevin Fitzpatrick ‘11, who were the first to be invited to rookie workouts, and Michael Rios ’12, who was the first Marist athlete to sign an NFL contract.

“And, you know, with those guys having scouts and scouts coming to the school, I mean, I think that helped me a lot by getting some exposure. So, it wasn't just me, it was a great thing, it was a collective thing,” said Fede.

Fede is passionate about football and the college that gave him opportunities throughout his career. “Ultimately, I want to stay in athletics, whether that’s by working in an athletic department, being an athletic director somewhere down the road, or just working in the front office. I want to stay connected to the game. And I just want to give back to the game.”