( Oregon Magazine now has a European sports correspondent. This is his initial dispatch, featuring a former University of Oregon gridder )
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HAMBURG, Germany–The Hamburg Sea Devils of the NFL Europa trailed the Frankfurt Galaxy 31-27 with less than a minute left and their World Bowl fate hanging in the balance. Hamburg coach Vince Martino knew a field goal of 50 yards or longer would pull the game even, but he decided to take a chance for the winning touchdown.

Luckily, he had Marcus Maxwell out wide right.

Frankfurt had kept the former University of Oregon receiver in check for most of the day with double coverage...but Maxwell had single coverage on the right wing and sprinted past his defender, going up to grab Casey Bramlet’s long toss and falling into the end zone for a 50-yard
TD with 48 seconds remaining in the game.

The Sea Devils won, 36-31, securing their place in the World Bowl (NOTE: Maxwell made five receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns to defeat Frankfurt in the World Bowl and seems likely to earn a spot on the San Francisco Forty Niners this coming NFLseason).

"That was the biggest catch of my career," Maxwell said. "Every kid dreams about making a big catch at the end of a big game, so that’s my dream come true." This reception also secured Maxwell’s position as the top receiver in the Europa league.

"He’s a player with a real future," Hamburg coach Martino avers. "He’s exactly the kind of player you want on your team. He has a great attitude, coming in here knowing what he has to work on."

Maxwell’s quarterback Bramlet was also full of praise for the Hercules, California native, who has completed the second of his two seasons with the Oregon Ducks in 2004.

"He’s one of the best receivers in this league and one of the best this league has seen in a long time. He’s been making big plays all season. He’s just a big time player," Bramlet opines.

Maxwell is in Europe for the first time, after being allocated to Hamburg by the 49ers following a season on the San Francisco practice squad under assistant coach and ex-Duck Mike Nolan.

"They didn’t really tell me too much. I told my coaches I wanted to come to Europe and show them I can make plays in tough real game competition.," Maxwell says. In fact, the Sea Devils would not have been in the World Bowl if not for 23-year-old Maxwell, whose seven TD’s ranked him second in the Europa league behind Amsterdam running back Jonathan Smith’s nine
scores. His 32 receptions tied him with Justin Jenkins for a team high, while his 499 receiving yards were just behind Jenkins’ 509. But Maxwell doesn’t care who gets the receptions or TD’s, as long as the team wins. The World Bowl title is a real capper for Maxwell, who has earned the nickname "Mr. Hands" in Hamburg.

"Winning a championship here means everything," Maxwell declares. I haven’t been part of a championship since I played Pop Warner. I’ve shown I can be a team player and make plays."

"There are not enough good things to say about Marcus...he came over here knowing he wanted to improve. He spends extra hours watching film and working on moves after practice. He’s doing what’s needed to become a big time NFL receiver," says QB Bramlet.

"It’s great just to be over here, watch films and stay busy," Maxwell says. His role in the Hamburg offense is the biggest since his junior college days at Diablo Valley near San Francisco.

In 18 games over two seasons with the Oregon Ducks, Maxwell had 36 receptions for 401 yards and two scores, ranking fourth among Duck receivers his senior season with 25 catches for 287 yards. "Those numbers aren’t the greatest and it was hard to convince anybody to take a chance
on me," says Maxwell, who was selected by the 49ers in the 7th round of the NFL draft in 2005.

When Maxwell returns to the 49ers for training cafmp late this month, he’ll be trying to prove himself, fighting for a spot on the roster as a wideout. "San Francisco is a good young team...my goal is to make their roster." Maxwell’s European sojourn has taught him to deal with the adversity of being away from his stateside family and friends. 

Another test has been the language barrier in Europe. "Any time you go to a foreign country, it’s difficult to pick up the language," Maxwell says..."but I’m picking up some things such as Danke (thank you), Bitte (please and you’re welcome) and little things easy to remember." He also finds calm in a favorite off-gridiron activity-cutting hair. "I guess I’m a weird guy," he admits. "I like
cutting hair. I cut a lot of guys on the team’s hair and my own too. It’s just relaxing. It’s my hobby. I can cut hair and think about football and life in general."

"To come over here and mae a positive impact in NFL Europe shows that Oregon Ducks are pro material. Demetrius Williams was a Duck receiving teammate now playing with the Baltimore Ravens. I’m here and it’s a great honor to to represent Duck football." 

In the future, Maxwell would love to qualify in the NFL and join the ranks of past Duck greats such as Russ Francis, Mel Renfro and Norm Van Brocklin as Super Bowl champions.

© 2007 David Hein