When Andrew Libby ran onto the field for a kick return at Beaver Stadium in front of 99,155 fans on Saturday as a member of the Massachusetts football team, nothing out of the ordinary was on his mind.
He was standing near the end zone with six minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter. It was the type of situation he’s been involved in throughout his football career. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound freshman received the kick at the 9-yard line, and after bouncing off a few defenders, was finally brought down at the Penn State 29 for a return of 20 yards.
Although the play didn’t have much meaning for UMass during its 48-7 blowout loss to the Nittany Lions, it meant everything to Libby and was a reflection of everything’s he’s overcome in the past year.
In the opening game of his senior season at Thornton Academy in Saco, Maine, Libby busted open a 55-yard kickoff return and stiff-armed a defender to try to gain extra yards. But while Libby was stretched out going to the ground, another defender leading with his shoulder took out his knees, tearing Libby’s anterior cruciate ligament and ending his senior season.
The injury was a major setback for Libby, who won the 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year during his junior season. The multidimensional player – listed simply as “athlete” on UMass’ roster – finished that season with 1,091 yards and 23 touchdowns to go along with his 98 tackles and six interceptions while splitting time as a defensive back.
Doctors told him the normal recovery time for an ACL tear is 6-to-12 months. Libby, however, was fully healed after just five and a half months.
“Six months was my goal,” he said. “The doctors told me it would be the standard six months to a year to recover from an ACL tear and I told myself that I was going to make it five to six months.”
Oddly enough, Libby had his surgery on Sept. 23, 2013 – his birthday. Libby told the Portland Herald Press that he would back to running by Christmas.
“It was definitely a bump in my life that made me stronger as an individual,” he said. “I got knocked down on my feet but I was able to get right back up and keep fighting.”
Libby entered Saturday’s game late in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach and took two handoffs for a total of three yards. Despite primarily playing on special teams, Libby said he hopes to be a bigger part of coach Mark Whipple’s offense as the season and his career progresses.
Like so many other players on the Minutemen, this Saturday’s home opener at McGuirk Stadium is something Libby can’t get off his mind. He, like most of the other young players on the team, has never seen a game played on campus.
“This is all a whole new experience for me,” he said. “It’s going to be like playing at Beaver Stadium. Well, maybe not the same size, but the atmosphere is going to be the same for us playing in front of our own fans.”
Although Libby is most likely going to be on the field for a handful of plays this Saturday, none of that will matter to him. He’s playing in front of his friends, classmates and the family members driving down from Maine to see him.
Most importantly, Libby is playing for himself and everything he’s overcome in his journey to Division I football.
“It’s really fun that I’m finally able to get back on my feet and be able to play,” Libby said. “I definitely didn’t think about that (on Saturday) and my mindset is to just keep moving forward.”
Andrew Cyr can be reached by [email protected], and can be followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
