Mark Titus

Mark Titus (born June 25, 1987) is an American author, podcast host, and former walk-on basketball player at Ohio State.^[1][2]

Titus played high school basketball at Brownsburg High School (BHS) in Brownsburg, Indiana.^[3] For Brownsburg High, Titus scored more than 1,000 career points. There are only four other 1,000 point scorers in BHS history, including former NBA player Gordon Hayward. He was voted second team All-Indiana selection twice.^[3] He played on the same AAU team as future NBA players Daequan Cook, Eric Gordon, Josh McRoberts, Mike Conley, and Greg Oden.^[4]

In the fall of 2006, Titus enrolled at Ohio State University, where he planned on attending medical school and working as a student manager for the basketball team.^[3] He was subsequently added to the roster by coach Thad Matta as a walk-on, and was cleared to play for the Buckeyes on November 10.^[3] In the Buckeyes' season opener, Titus received three minutes of playing time and made each of his two free throw attempts.^[3] Titus played in 14 of the team's 39 games.^[3]

Following his college career and popularity of viral videos on social media, Mark was invited to participate in Harlem Globetrotters tryouts. “We’re always out there monitoring people and his name just kept coming up,” said Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. “In order to be a Globetrotter you need to be a great basketball player, which he is. He’s a dead-on shooter and he does the trick shots. You need to be an entertainer and his stuff on his blogs and his Twitter feed are hysterical and you have to be a good person, which we’ve heard he is.”^[6] Mark did not make the team.

During the 2008–2009 Ohio State basketball season, Titus created his own blog, "Club Trillion", with the name referring to his line in the box score for many games: '1' in the first column (minutes played), followed by zeroes in the other twelve columns (points, rebounds, etc.).^[7] Titus' blog, and his antics as a player, gained him some attention in the sports media. Titus had many of his followers join him in growing mustaches and pictures were posted on his blog. He appeared on ESPN.com's 'BS Report' with Bill Simmons on March 11, 2009, and again on March 24, 2010.^[8] On April 9, 2009, Titus, although a walk-on with no hopes of playing in the NBA, used his blog to formally announce his entrance into the 2009 NBA draft.^[9] The blog entry eventually became a headline story on Yahoo!’s home page.^[10]

During his senior season, Titus received cheers from opposing fans,^[7] and received coverage from opposing school newspapers.^[11] Titus was mentioned in the New York Times^[12] and the Associated Press.^[13] Titus has also made comedic jabs at teammate Evan Turner.^[14] Titus' "Mr. Rainmaker" video on YouTube has received over 580,000 views.^[15]

After graduating, Jimmy Kimmel and Bill Simmons—being fans of "Club Trillion"—flew Titus to Hollywood and had him sign with their agent James "Babydoll" Dixon.^[4] This led to Mark releasing his first book entitled "Don't Put Me In, Coach: My Incredible NCAA Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench" on March 6, 2012. The book tells the story of his time as a benchwarmer at Ohio State.^[4][16]

In 2012, Titus began writing for Grantland, a sports journalism and pop culture website affiliated with ESPN and run by Bill Simmons.^[4]

Titus joined Bill Simmons' new website, The Ringer, in 2016, where he wrote periodic columns and co-hosted a college basketball podcast, first known as T’d Up and later as One Shining Podcast, with Tate Frazier.^[17][18]

Titus announced his departure from The Ringer shortly after Tate Frazier's departure in 2019. In early 2020, Titus and Frazier announced that they would be continuing their podcast through Fox Sports' Westwood One network, under the name "Titus and Tate."^[19]

In 2018, Titus and Frazier became the inaugural hosts of the 3X3U Tournament, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament held annually at the time and location of the corresponding Final Four, and the winning team receives a cash prize.^[20]

Titus joined Barstool Sports in February 2023.^[21] He is a host on The Mark Titus Show and Mostly Sports. He is a part of the "& Co." on the Yak with Big Cat & Co. Titus has been a team member of the Smockin Dozen Trivia Team since 2021. Titus also co-wrote A NYT Best Seller A New Yak Tale, with Dan "Big Cat" Katz, and the rest of the Yak Co. ^{[22][23][24][25]}

Titus used his Club Trillion blog to sell "Club Tril" t-shirts through the clothing manufacturer, Homage. Titus states that he has raised over $75,000 for charity through shirt sales.^[26] Titus was unable to profit from shirt sales as a student-athlete, so he instead began donating the proceeds to A Kid Again, a charity providing recreational therapy for children with life-threatening illnesses.^[27]

In 2019, Titus founded the Club Trillion Foundation, which is dedicated to offering assistance to walk-on athletes by highlighting athletic achievements, providing help with professional development, and financial assistance. In its first year, the foundation awarded a $15,000 scholarship.^[28]

Titus was born and raised in Brownsburg, Indiana,^[3] to Bill and Laura (nee Newcomb) Titus. His father is a high school basketball coach, athletic director, and Indiana Hoosiers fan. His mother is a middle school teacher and former Purdue women's basketball player. Titus' mother was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 for her accolades at Purdue.^[29]

• 2012: Don't Put Me In, Coach: My Incredible NCAA Journey from the End of the Bench to the End of the Bench^[30]

• 2023: A NYT Best Seller: A New Yak Tale

• Club Trillion