LU’s Calvary compensates for shortcoming

By Chris Lang
Sports writer
Published: September 10, 2008

Pat Calvary has seen the look enough times, the knowing grin of a taller wide receiver who takes one glance at Liberty’s 5-foot-9 cornerback and says to himself, “I’m gonna flat own this dude.”

Then the snap comes, and Calvary jams his man at the line of scrimmage. Once downfield, he uses his athleticism and smarts to be at the exact right spot to deny a reception or intercept a pass.

In short, Calvary more than makes up for his lack of size with superior technique and will. A four-year starter, he was a first-team all-Big South selection at cornerback as a junior, when he intercepted four passes (and dropped three more, LU defensive backs coach Marshall Roberts adds.)

“I’m a little small to them, so they might take it for a joke,” Calvary said of the receivers he covers. “They might not take it as serious as they should. But I’m there to play.”

The quiet Calvary has been one of Liberty’s steadiest defensive players since being thrust into action as a freshman. He’s started 33 straight games and has been recognized as one of the conference’s top defensive players. LU coach Danny Rocco said Calvary is a perfect fit in the Flames’ 3-4, Cover 2 defense.

“He can play man coverage,” Rocco said. “But at his height, his size, if we were a man, blitz team, I don’t think he’d be quite as valuable as he is in our defense.”

Calvary began his career at Bayshore High School in Bradenton, Fla., as a tailback, but his coaches moved him to defensive back before his sophomore year, figuring with his size he’d be a better fit in the secondary. He was only the second player in school history to start as a freshman, following Fabian Washington, a close friend of Calvary’s who attended Nebraska and plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

Calvary was a second-team all-Class 4A selection as a senior and drew some interest from FBS schools but instead chose Liberty. By the end of his freshman year in Lynchburg, he wondered if he had made a huge mistake.

Calvary started nine games, but the Flames were 1-10 and regarded as one of the worst teams in FCS football.

“Some of us wanted to quit and give up,” Calvary said. “But coach Rocco came, and we got that fire back.”

That’s evident on the field, where Calvary plays with a physical presence that belies his size. His tackling has improved over the years, and he isn’t afraid to fly to the ball.

“He doesn’t let his size get in the way,” said teammate Tim Torrence, who like Calvary is small for a defensive back (5-8, 165 pounds). “He’s a playmaker.”

Calvary talks often to Washington, who at 5-11, 180 is of similar size, about what it takes to make it to the NFL as a smaller defensive back. Calvary’s lack of blazing speed works against him now.

At Liberty’s pro timing day in March, he ran a low-4.5 time in the 40. Once the season ends, Calvary said he plans to work out with members of the track team to find ways to give himself an extra burst of speed off the line of scrimmage.

The fact that the NFL is even an option is a testament to the growth of the Flames’ program in recent years.

“When we were 1-10, there weren’t a lot of NFL people coming around here,” he said.

If Calvary, a kinesiology major, doesn’t make it to the pros, he wants to pursue a career as a personal trainer. He has more than himself to think about at this point. Calvary has a 16-month-old daughter, Madison, and plans on marrying his fiancee sometime around Christmas break.

Until then, he’ll concentrate on helping Liberty compete for its second straight Big South championship. After the struggles the Flames had when he was a freshman, he doesn’t take the opportunity this team has for granted.

“It’s important to him,” Rocco said.

“I’m real happy with where he’s at right now. We need him to make this his best year here.”