A senior offensive lineman at Eastern Michigan University was surprised with a scholarship for the season, thanks to his teammate who had given up his scholarship.
According to the university, senior offensive lineman Zack Conti had been paying his own way through school while also playing football, playing in a combined 23 games over the last two seasons.
Head Coach Chris Creighton, who was aware of Conti's financial struggles, said he wanted to get a scholarship for him.
"We're at 85 scholarships; we have 85 given out, and no matter how many times or how many years I go to the NCAA and say, 'Yeah, but man, I'm just telling you we need 86. We need 86,'" Creighton said.
However, one of Conti's teammaes, Brian Dooley, walked into Creighton's office with a proposal – he would give up his scholarship so Conti could get one.
"I've talked this over with my family, and if there's a way to make this happen, I'm willing to give up my scholarship and give it to Zack," Dooley said.
Creighton was stunned and had never heard of anything like that being done before. The decision was made for it to go through, and then a surprise was put in place.
It was up to Dooley, who handed Conti a letter saying he was now on full scholarship for his senior year. The room erupted when the news came down.
"I did it because I've seen Conti grow over the years. Seeing him walk away from something that he loves did not sit well with me. He works hard and gets extra work with me all the time. In my eyes he earned it 100%, giving up my scholarship so he can stay and play means everything. I'm proud of what he has become and cannot wait to see what he does on the field," Dooley said.
