Football
Favorite athlete: Gale Sayers
Favorite team: Philadelphia Sixers/Eagles
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: In a Rec basketball league, I shot on the wrong basket but I missed…so I didn’t get roasted too badly by my teammates.
Music on iPod: Country/Alternative
Future plans: Central Connecticut State University to major in business then hopefully law school to become a lawyer
Words to live by: “The truth is you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.” –Eminem
One goal before turning 30: To be happy in whatever I am doing.
One thing people don’t know about me: I was Class President for the past two years and currently am the Region 20 (Montgomery County) President for the Future Business Leaders of America (FHLA).
By GORDON GLANTZ
Since the classic 1971 telemovie “Brian’s Song” – let alone its inferior 2001 remake – cannot be found on Netflix, it is safe to presume that most current high school students would have the same reaction when hearing the name Gale Sayers.
“Who’s she?” would likely be the innocent, wide-eyed response.
And Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Univest Featured Male Athlete of the Week, would be a rare member of their peer group to correct them.
An old-school football fan, the Hatboro-Horsham senior learned about the game’s greats from his father. In particular, Fitzpatrick always idolized the Hall of Fame running back from the Chicago Bears, who slashed his way through defenders in a career cut short by injuries in the middle to late 1960s.
Fitzpatrick calls it “ironic” that he found himself battling back from a knee injury in the same manner as the Kansas Comet, whose autographed picture sits by his bedside.
“My dad introduced me to running backs from his era, and I just liked his style of running,” said Fitzpatrick, who added another favorite was former Houston Oiler Earl Campbell and his “vicious” running style as a “hard-nosed” back in the 1970s.
While Sayers’ first serious knee injury occurred against the San Francisco 49ers in the ninth game of the 1969 NFL season, Fitzpatrick’s was in a much less glamorous setting.
And nine months later, he still recalls all the details of the 7-on-7 tournament game against Allentown Central Catholic at Souderton.
“There were a lot of heated arguments, and several fights broke out,” recalled Fitzpatrick, who said his role as a fullback in the drills was the occasional wheel route and that taking a blocking stance was usually not much more than a symbolic gesture.
But an opponent bent the rulebook and rushed the Hatboro-Horsham passer, forcing Fitzpatrick to quickly get into position for what was an awkward hook block.
“It felt like my shin went through my left knee,” he said, adding that he fought off the initial pain and “got up and jogged off the field.”
When the knee started swelling, the H-H trainer did a routine test and said she thought he tore his ACL.
Fitzpatrick refused to believe the early diagnosis, ignoring the tell-tale continued swelling in favor of the glimmer of hope that jogging off the field provided.
Then, with a thud, reality hit.
“Two weeks go by, and we finally got the results of the MRI,” he said. “It not only showed a torn ACL, but a full tear.”
And thus began his own trail of blood, sweat and tears that could easily be called “Ryan’s Song.”
The Road Back
The son of Michael and Holly Fitzpatrick was literally placed in the best hands possible, as Eagles’ orthopedic surgeon Peter F. DeLuca, M.D. performed the surgery.
The knee was repaired, but a long-awaited senior season with the teammates he had grown up with was lost.
And so, it seemed, were dreams of playing college football.
“I thought my career was over,” said Fitzpatrick, who had been receiving interest from PSAC, Patriot League and Ivy League schools as an outside linebacker/safety hybrid. “I was upset, as you can imagine.
“I didn’t think I would ever play again. I thought playing on Thanksgiving Day my junior year would be my last game.”
While he is a well-rounded enough young man to have eventually made a truce with the reality of not playing again, H-H coach Mike Kapusta knows it would have been a loss to the game itself.
“Ryan is a talented player who possesses great speed, agility, strength and explosiveness,” said the coach. “He is an aggressive player that thrives in competitive situations on both sides of the ball. Also a successful student, Ryan’s dedication and work ethic have been tremendous.”
From what was a negative experience, Fitzpatrick drew many positives, one of which was learning his teammates were true brothers.
“After the surgery, they all came over and packed into my bedroom and we watched a documentary on (former Eagle) LeSean McCoy,” said Fitzpatrick, who said teammate Pat Haggerty was a daily visitor. “We didn’t grow apart. I look at that as a positive.”
And then there was his family – from his siblings Nikki, 28, and Michael, 22, to uncles Kevin and Joe Fitzpatrick to his grandparents, Joe and Ann – to lean on.
“The things you take for granted, like getting to the shower – I couldn’t even get to the shower,” he said. “You need to have good people in your life. It humbles you to the experience. We all got closer due to this thing happening.”
