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NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jan 11, 2010 4:01:00 PM

Matt Szczur's student-athlete experiences couldn't have gone much better in 2009.

Last spring, he led the Villanova baseball team in hitting with .346 average, and this fall he played an integral role in the Wildcats' first NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title, captured in a 23-21 win over Montana on December 18.

Szczur (pronounced See-zur) produced 270 all-purpose yards in the final, including a career-high 159 yards rushing. He was named the game's most outstanding player.

But none of the accomplishments can top a potential life-saving procedure he is willing to undergo.

In December, Szczur learned that he was a match for a 13-month-old girl who appeared to need a bone marrow transplant. Szczur has never met the girl or her family, but he was scheduled to donate bone marrow January 4. The procedure was postponed because the child is showing signs of producing enough stem cells on her own. Further testing is needed to see if Szczur's bone marrow is needed. If the call comes, he will be a willing donor.

"The nurse who called me said the little girl is doing fine now, but we'll wait to see what happens," Szczur said.

People with cancer may receive a bone marrow transplant as part of their cancer treatment plan. Healthy bone marrow is given to help the recipient produce infection-fighting cells the body needs to stay healthy.

Originally, doctors thought the girl would need the bone marrow donation in mid-December, which meant Szczur would have missed the FCS title game. He was ready to make the sacrifice until he learned he could make the bone marrow donation later.

Donors must take medicine up to five days before the procedure that causes the spleen to enlarge. That means a collision sport like football is out of the question until the spleen returns to normal size, which can take up to three days.

"I told Coach (Andy) Talley I would have to miss the game to help save this little girl's life," Szczur said.  "All the coaches understood completely. If it was their child, they would want someone to help save their life, too. "

Szczur didn't have to do much convincing, because Talley was the person who signed him up to be a bone marrow donor in the first place.

"Coach Tally is a great dude, and he's the guy that started the bone marrow donation awareness throughout college football," Szczur said. "When you come to play football at Villanova, it is assumed that you are going to sign up for bone marrow testing. It is more like peer pressure, but in a good way. All the kids on our team are a part of this, and you are doing this to help save a life."

Szczur has been told that the chances of being a match for someone in need of his bone marrow are about 1-in-50,000.

The process began for Szczur during his freshman year with medical personnel taking swabs of saliva from the upper and lower parts of both sides of the mouth. The swabs are sent to the National Bone Marrow Donor Program.

If he has to undergo the donation procedure, Szczur will have blood drawn from one of his arms. The blood will be placed in a machine that filters out the stem cells. His blood will then be placed back in his body. He said the procedure takes about five or six hours.

While he's awaiting word, he's enjoying the final days of his break between semesters and then will start concentrating on playing outfield for the Villanova baseball team.

The 5-11, 195-pound junior receiver is also remembering the historic run the football squad made last fall.

Szczur never thought he would play such a huge role in the championship game against Montana. But with his team struggling to overcome a 14-3 deficit, Villanova's offensive coaches called for him to take the snaps from center from the shotgun formation.

In general, this formation is called "The Wildcat" in the football world. But the Villanova Wildcats call it "The Cape."

"That's because I'm from Lower Cape May Regional High School," said Szczur, who grew up in Erma, New Jersey. "In the second quarter, we found out that we could run the ball on Montana. It's a great feeling as a wide receiver to be able to get the ball as a quarterback."

Szczur, who is majoring in communications, threw two touchdown passes in 2009, also.

Now, he's ready to create some great memories on the diamond.

"I like being occupied with athletics," Szczur said. "I think my grades would slip if I didn't have anything to do. As for the future, I want to see how football and baseball go. If it doesn't work out, I'll have a great education and degree from Villanova."