Dallas Cowboys. Baltimore Ravens. Houston Roughnecks. Huff played in the NFL for nearly 6 years, signed by these teams as well as many others. From the University of Wyoming to the NFL, Huff has brought his experience to Mansfield High School as one of their newest coaches.
PE Coach Marqueston “Quest” Huff began coaching at MHS this school year, after years of working as a professional football player. With his experience on the field, Huff decided to work with and train athletes, as it is a career in which he feels he can contribute the most.
“Coaching is the closest thing I can get to playing the game of football, and I enjoy it even more,” Huff said. “My entire life, the most important and impactful people for me have been coaches. Now I get to lead these athletes and teach them how to appreciate the game. The lessons that sports can teach them are lessons that they can carry along with them forever.”
While many kids grow up playing sports as a way to have fun, others find that their love for sports goes far beyond simple entertainment. Huff reflects on how his passion for sports had an impact on the way he grew up and later led to him playing football professionally.
“When I was growing up, sports were kind of the only thing that I had,” Huff stated. “Sports in general have taught me so many lessons about life, and they’re lessons that go far beyond the field or the basketball court. It gave me hope to turn on the TV and see guys playing a game that I did in the backyard for fun. With the thought that you can actually have a career doing that, it sounded like an amazing opportunity to do something that I love to do and get paid for it.”
After continuously playing sports throughout high school, he was later given the opportunity to play football for the University of Wyoming on scholarship. Huff recognizes how he was able to learn and grow in such a new environment.
“Playing football in college was eye-opening,” Huff said. “I’m from a small town in East Texas, so going to Wyoming was very different for me. It was a culture shock, but it’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I learned how to fit in uncomfortable environments and how to thrive in them.”
While many dream of joining the NFL or any professional sports league, it often seems as though only a small percentage is willing to put in the work and make the sacrifices necessary to get there. Huff acknowledges the sacrifices he made for his dreams, and what he learned from doing so.
“It takes dedication,” Huff stated. “A lot of people have NFL dreams or professional athlete dreams, but it takes a high amount of dedication and you have to sacrifice a lot. I wasn’t always able to hang out with my friends or eat what I wanted to eat, and sometimes I didn’t feel great physically or mentally, but anything that’s worth having is going to be hard, and nothing that’s worth having will be given to you. I think football did a great job of teaching me that.”
As he was signed by around seven different NFL teams, Huff had the opportunity to work with many different people in many different environments. He recognizes the ways that an open and accepting environment positively impacted him.
“I most enjoyed playing for the Baltimore Ravens,” Huff said. “From day one, the organization made me feel like I was family, and I still do to this day; if they achieve something it feels like I’ve achieved it. They set the precedent for me to be myself and they made an environment where I could feel free to be whoever I wanted to be.”
After leaving his professional football career, Huff decided to begin a new chapter and train the next generation of athletes. With many new opportunities and experiences ahead of him, Huff hopes to continue to grow as a coach.
“My hopes and goals are to keep working with these kids and make the best football players and athletes that I can,” Huff said. “In the future, I want to be a head coach or an athletic director, and one day coach at the collegiate level. There are so many ways that I want to continue to grow in this career.”