After an immobile three years, Milton Mamula fell in love with the weight room as soon as he was physically able to pump iron consistently for the first time.
After spending most of his freshman and sophomore years “laying on the couch” as he recovered from a broken back, the senior at Episcopal Academy in suburban Philadelphia felt his drive ignited. His love of training stems from his ultimate goal of playing in the NFL so to finally be pursuing that goal motivated Mamula.
When he finally could train this past fall, the 6-foot-3 defensive end reported to the weight room daily, preparing himself for a final prep season that saw him eventually notch 15.5 sacks.
So when Mamula first stepped foot in Montana’s pristine new Champions Center, saw the state of the art weight room within and met UM strength and conditioning coach Matt Nicholson, the 230-pound pass rusher knew he had found his perfect fit.
“Really when I first walked into that weight room, that really sold me and I know I’ll make that my second home,” said Mamula, who verbally committed to Bobby Hauck and the Griz during his official visit the weekend of January 26. “Seeing a good weight room, a new weight room along with a really good strength and conditioning coach, that sold it for me.
“The people, the coach, the area too — it was surrounded by mountains, really beautiful — and more of the facilities were great. The stadium, the locker room were all impressive. But the weight room, that’s where I will live.”
Mamula first landed on Hauck’s radar before Hauck returned to Montana. At San Diego State, Hauck’s younger brother Tim, a former 13-year NFL veteran who is now the safeties coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, let Bobby know about Mamula. Milton’s father, Mike, was the No. 7 overall draft pick by the Eagles in 1996.
Mike Mamula played six seasons in Philly before injuries ended his career abruptly. He spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons playing with Tim Hauck. Mike and Milton have had dinner with Tim on several occasions. Tim helped connect the Mamulas with Bobby at SDSU. Two days after Bobby was hired as the head coach at Montana, he offered Milton a scholarship.
Mamula currently holds offers from UM, Rhode Island, Bucknell, Navy, Duquesne, New Hampshire, Saint Francis, Bryant and a preferred walk-on offer from Michigan.
“Those were all fairly good schools but none of them can compete with the facilities, the coaching and the people in Montana,” Mamula said.
The injury bug first bit his freshman year. Mamula suffered a fracture to his L4 and L5 vertebrae that basically rendered him “stuck to the couch for two full years.” The physical therapy to remedy his injury brought him all the way up to the opening of fall camp before his junior year. He hasn’t spent hardly any time running or participating in football-related activities.
His return came too quickly. Mamula suffered a broken foot that cost him junior year.
“I wasn’t on anyone’s radar because nobody had really heard of me,” Mamula said. “After the season, I had to get surgery for the foot and that took me out from November all the way until late August of senior year. I couldn’t go to camps or play so my name wasn’t out there at all.”
Even with dealing with the disappointment and depression that comes with significant injury, Mamula never lost confidence in his abilities. He “jumped into” his senior year and stayed largely healthy, piling up 15.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss for the prestigious prep school. His success provided a sense of relief but also left him wondering what might have been.
“I was on the shelf for three and a half years and that was very frustrating because I know I’m a good football player, I can be the best athlete on the field but I couldn’t prove any of that,” Mamula said. “I’m happy I had a healthy senior season to show a little bit of that but it would’ve been better if I would’ve played all four years.
“I don’t want to think about that because right now, I’m in a perfect place. If I did play another year, I do think things would be a lot different but I’m happy with where it left me. Everything happens for a reason and I’m left with a great school, great facilities and a great coaching staff.
“My goal, my dream is to play in the NFL like my dad. I think it was a blessing in disguise.”
Mike Mamula was first-team All-Big East selection as a senior at Boston College in 1994. At the NFL combine, he had a legendary performance, running 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash, notching a vertical leap of 38.5 inches, broad jumping 10 feet, five inches, pumping out 28 repeitions of 225-pound bench press and scoring a 49 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, the second-highest mark of all time.
He was selected behind Ki-Jana Carter, Tony Boselli, Steve McNair, Michael Westbrook, Kerry Collins and Kevin Carter and ahead of NFL Hall of Famers Warren Sapp, Ty Law, Derek Brooks, Curtis Martin and Terrell Davis in the 1995 NFL Draft.
He was productive throughout his career, logging 31.5 sacks and forcing eight fumbles in six seasons. He had eight sacks in 1996 and 8.5 in 1999. He was forced to retire in 2000 because of injuries.
Injuries have haunted Milton’s career thus far as well, but his father’s example has been his motivation.
“It was easy: look at what my dad was and I want to be better than him so every day, I think about being better, getting better, bigger, faster and stronger,” Mamula said. “I think back and I had a dream ever since I could hold a football. That dream never went away for me. I just kept pushing through every day.”
Mike accompanied Milton to Missoula earlier this month. They spent time with Hauck and new UM defensive line coach Barry Sacks, a veteran coach Milton said he is excited to work with.
Episcopal Academy has been named the top academic prep school in the country by multiple news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal so Mamula comes to Montana adequately prepared for the business degree he intends to pursue.
He will play defensive end with a priority on rushing the passer in Hauck’s defense. After a high school career ravaged by ailments, Mamula is eager to prove himself once again.
“It means a whole lot, especially with what I’ve been through,” Mamula said. “The thing I love about Montana, what I keep hearing from the coaches, the players, everyone is that the fan base is amazing. I love to play under a lot of support and I feel like I’m going to get that in Montana.
“All the times laying on the coach when I could be working out, running, doing something, I thought about how hard I would train when I could. I’m happy it’s all over. That dream helped me push through. That was the start. This is the beginning. A little part of my dream came true: going to college and playing football at a really good school.”
Photos contributed by Mamula or attributed. All Rights Reserved.
