From now on, Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and TV football analyst Dan Marino said yesterday, he'll demand his colleagues on CBS-TV's "The NFL Today" call him "Dr. Dan." And, he said, "I believe I'm going to ask for a raise."

The former Pitt and Miami Dolphins star drew laughter for those remarks from the estimated 13,000 people -- 3,000 of them new graduates -- who attended the University of Pittsburgh's commencement ceremonies at Petersen Events Center.

But the commencement address the Oakland native and 1983 graduate delivered after receiving an honorary doctorate in broadcast journalism also was filled with serious advice for living a happy, productive life. It was, he said, advice handed down to him by his father.

"The core values of life and success remain the same: hard work, passion, integrity and, most important, family," he said.

Mr. Marino, who grew up in the shadow of the Pitt campus on Parkview Avenue, playing pickup football on the grass around the Cathedral of Learning, used his personal experiences to drive home his messages in a 13-minute speech that drew two standing ovations, one after he got his degree and one at his conclusion.

Talking about the need for having passion about your life's work, Mr. Marino described himself as "lucky. I found my love for sports at a young age. And whether it was baseball or football, I found my true talent. I could throw it. All the hours on the practice field, all the days studying film, and all the years of working on my game, it didn't seem like work to me. Because it was fun. It's what I liked to do.

"It may take some of you longer, but it's worth the search to find your passion. ... It doesn't have to be about the money. I guarantee you this: If you love your life's work, the financial reward will take care of itself."

The most poignant part of Mr. Marino's address came when he talked about giving something back to the community.

"It doesn't have to be money," he said. "Give your expertise. Give something of yourself."

He said that "hit home" for him in 1992, when Michael, one of his and wife Claire's six children, was diagnosed with autism.

"Seeing what he had to go through opened my eyes to the needs of families and children with disabilities," he said.

That prompted the Marinos to start a children's hospital in Florida and a developmental center that sees more than 6,000 youngsters a month.

"I played 17 years in the NFL and set every passing record possible. But you know what? A lot of them have been broken," he said. "But when you touch someone's life in a positive way, it lasts forever. Believe me, nothing feels better than having parents come up to me and say, 'You're making a difference in my child's life.' "

In summation, Mr. Marino encouraged the graduates to work to their potential so that in 25 years they could look back and say "I was the best that I could be.

"Look at me, I came to Pitt with two goals, to be the starting quarterback and to get my degree. Now look at me: I'm Dr. Dan."

Mr. Marino marched into Petersen with the rest of the graduates, academics, trustees and administrative officials, wearing a black, velvet-trimmed graduation robe. He drew a large cheer from the audience as he strode down the aisle to the speaker's platform.

University Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, who introduced Mr. Marino, praised the alumnus' "dignity and grace" in serving as "one of the most visible real-world representatives of Pitt."