Big-time college athletics can bring out the cynic in all of us and these days that seems to happen all too often. But there is one thing that still inspires even the most cynical cynic – and it never gets old. It’s when a veteran walk-on player is awarded a scholarship.
So while the Pitt football players were especially happy Thursday, since it was the last day of “training camp,” the best part of the day was when defensive lineman Chris Maloney, in his fourth year with the program, got his scholarship.
“In the team meeting, Coach Narduzzi brought people from different positions up (front) to explain what they can do better today at practice and fortunately enough he brought me up,” said Maloney, who never stopped smiling. “I explained the fundamentals on the D-line and when I was done speaking I turned and there’s a big picture on the projector that said “You’re On Scholarship” and I just kind of lost it. It’s an emotional morning; it’s awesome.”
The first person he called? “My mom. She’s been awesome; she’s been my rock. She was crying, I was crying, too. She’s amazing; I couldn’t have done it without her.”
One person Maloney hadn’t called – yet - was his former high school teammate, former Panthers center Jimmy Morrissey, now with the Raiders, but that was only because he had to get to practice and on his way noticed that Morrissey had texted. Morrissey helped make it all happen.
Despite a decorated career, including a couple of championships, at Philadelphia’s LaSalle College HS, Maloney was lightly recruited and had no real offers. He had figured his football days were over when he visited Pitt as a “regular student,” when he met up with Morrissey for lunch.
Morrissey, who had walked on himself, had given Maloney’s high school highlight reel to the Panthers coaches and Maloney was offered preferred walk-on status. Of course, while that guarantees a spot on the team as long as a player sticks it out that’s pretty much it.
The walk-ons not only work just as hard as any of the star players but often work harder during practices running the opposing offenses and defenses. Plus, they are paying for their education which, as you may have heard, is not exactly cheap. Basically, in most instances, they’re paying to not play.
The 6-2, 255 pound Maloney, briefly moved to tight end, is now back on the defensive line. He redshirted his freshman year, and got into a few games in 2019 and 2020 but didn’t play much. Still, he kept at it.
“There’s days, there’s struggles, when it’s summer and it’s hot and you’re practicing and not getting the reps you want, there’s definitely days you’re like, ‘crap, I really don’t want to be doing this,’” Maloney admitted, adding that it was his teammates who kept him going.
Thursday, those teammates helped Maloney celebrate a football scholarship that not long ago he thought he would never get.