At Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, where they were roommates, Mariucci was a three-time All-America (Division II) quarterback.

After four years with the Packers, he returned to Cal as head coach in 1996 and went 6–6, ending with an Aloha Bowl loss to Navy.

Following his season with the Golden Bears, Mariucci was considered a leading candidate for several NFL head coaching positions, and was hired by the San Francisco 49ers to succeed George Seifert.

[9] After defeating the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round,[10] San Francisco hosted the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, but lost 23–10 in a muddy, rainy contest at Candlestick Park.

In 1998,[12] the 49ers posted a 12–4 record and returned to the playoffs as a wild-card team, finally beating the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card game,[13] but lost 20–18 in the divisional round to the eventual NFC champion Atlanta Falcons.

[14] The Wild Card Game saw Terrell Owens drop several passes but redeem himself with The Catch II, scoring the winning touchdown.

[19] The 49ers won the NFC West with a 10–6 record and beat the New York Giants in a wild-card game, posting the third-biggest comeback playoff victory in NFL history (second biggest at the time).

Mariucci, who previously worked with Favre, was figured to be a great candidate for the West Coast Offense style played in Green Bay.

Throughout his career, Mariucci coached a high number of players (9) inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Shortly after Pete Carroll left University of Southern California (USC), Mariucci was reportedly seen on campus,[26] and ESPN's Adam Schefter reported shortly thereafter that Mariucci was a candidate for the Trojans head coach position and that the university had "made contact"[27] with the announcer.

Following the dismissal of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino in April 2012, Mariucci was recommended as a replacement by Carroll.