Now That He Is Lighter, McDowney's Future Is Brighter

DeMatha Guard Is More Visible After Weight Loss

As a junior last season, Calvin McDowney seemingly was a member of the DeMatha football team in name only. He rarely played, he weighed nearly 400 pounds late in the summer, and a school trainer ordered him to see a cardiologist before he even took the practice field. Walking the two flights of stairs in DeMatha's main school building caused him to pant. He would break a sweat walking to the team's training room.

In a sport in which bigger usually means better -- especially for linemen -- McDowney was way, way too big. By January, the 6-foot-3 McDowney was tipping the scale at 415 pounds.

Stags Coach Bill McGregor threatened to kick McDowney off the team if he didn't get in better shape. While the rest of DeMatha's players received jackets and rings to commemorate last season's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title, McGregor decided some "tough love" was necessary, so he didn't order the items for McDowney.

Now, at the start of his senior season, McDowney has slimmed down to a trim 330 pounds. He started at guard Friday night when the second-ranked Stags opened their season with a 37-0 victory at Middletown (Del.) High. And if things go as hoped, McDowney could be playing somewhere next season on a college football scholarship.

"Calvin truly is a different person," McGregor said. "His attitude. His work ethic. His grades. Everything has totally changed in his life."

McGregor said that when he began soliciting scholarships this past spring for his rising seniors, there was no reason to discuss McDowney with college recruiters. Coaches generally make highlight videos from the previous season for potential college players, but McDowney never played in games, and there was no reason to think he would be an impact player. Now, however, McGregor says he is prepared to make a push for the player.

"We'll open up the recruiting process for him, big-time," McGregor said. "He did what he had to do, now I'll do what I need to do for him. . . . He's made remarkable strides. If Calvin plays the year he's capable of having, I think he'll get a football scholarship out of here."

Eight months ago, McDowney said he was depressed, waking up each morning and thinking, "I'm so fat and lazy." He was a model of bad eating habits.

Although McDowney knew he had to lose weight, he said there was an internal struggle each time he wanted to do something about it.

McDowney often would think to himself: "Do I want to be happy now or later? I'm hungry right now. Do I want to have the fries right now or sacrifice and eat a salad and it will pay off later on in life?

"I'd skip breakfast and that would make me hungry. Then I'd overeat and pile it on at lunch: cheese fries, cheeseburger, Friday pizza. Then my weekends would be horrible."

In January, McDowney committed to making a change. He took part in DeMatha's "Biggest Loser" contest -- open to any overweight athlete, though school trainer Wendy Norris said it was composed mainly of football players who needed to lose weight. McDowney said his daily routine included an hour on a stationary bike, 30 minutes on a treadmill and another hour on an elliptical machine, followed by weightlifting. Some days, he and other linemen would run in the parking lot or up hills near the school.