Without a doubt, Marist’s Griffin McElroy knows exactly how Joe Theismann once felt.
Playing quarterback for Washington, Theismann suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibia on his right leg when he was sacked by the New York Giants’ Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson.
That was on Monday Night Football, with millions tuning in. McElroy, who was playing with his club team in the AAU Nationals at Orlando, came down hard on his right ankle and fractured his tibia.
“It was a very gruesome thing,” McElroy said of something people have described like reviews from a horror movie. “Everyone who seen it said it was nasty. It was a very tough experience.”
Nathen Toth, McElroy’s teammate both at the high school level and in club, watched the situation develop as McElroy, playing in the middle, twisted his foot grotesquely to the left.
“It was really bad,” Toth said. “Especially to see it in person.”
Marist coach Jordan Vidovic wasn’t there but looked at photos and video of the sequence.
“I saw the severity of it, which I rather would have not seen,” he said.
Eight months later, the junior middle hitter is back in the starting lineup for the RedHawks, who won the 24-team Marist Invitational over the weekend in Mount Greenwood.
The RedHawks ended up beating Lockport 25-16, 25-14 in Saturday’s championship match.
Ohio State recruit Christian Teresi led Marist (6-0) with eight kills, 19 assists, three blocks and three aces, while Toth tallied seven kills and four aces. Josh Bluhm and Nate Nacino paced Lockport (5-1) with five kills apiece. Evan Dziadkowiec added 13 assists.
McElroy confirmed that when the injury occurred, some people thought his volleyball career would be over. He was rushed to an Orlando hospital and had surgery performed right away.
He vowed to return, and he has kept that vow.
“I was very motivated during that whole thing,” McElroy said. “I was motivated by all my teammates looking after me and helping me every single day.
“I kept going to the gym and kept doing everything I could to get back.”
But even getting back to the gym was a journey.
“We were in school in the fall, and he was still laid up for the first five or six weeks,” Vidovic said. “He had a contraption that held everything in place. He couldn’t do anything or go anywhere.
“And then when he came back to school, he was on the scooter and crutches. The whole first semester of school, he basically had to deal with all of that.”
Now that McElroy has made his triumphant return, everyone involved is looking ahead. Still, Vidovic can’t help but admire the comeback.
“The demeanor he has and the toughness factor fits with our program,” Vidovic said. “He’s been a great addition. He’s an athletic kid, but character and work ethic, it’s a huge part of why he’s back.
“He reminds me a lot of the great players we have had here when it comes to being a player with great character who brings in a lot of fun energy.”
McElroy is appreciative about being back on the court with his teammates.
“I honestly feel better right now,” McElroy said. “I feel very calm and very collected with everything. It’s behind me now. The injury set me back, but I was able to build it up and help my teammates.”
The 6-foot-1 McElroy knows he’s undersized for a middle, but the Worth resident is holding his own. He’s taking some swings from the right side as well.
No matter where he plays, he’s happy to be involved in the sport he started in eighth grade.
“I love how I have a sense of community with everybody,” McElroy said. “These are my best friends. I’m able to focus in on people I’m very comfortable with.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
