At 6-feet-6-inches and 250 pounds, Troy Fumagalli is nothing short of intimidating. Now imagine his massive frame on the pitcher’s mound, hurling fastballs in the upper 80s.
Growing up in Naperville, Ill., Fumagalli was a force on the diamond and had aspirations of playing college baseball before elbow surgery derailed his career. In 2012, as a junior at Waubonsie Valley High School, the left-handed Fumagalli went 6-1 and was named to the All-Conference team. In the last baseball game he pitched, he received a no decision in a regional final contest that went to extra innings, where his Warriors lost.
The redshirt sophomore tight end may be done playing baseball, but besides football, he is an avid golfer, especially in the summer.
“I’m okay. I like to say I’m good but I just go up there and hit it as hard as I can,” Fumagalli said.
He also enjoys watching the PGA Tour to relax and said that Dustin Johnson is currently his favorite golfer on the circuit.
As for his favorite athlete, Fumagalli stayed true to his Chicago roots, saying that Derrick Rose was the face of the city. That being said, he isn’t one to brag about his Bears fandom in the locker room.
“I kinda try to stay low just because if I’m going to say something about the Bears I just get immediately shut down because we usually know how that goes,” Fumagalli said.
However, not all is gloomy for the teams in the Windy City. After all, the Blackhawks just won their third Stanley Cup in the last six years over the summer and the Cubs have the third-best record in the National League. Fumagalli is trying to be optimistic about the Cubs and their future, but had a reserved tone when talking about the team with the longest championship drought in professional sports history.
“Yeah it’s exciting to watch the Cubs finally be important again after the last 10 years,” Fumagalli said.
While the tight end may have to exercise caution when it comes to the Packers-Bears rivalry, he can certainly afford to boast about his Cubbies this year, who have won 18 more games than the Brewers.
Fumagalli didn’t make a catch in Saturday’s loss to Alabama, and he’s still slightly banged up from camp, but he figures to play a key role in the Badgers offense, especially with Joel Stave’s strong performance in the opener. Fumagalli caught 14 passes last year, including a big catch late in the game against Auburn in the Outback Bowl, which he cited as his favorite memory as a Badger.
Head coach Paul Chryst has been known to dial up a few trick plays. If they’re lucky, maybe the Badger faithful will get to see Fumagalli show off his powerful arm that made him a stud on the mound.
