He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins after transferring from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, following his survival after a bout with cancer.
[2] A native of Jersey City, Maarleveld enrolled at the University of Notre Dame after graduating from Saint Joseph of the Palisades High School and played football as an offensive tackle.
[3] Shortly after his sophomore year in 1982, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, one of the more curable types of cancer when discovered in its early stages.
Maarleveld forced himself to eat and maintained a vigorous workout routine throughout the duration of his chemotherapy, and he lost only 35 pounds as a result.
However, Faust informed his parents that there was no longer a place for him on the Notre Dame team and was unsure whether he was still in football condition.