Despite hailing from northeast Philadelphia, Chris “McD” McMonagle doesn’t shy away from his roots, regardless of the bad reputation that precedes people from Philly.
“I was born and raised in the Chalfont section of northeast Philly,” said McMonagle.
“I wear where I’m from on my shoulder on and off the field.”
When he’s on the field, McMonagle does indeed show that Philly attitude.
He doesn’t avoid the tension and the heated exchanges; he embraces them in an effort to fuel his energy and to get to the ball carrier.
Most importantly, he strives to bring a smile to the face of his biggest inspiration: his father.
“My father had me playing sports at the club house down the street since I was four and I never stopped playing,” he said.
He is my biggest influence because he works really hard to make sure me and my siblings have the chance to do the things that interest us.”
But his father wasn’t the only one who noticed Chris’athletic ability.
His coaches at Archbishop Ryan High School had a lot to do with his football aptitude, molding him into the player he is for the Golden Bears.
“They stayed on me constantly. They always made sure my grades were where they
needed to be and they always wanted me to progress.”
When asked why he thought his coaches hounded him as hard as they did, he said, “I think they probably saw something in me and didn’t want me to slack off from my work, both in class and on the practice field. They were big believers in me I think because of my size and my tackling ability.”
McMonagle’s coaches back in high school seem to have not misplaced their trust in him – his 6’3” and 250lb frame helped KU during their 2015 season.
He tallied 30 tackles, 7.5 of them for losses, while also scoring 3.5 sacks.
“Overall, I am happy about my performance this year. I played pretty well but there’s always room for improvement. As of right now, I’m just trying to get back into the gym and get better each day. I’m really hyped for next season.”
The communications major has been trying to complete a comeback from an injury he suffered his during his freshman year.
He says it is a true “blessing” that he was able to return.
“During my freshman year at KU, I hurt my lower back and was done for the year. I took the next two seasons off and didn’t think I was playing again. My father and my cousin really pushed me to come back out and I did. I truly missed it,” said McMonagle.