Unusual friendship spawns Toledo’s ‘M.P.O.D. Inc.’

When the University of Toledo football team hits the field on their opener against Arizona on Sept. 3, it will also be the debut of ‘M.P.O.D. Inc.,' a 12-player group which lives by the motto "Make Plays or Die."

M.P.O.D. Inc. is led by senior cornerback Desmond Marrow, and consists of running back Morgan Williams, wide receivers Eric Page, Kenny Stafford and Ed Williams, tight end Jerome Jones, offensive lineman Nate Cole, linebacker Archie Donald and defensive backs Diauntae Morrow, Taikwon Paige, Jermaine Robinson and Mark Singer.

Ironically enough, the group has spawned from an idea belonging to Marrow and Iowa senior wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, who played together at Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio.

"We both out [on the field] like ‘Make Plays,'" Marrow said. "One day I said ‘Well I'm going to die for this.' He was like ‘M.P.O.D.' just playing around…Then it just kind of stuck and I started saying it to my teammates up here."

Since that time the duo which has played football together since little league has decided to make M.P.O.D. their future business, looking to sell athletic apparel in the same vein as Toledo's newest sponsor, Under Armour.

"It's always smart to have a Plan B with anything you do in life," Marrow said. "I just try to keep myself well rounded and have other ideas and other options."

M.P.O.D. has begun to expand, making everything from t-shirts, YouTube commercials and even has a twitter account.

"I get calls like every day or Facebook messages or tweets saying ‘How can I get a shirt?'" Marrow said. "It's a good thing to have. The main thing is to focus on the season, but the more people on M.P.O.D. the better it will be."

"He came up with the idea of [M.P.O.D.] so I always thought it was a good idea and he just stuck with it and it just blew up," Paige said.

Since then Marrow has been the gatekeeper to M.P.O.D. Inc., an exclusive group for the Rockets with one criterion for initiation, "Just make plays."

"Me and Desmond go way back," said Jones. "We go back to Kindergarten. He told me about [M.P.O.D.] and I thought it was a great idea and a great concept. We're all out here trying to make plays and I told him to just run with it.

"He wanted to get all of his closest friends involved and all the people that are out here working hard. We're just all in it together."

Although before pursuing the idea, Marrow made sure to contact UT head coach Tim Beckman to get his permission.

"He came to me about it and as long as it doesn't interfere with anything that we do here I'm all for it," Beckman said. "He wouldn't do anything that would disrupt our program, Des is definitely that type of young man.

"I think it's a great idea...This is not just about football—it's about a business venture that he would like to get involved in. I think it's a great idea for him. They've done a great job. It's bringing the kids together."