Foot injury ends DLS graduate's college career, but he's pushing forward
By Jay Heater
Tosh Lupoi might remember this Thanksgiving not for the usual family gatherings and blessings, but as a time when his dream died. Broken and battered from six years of college football at Cal, the former De La Salle High School star came face-to-face with the reality that his shot at professional football was toast. Even though Cal will advance to a bowl game, Lupoi's season is over. Once again, he snapped a bone in his left foot, this time against USC on Nov. 12, and the injury brought his college career to an end. Considering that he broke the bone the first time in June 2004, it's an injury that might plague him again in the future. On top of all his other injuries, the senior defensive end had to face a sobering conclusion. "I have to look myself in the mirror and know that my body is not allowing me to proceed with my dream," he said. It's a concession that would leave many athletes and their supporters in a fog. But Lupoi's Thanksgiving remained a holiday for the hope of a bright future. He is finishing off his master's degree in education and he runs a successful business -- Loyalty Kennels (loyaltykennels.net) -- with former teammate and business partner, Wendell Hunter. He also donates his time and effort to feeding hungry people, such as the food drive he organized with teammate Chase Lyman last season when both were injured or the meals he cooked for those less fortunate last summer in Oakland. "He has been an awesome guy to have around and the epitome of team above himself," Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. "Every young player should use Tosh as an example of how to work. He is the heart and soul of what goes on around here. He is a strong part of what we stand for." Coming out of De La Salle, Lupoi looked like a sure bet to get a shot at the NFL. But the injuries started in his freshman season. He tore the meniscus in his knee and had to redshirt. His second year, he broke his ribs during the season and missed two games. Early in the 2003 season, he cracked another rib. Then came the broken bone in his hand.
"I broke my hand against Arizona (Oct. 25, 2003)," he said. "It was the lower region of the hand connecting to the thumb. I had to get surgery right away, but the most important thing was to do the surgery so I could continue playing. To do that, we had to insert two screws into the hand that actually came out of the skin. That's just the way you have to fix that fracture. The screws pointed downward into my hand. "So every day I would practice with it and it would bleed a whole lot, like a fresh wound every day because the screws would rub around. After practice, we would saw off the cast, clean the wound and re-wrap it. Every morning, we would re-cast it. We did that every day for seven weeks. "After the season, I had used my hand way too much and I had bent the screws inside. The fracture was no longer fixed, so it had to be rebroken with new screws put into it." Lupoi's senior season was supposed to be Cal's 10-1 season of 2004, but he had to sit out. "I cracked the bone in my foot that June and they put a screw in it immediately," he said. "I tried to come back way too soon. I was trying so hard to play in the opener against Air Force that I rebroken it. It was the last day of camp in August." He was forced to sit out the year and apply to the NCAA for a sixth season, a request that was granted. But while training for the 2005 season in July, Lupoi tore his medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He tried to play with the injury without success. "That put me out four games," he said. "The game I came back, UCLA, I cracked my ribs. You just have to roll with it. I didn't miss any more games." Not until USC, when he broke his foot again. "I came off the ball, stepped vertically, and the bone snapped right through," he said. "I felt it, but I finished out the play. When that bone breaks, it starts bleeding a lot. I played about three more plays and my coach (defensive line coach Ken Delgado) noticed I was limping. As I limped off, I pretty much knew I had broken my foot again. "I've been through so much and I've dealt with the injuries. Basically, you use each and every one as a growing experience. Basically, that's life. Unfortunate things happen. I've learned you have to overcome it." Lupoi overcomes his problems by focusing on positive things he can do. "One thing that is important to me is being productive at all times," he said. "So I am applying to be a graduate assistant at Cal." He will learn to coach as well as continue his business breeding American pitbull terriers. His business, started last January, has taken off with the help of excellent advice from Cal alumni who have started their own businesses. "I think the best thing about Cal is the relationships that develop," Lupoi said. "My experience was awesome." So Lupoi says not to feel bad for him because he's been through some hard times. "Being on crutches right now, that's worse than a day when I can walk," he said. "But any day that my mom's cooking, that's a good day."
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