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National Marquette Day to be replaced with National Matt Heldt Day


From simple milkman to local hero, MU sophomore center Matt Heldt cemented himself as a Marquette legend with a double-double Tuesday night in a win over St. John’s. In response, President Lovell took to Twitter to announce that National Marquette Day would be repealed and replaced with a new holiday: National Matt Heldt day.

Heldt’s humble beginnings have become Marquette folklore. Until the summer of 2014, he was only known for his part time work as the local milkman for his community of Neenah, Wisconsin. While recruiting in rural Wisconsin, Head Coach Steve Wojciechowski’s car broke down just as Heldt finished his shift. Wojo saw the strapping young man walking towards him to help.

“I knew from that moment” Wojo said speaking of the 7 footer, “that he was destined for Marquette greatness.”

On February 21st 2017, those hopes of the head coach became reality. Matt Heldt caught literal fire as he shot 6/6 from the floor. Sophomore Henriette Lu said after the game, “He was everywhere. I have never seen a man with such strength glide down the floor with the grace he had. I will never see a performance like this again.”

The feeling was shared by the Marquette community, as floats donning Matt’s appearance are already under construction for next year’s Heldt Rally. A school sponsored tailgate named “Heldt’s Kitchen” will kick off the festivities, featuring the center’s favorite delicacies.

Said Heldt of the rename, “Cool.”

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