Published Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1997
BACK TO HERALD...
Former Kennedy Christian High School two-sport standout Mike Garofalo (79) of Sharpsville has been a rock of the offensive line for the University of Buffalo football team. (Gene Paulson/Herald)
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Garofalo center of attention for Bulls
By Ed Farrell
Herald Sports Writer
If he were any bigger and better, University of Buffalo offensive lineman Mike Garofalo almost would be too good to be true.
And guess what? Scary as it sounds, at the tender age of 20, he does possess the palpable potential and requisite desire to improve upon the '97 version, which would be considerable.
Just ask UB head coach Craig Cirbus.
``Mike's a good role model for the team. He holds to a higher standard than most normal people. He's good for the team, good for the offensive line, 'cause when they see, `Here's what Mike Garofalo does,' they can measure themselves to a person like him.''
Bear in mind, Garofalo is a red-shirt sophomore who was switched from guard to strong-side tackle. But he has been counted upon to lead the Bulls' fledgling line, and it's been difficult, as he admitted following UB's mid-October 52-17 setback at YSU, then the NCAA Division I-AA's top team.
``Last year, we were a very veteran football squad,'' Cirbus, who gained prior coaching experience at Penn State, began.
Not anymore. The last two years the Bulls have graduated five starting linemen and what at one time was a veteran group has now become one of the team's most inexperienced units.
``The comical thing is that our `veteran' leadership is two sophomores, but we'll have a very veteran offensive line in two years,'' Cirbus said.
``We're young and it's frustrating, especially coming off a really good season last year,'' the gargantuan Garofalo, at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, said following the YSU contest. ``They're looking for me to be a leader and I'm just a sophomore. But I'm getting the opportunity to play, and I wanted to learn. We have good coaches, so it's all coming.''
And even if only via sheer force of will, it seems just a matter of time before Garofalo emerges as successful in this venture as he has in others.
``I'm just trying to get better every week and get better as much as everyone else does,'' Garofalo said. ``I'm just trying to go out and play hard. I didn't see the (coaches') grades. I just play every week, watch the film and try to get better.''
As Cirbus describes it, Garofalo is on course.
``They've done well. They're growing,'' he said. ``It's a very difficult position _ on the offensive line _ to get seasoned real quickly. But if anybody can, it'll be Mike and Joe. They've made some mistakes here and there, but they give everything on every play.''
``There was only myself and Joe who returned from last year's team on the line, so we realized in spring ball, we looked around and saw that we were the only returning guys that saw time in games. Last year we were the rookies and they were looking at us; now, after 12 games, we're the leaders all of a sudden and it's like, `What happened, it's only 12 games?' But we fell into that role and we're just trying to do our best.''
Giving his best seems to be Garofalo's strong suit, and his work-ethic already is becoming legendary at UB.
In addition to football, Garofalo _ a former PIAA heavyweight wrestling K 2champion at Kennedy Christian _ competes on the continually improving Bulls' wrestling team, coached by former Clarion University All-American and ex-Pittsburgh assistant Jim Beichner.
Academically, Garofalo is a dean's list student, although _ yes, humility also is one of his attributes _ he would never tell you, instead leaving that to UB sports information director Paul Vecchio.
``What we've learned is that he's an absolutely outstanding student, very conscientious,'' Cirbus said of Garofalo, who recently was accepted into UB's school of business. ``Since he's been here, he's been a workaholic in the classroom and outside the classroom, constantly active and moving and just a great competitor.''
``It's a year 'round effort, because I take summer classes to stay ahead _ not necessarily catch up, but stay ahead _ and stay up there and work out,'' Garofalo explained. ``I don't get to come home as much as I'd like to, but it's all for the better now, 'cause I'm doing what I want to do.''
Garofalo seems to thrive in his round-the-clock, year 'round schedule.
Last winter Cirbus said Garofalo participated in early-morning, hour-long football workouts, then proceeded directly to wrestling workouts, attended classes, then afternoon wrestling practice.
``And he never missed spring ball, never missed a practice,'' Cirbus proudly recalled, though there is one drawback: Garofalo's metabolism just skyrockets, preventing him from adding that mass or bulk normally associated with a college football lineman/heavyweight wrestler.
``He's so active all the time _ he doesn't miss a workout _ and works at such a high level, that he doesn't let his body time to recover at all,'' Cirbus explained. ``So Mike's strength gains are not as rapid as others' because his body goes through such enormous stress. He's in great shape, but his body hasn't had time to build muscle.''
When UB's grid season ends, Garofalo will return to the wrestling mats, all the while maintaining dean's list academic standards.
``Everything _ academically, and with wrestling and football _ it's just all coming together, just how I planned it and how I saw everything happening,'' Garofalo said. ``Everything they told me is true.''
``He's been an ideal recruit,'' Cirbus said. ``He comes from a great family, a wonderful mom (Mela). And his family hasn't missed a game _ even when he was red-shirted _ home or away. They're always there, always supportive.
``He's very well respected by the team, and he sets the standard for a lot of players to compare themselves to in terms of his work ethic and work output. He's the type of people we go after, and we're happy to get 'em.''
