A Moment with San Jose’s MamaCat
Adam Markowitz
Wednesday July 23, 2008
Amongst dozens of feedbacks, I got one from a woman who signed her email as “MamaCat.” We exchanged emails quite a bit that season, and I got to know her by her real name, Shelly Grieb. I’ll never forget the first time she revealed her identity to me. I responded by saying something along the lines of, “YOU’RE the mother of Mark Freaking Grieb???”
Over a year later, I got the chance to sit down with Shelly and pick her brain as her son goes for the San Jose SaberCats’ fourth ArenaBowl championship on Sunday against the Philadelphia Soul.
She ran off all sorts of moments in Grieb family history for me. She gave me some great moments from her three sons and their Pop Warner days and a bunch of memories of the high school and collegiate careers of both Mark (at UC-Davis) and Mike (at UCLA). Would you believe that arguably the greatest quarterback in AFL history began playing football as a defensive end?
It’s a good thing for all of us Arena Football fanatics that Mark chose quarterback. It wasn’t easy reaching greatness, though.
Shelly recalled two horrifying games that her middle son had while quarterbacking UC-Davis.
Best tough day of football: Sept 16, 1995. Mark starts for UC Davis as a junior. He throws 4 interceptions in the first half. UCD is down by at least 3 scores. I "know" his career is ended, but I pray silently that it can end with dignity. I'm amazed that he is still in the game as the 2nd half starts. He brings the team back to a tie with seconds on the clock and the kicker poised to hit the game-winner. The kicker misses. Game stays tied. But afterward, Bob Biggs, UCD head coach, tells me Mark has won the starting spot with his cool handling of such a tough situation. Who would have thought?
Tough Day of football Part II: November 1994. Mark, as sophomore at UCD, fills in at QB for injured starter. Gets annihilated by Northridge 52-14. The game was characterized by no defense, no running game, no blocking and no kicking. Mark did fine except for the 4 interceptions (that number again!).
Shelly admitted to me that she was amazed that Mark ever really ended up with any semblance of a professional career. Just this past week, Commissioner Baker stated “Who knows why Mark Grieb is not in the NFL.” Not a bad transition, eh?
For most mothers, seeing their child make their professional debut on Mother’s Day would be a heck of a present. Not for Shelly Grieb, though. Mark made his AFL debut on Mother’s Day 1997 with the Anaheim Piranhas. He went 9/19 for 77 yards on the day, and his Piranhas got smacked by (ironically) the San Jose SaberCats 47-27.
Even after Mark Grieb’s career turned around and he led the SaberCats to their first ArenaBowl appearance, the moment was bittersweet for the MamaCat. Her son’s arm was in a sling, as John Dutton led the Cats to their first championship.
Then came the moment in 2004, in one of the best ArenaBowls in history, when Mark led San Jose past the rival Arizona Rattlers 69-62. The moment was revisited last season when the Cats trounced the Columbus Destroyers 55-33.
I asked Shelly what a championship meant to a mommy. After admitting that she hadn’t been referred to as a “mommy” in years, she went through what was most important to a mother for her child.
“I used to be nervous as heck for Mark's games. Eventually, I realized that I had a hierarchy of "wants" for any game. The least important “want” was that the team won. The second was that Mark play well. The first and most important thing I want out of any game I watch that Mark plays is that he isn't hurt.” Spoken like a true mother.
But even as a mom in the stands, she’s still a SaberCats fan through and through. She’s put on face paint, yells and screams at the games, and yes, will inevitably have her cowbell in New Orleans on Sunday.
I guess it’s easy to be a “super fan” when you’re the mother of the veteran leader on a team of fellow veterans. I suppose it’s like being the prototypical “team mom.” What’s there not to be impressed with?
Mark Grieb is 5th in AFL history in passing yards (36,842), 5th in passing TDs (716), 3rd in completion percentage (67.0%), and 3rd in QB rating (123.3). He is the only player in AFL history to be awarded with Offensive Player of the Game honors in the ArenaBowl multiple times, is 3rd in ArenaBowl history in touchdown passes (12), and joins Jay Gruden as the only QB to lead the same team to multiple championships.
With credentials like that, it’s even hard for a mother to not look back and admire what her son has accomplished.
“... At times I must admit, I still sit back in awe of how good Mark is. [It’s] hard to believe, but so satisfying after all he has been through to get where he is.”
Adam Markowitz is an accountant living in Orlando. Adam is an old school AFLer, having followed the AFL since 1991. He attended or covered well over 200 games, including 17 ArenaBowls. Adam worked for the Arena Football League for two years as a columnist and historian before retiring in 2017 when the 50-yard indoor war left the Sunshine State. Adam still muses about the AFL on ArenaFan from time to time, and you can follow him on Twitter @adammarkowitzea.
