Adversity's Gifts

Yet here he was, late in his freshman football season at Denison University, watching from the sideline with his right arm in a sling and his dreams on hold, enduring an experience that would sorely test his resilience and resolve.

 

Through his much-longer-than-anticipated recovery, though, the 2022 Collegiate graduate learned myriad invaluable lessons, not the least of which is that adversity can be a blessing, and for that, he’s abundantly grateful.

 

“It sounds so cliché, but it really was such a growing opportunity for me,” Fallon said one recent afternoon as he sat on the front porch of the Jacobs Gym and reflected on his journey. “I tried to embrace [the challenges] the best I could.”

 

In his first season at Denison, a Division III signatory located in Granville, Ohio, Fallon backed up veteran quarterback Drew Dawkins.

 

He occasionally spelled the four-season starter for a play or two and also got some late-game mop-up time when the outcome was assured. Against Hilbert College in the Big Red’s second game, he completed 3-of-4 passes, including a 53-yard touchdown strike to Jon Adamson.

 

Two weeks later, at Wabash, before a partisan homecoming crowd of 2,800, Fallon stepped in during the fourth quarter when Dawkins took a hard hit in the red zone and handed off to Trey Fabrocini, who ran three yards for a TD in Denison’s 45-41 victory.

 

He was beyond excited about both his team’s success and his own progress. He was playing his role as a dutiful and rapt understudy and availing himself of each opportunity that came his way.

 

Then in a developmental game against Ohio State’s club team, he sustained the injury that would require surgery, then a cast for eight weeks and a brace for six more.

 

“That was extremely frustrating,” he said. “Breaking your throwing hand wrist is unfortunate, especially in a JV game. I couldn’t throw for five months. It literally went right up to spring ball.”

 

Once he returned, though, he still wasn’t his old quarterback self. He didn’t have the range or zip on the ball. He’d also begun to doubt himself. Dawkins had graduated, and Fallon quickly realized that he wouldn’t be in the mix to succeed him.

 

“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “That was really difficult. I’d never really gone through an injury that lingered so long and affected my game so much. I was not in the right head space, and I couldn’t throw a football to save my life. I’d almost lost my love for the sport dealing with that injury. I considered not playing anymore.”

 

He reached out to his parents (Beth and John) as well as mindfulness guru Alex Peavey, all of whom offered support, encouragement, and counsel. He needed a reset. He needed to choose joy if he were to manage the obstacles he was encountering.

 

As the quarterback door closed, the tight end door opened.

 

Fallon had conversations with his coaches about switching positions. At 6-1, 195, he was a bit small even by D-III standards, but, hey, he reasoned, why not give it a try? After all, the Big Red’s arsenal included a ground-oriented formation called 12 Personnel which featured one running back and two tight ends. Maybe there was a place for an apt, albeit novice, pupil.

 

“I just wanted to get on the field in some way, shape, or form,” he said. “I wanted to make an impact for the team.”

 

Re-energized, he began pre-season camp in 2023 eager to fill a new and unfamiliar role, and from the bottom of the depth chart, he worked his way up to the backup spot.

 

“I was kind of shocked, actually,” he said. “Quite frankly, I didn’t know if I could pull it off. Practices were very different. I’d played quarterback my whole life. Now, I was hitting people every single day, which was very new to me. And I was starting to build some confidence.”

 

His big chance came in the Big Red’s game against College of Wooster.

 

“We’d struggled in the first half,” he said. “Nothing was working. Our pass game wasn’t working. Second half rolls around.

We went to 12 Personnel and pounded it (to the tune of 49 rushes for 234 yards in a 35-31 victory).”

 

As the season progressed, Fallon continued to earn playing time, mostly as a blocker.

 

“If we’re running 12 Personnel,” Fallon said, “what that meant for me was that I was blocking on a safety, defensive back, or outside linebacker. That wasn’t too tall an ask for my size. I don’t have the physical capabilities to block a middle linebacker or defensive end.”

 

Fallon’s wrist has healed completely, he’s now throwing regularly and throwing well, and, though he’s still listed as a tight end, he hopes to compete once again for the starting quarterback spot.

 

“It’ll definitely be a race this fall,” he said. “I’m really excited to be able to confidently compete at quarterback again. While it hasn’t been that long, it’s felt like an eternity since I was confidently myself.”

 

Enhanced by this oh, so cathartic experience, Fallon’s college football narrative continues.

 

“I’d played quarterback my entire life,” he said. “It was refreshing not being in the spotlight. At the same time, I put the same amount of responsibility on myself to do my job. Nothing changed from that point of view.

 

“I really enjoyed the games. I loved going and running my face into someone on a different team. Honestly, it was a very different sport. Everything about it was very humbling. I honestly think in the past two years, I’ve learned more than I have in my whole life about myself.”

~Weldon Bradshaw