YPSILANTI, Mich. – An Eastern Michigan football player gave up his scholarship to a walk-on teammate who spent the last four years paying his own way, even selling his plasma to do so.
EMU head coach Chris Creighton spoke to his team Thursday, Aug. 3, after the first day of fall camp. He talked about senior offensive lineman Zack Conti, a Trenton native who’s played in 23 games the last two seasons.
Conti paid his own way through school the last four years, and while Creighton said he tried to find a way to help, the team didn’t have any available scholarships.
“We’re at 85 scholarships,” Creighton said. “We have 85 given out, and no matter how many times or how many years I go to the NCAA and say, ‘Yeah, but man, I’m just telling you, we need 86. We need 86.’”
But an opportunity arose when fellow senior Brian Dooley, of Bowling Green, Ohio, went into his head coach’s office.
“Coach, that guy has earned it,” Dooley said. “I’ve talked this over with my family, and if there’s a way to make this happen, I’m willing to give up my scholarship and give it to Zack.”
“I’ve never heard, I’ve never seen anything like that ever before,” Creighton said.
On Thursday, Creighton told the team what was going on, and Dooley formally handed the scholarship to his teammate.
Conti now has a full scholarship for his last year on the team.
“I did it because I’ve seen Conti grow over the years,” Dooley said. “Seeing him walk away from something that he loves did not sit well with me. He works hard and gets extra work with me all the time. In my eyes, he earned it 100%. Giving up my scholarship so he can stay and play means everything. I’m proud of what he has become and cannot wait to see what he does on the field.”
You can watch the full video below.
