Section: Front
Page: 13A
Lou
Marengo, a former record-setting place kicker at Santa Clara University
known for his last-minute football heroics, was among the 258 people aboard
the Pan American 747 that crashed Wednesday at Lockerbie, Scotland.
Marengo, 33, director of marketing for Volkswagen United States, and James Fuller, vice president of the company, were returning from a business trip to Frankfurt, West Germany, where the flight originated.
Marengo played for Santa Clara from 1973 to 1976. He is best remembered for a 42-yard field goal that lifted the Broncos with 10 seconds remaining over heavily favored Fresno State University -- a victory that ranks among the school's proudest, said Broncos head coach and former teammate Terry Malley. That kick was the last in Marengo's collegiate career, Malley said.
''I saw his name in the paper this morning and I was hoping it was another Lou Marengo," said Malley, who played quarterback.
''He was just a good person. I have a photo of me when I had been knocked out in a game and he's there holding an ice pack to my neck; nobody asked him to do those kinds of things," said Malley, his voice trailing off.
The victory over Fresno State was the last time that Santa Clara, a small school by football standards, beat a school in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
A 52-yarder kicked by Marengo, also in 1976, set a record for the longest field goal by a Bronco, a mark that stood until 1987, Malley said. Marengo scored a total of 160 points in his collegiate career.
Marengo, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, was named a second team academic All-American with a 3.85 grade-point average. He graduated from Santa Clara in 1977 with a degree in business administration.
Marengo, of Rochester, Mich., joined Volkswagen United States in 1981 and had moved to the company's Detroit-area headquarters in March, said a company spokesman. He was married, with two sons and a daughter, the spokesman said.