Portions of this article appear in Lacrosse Magazine's February college preview issue. Join US Lacrosse today to start your monthly subscription to LM.
No Longer Villain, McFadyen Fires Up Duke 'D'
by Matt DaSilva | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
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Defenseman Ryan McFadyen says he learned how to hit
harder as a special teams player for Duke’s football team, a
skill that could translate to big impact on the lacrosse
field. |
Ryan McFadyen knows the e-mail was a wretched thing to write. That’s why he wrote it, to get a yuk out of what he thought was a private audience by quoting a book (and movie) whose protagonist makes Marilyn Manson look like Mother Theresa – shock value.
Little did he know that e-mailing teammates in jest about skinning and killing strippers (among other vulgarities) would become national news in the Duke lacrosse nightmare.
“You Google my name, there are all these links to the e-mail saying this kid’s a psychotic lunatic,” said McFadyen, whose e-mail paraphrased a passage from American Psycho. “Dialogue is the best way to overcome any preconceived notions people have about my character. Talk to me for 10 minutes. I’m not that person.”
Vilified publicly when Durham police released the contents of the e-mail as part of District Attorney Mike Nifong’s “tragic rush to accuse,” as the false rape allegations against three of his teammates were later declared, McFadyen could hardly be blamed if he bolted campus. But he didn’t.
Instead, when reinstated following a brief suspension, McFadyen rededicated himself to the university and Blue Devils. The last two seasons, he helped anchor Duke’s defense in runs to the NCAA championship game and semifinals, respectively.
“I could never play lacrosse for another school,” he said.
In the fall, McFadyen took it a step further, earning a scholarship as a walk-on to Duke’s football team in part because of a challenge issued unintentionally by men’s lacrosse coach John Danowski.
In a sports psychology exercise last spring, Danowski told the team about his life, and how much he regretted quitting football as a third-string quarterback his senior year at Rutgers, where he also played lacrosse.
“I told them how I got consumed with my ego – what a jerk,” Danowski said. “What Ryan heard was the no regrets part.”
McFadyen had always been told he’d make a good football player. And despite no previous gridiron experience, he wanted to prove it to himself. He also felt guilty asking his parents to pay for him to return to Duke for an NCAA-granted fifth year of eligibility without the scholarship he previously had in lacrosse.
At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds, but with the shiftiness of a lacrosse player, McFadyen got playing time as a tight end and on special teams. He helped block a kick against Vanderbilt and made a fair catch against Miami.
But he was a man amongst beasts.
“I go from being the strongest guy on my team to not even being in the top 10,” he said. “Guys are benching 500 pounds, and I’m like, ‘Do you need a spotter?’”
Now he knows how Max Quinzani feels.
Already the enforcer of Duke’s defense, McFadyen said the most important skill he gleaned from football was learning how to hit the right way.
Hard.
“I’m used to a kickoff return or cover, running down and throwing my body full speed into someone,” he said. “If anyone on our lacrosse team complains, I’ll tell them to do a Bloody Tuesday session. It speaks for itself – full pads, and you’re not holding anything back.”
The Blue Devils, ranked No. 8 in Lacrosse Magazine's preseason poll, host No. 20 Bucknell in both teams' season-opener Saturday.