Making It Happen
Fitzpatrick kept hearing “something good will happen” and not only tried hard to believe it, but set about making it happen.
When college offers dried up to just some preferred walk-on feelers from Division III-level programs, he spent long nights at the computer reaching out to schools, letting them know that he was an all-league linebacker who was out with torn ACL.
“Over half of them didn’t even answer,” he said. “Some others said, ‘Good luck, we’ll be in contact.’”
And if it meant trips, his dad was right there to do the driving.
Instead of watching videos of football heroes, a real-life hero had emerged, even as the road trips were not netting much in the way of results.
“My dad and I went traveling around,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’m thankful I had such a good dad. Anything he could do to help, he did it.
“I went on some visits, but I didn’t have a lot of options.”
And then he heard from Central Connecticut State University head coach Peter Rossomando. There was enough interest to offer Fitzpatrick a chance as a preferred walk-on, with an opportunity to earn a scholarship for the Division I program from the Northeast Conference.
“We went up there for a visit, and I liked the system,” he said, adding that more money toward an eventual full scholarship will be added the healthier he looks.
For now, Fitzpatrick can’t literally jump at the opportunity he has been given to be a Blue Devil in New Britain, Conn. He was just fitted for a brace that he will begin wearing in June, about a year since the injury, and hopes to be back to full speed – and brace-free – by September.
“I am in very good hands,” said the 5-11, 198-pounder who hopes to bulk up to 210 by the time he shows up on campus. “I’m going to a physical therapist (Shonn Grosse) in Lansdale who works with a lot college athletes. I’m back to where I need to be for now.”
And when he is back all the way – playing at his familiar linebacker spot in a scheme similar to the one he worked in as a Hatter – he will be wiser and more grateful for the second chance.
“As soon as it happened, I got a lot of good advice,” he said. “I came to look at it as an opportunity. After about two weeks, I realized I could either give in or become stronger and fight back. I just kept staying positive.”
Leaving a Legacy
Staying positive meant spreading positive vibes, which has never been a problem for Fitzpatrick. He is so active in school activities that the list takes up two pages on his college resume.
Highlights include stints as class vice president and president. After serving as regional secretary for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) last year, he now serves as Region 20 president, meaning all of Montgomery County is his to lead.
“My teammates tease me about being so involved,” said Fitzpatrick, who has found himself at the epicenter of the student cheering section at basketball games since his sophomore year. “Most football players don’t get involved in too much else, other than football. I think I helped bring a new culture to Hatboro-Horsham. The school spirit thing was cool again.
“A lot of people wonder why, and that’s a good question. I just enjoy being involved in my class.”
Fitzpatrick is going into school undeclared but plans to study business with a positive goal toward law school. He is an intern for State Rep. Todd Stephens and has been influenced greatly by him.
“I went with him to Harrisburg, and that was really interesting,” said Fitzpatrick. “I think I would want to go to law school, with the idea of maybe being a lawmaker.”
Tip of the Iceberg
Before he goes on the political stump, he now has something he once wasn’t sure would be possible – a collegiate football career – in his immediate future.
And like his own story, Central Connecticut’s program under its new no-nonsense coach will be one of redemption.
“They had four rough years,” said Fitzpatrick, who points out that Rossomando came from Division II power New Haven and knows how to win, as proven by getting transfers from big-time schools like Clemson and scheduling “big money” games against teams like TCU."
The message sent was that CCSU was a place for team players only.
And no one is more of a team player than Fitzpatrick.
Although it was difficult, he was on the sidelines for every game to support the teammates who supported him.
“Ryan stayed with the team at games and practices,” said Kapusta. “Although unable to contribute on the field, he provided leadership and experience in the locker room and on the sideline.”
“I was mentoring the freshmen, and they did well,” he said. “I tried helping them out the best I could. I think it all helped me become a student of the game. Sometimes, on the sidelines during games, I would get into my linebacker stance. A lot of that helped but, still, it’s tough missing your senior year, you know. Before games, everyone else was getting hyped and all that, but you learn a lot from sitting out.”
What he may have learned is that what goes around comes around. Scanning Central Connecticut’s schedule, he couldn’t help but spot many of the schools that wouldn’t return his calls after the injury.
“What a better way to get revenge,” he said.
Added Kapusta: “We have only seen the tip of the iceberg of Ryan’s potential as a football player and, if able to stay healthy, it is my belief that the Blue Devils landed a diamond in the rough.”
