Muhlenberg is where McDonough’s heart is
| Muhlenberg athletics file photo |
Pat McDonough has spent much of his life on the move. The All-America linebacker from Muhlenberg was born in Pennsylvania and, through a series of family moves, made his way to New Jersey, back to Pennsylvania, twice to Ohio as well as a stop in Georgia and Virginia.
He said it was during his middle schools years and part of high school in Georgia and Ohio where he learned what good competition really was. He calls it “intense.”
But it’s now, after four seasons playing at Muhlenberg, the school in Allentown, Pa., has become one of the longest residences of his life.
“Looking back on it, I never really realized that this is probably the longest place I’ve been,” said McDonough, 22. “It is my home. I enjoy the people, the coaches, the community.”
It wasn’t always in the cards for him to end up there. McDonough began his collegiate career at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va. He was on the team for the Keydets but never saw action in games. After just a semester at VMI, McDonough left to find a way to get back on the field playing the game he loved.
At VMI, he said, “I was not enjoying football. I knew football was something that had to be in my life, and I couldn’t not enjoy it and not play it.”
The Centennial seemed like a good choice for him. High school teammates Andrew Kase and Gregory Lord were already playing for Johns Hopkins and Dickinson, respectively. McDonough was drawn by the experienced coaching staff and already-stout defense.
It didn’t take long for him to separate himself from the pack. For the past three seasons, McDonough has led the team in tackles and has been a first-team All-Conference selection in 2009 and 2010. He’s sure to be there again this season. He has 333 career tackles, and has topped 100 this year and last.
“Looking back on it, it’s been a pleasure playing here and going to school here,” he said. “I can look back in 10 or 15 years and say I did this and I did that, and it’s a great accomplishment.”
He notes that he had to change, becoming a better listener to his coaches’ instruction, to get to where he is now. It “kind of held me back” during my first two years, he said. But the staff helped him see the big picture on the field and...
