Outer Strength, Inner Fortitude Fuel Senior's Perseverance
9/10/2008 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 10, 2008
By Matt Bixenstine, Athletics Media Relations Staff
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Rick Costa's name sits immortalized atop performance charts adorning the weight room walls at Gossett Team House, a testament to the senior's longtime devotion to building strength. Yet no amount of squats or sets of bench presses could have prepared Costa for the unpredictable journey his collegiate football career has taken.
The son of a former competitive bodybuilder, Costa has been lifting weights for as long as he can remember and possesses rare physical strength with his 6-foot-1, 225-pound chiseled frame. It has, however, been Costa's inner-strength that truly has been tested during his last several seasons on the football field.
Enduring multiple injuries, position changes and a transfer during the course of his career, the Moorestown, N.J., native appears to have finally found a home this season for the Terps playing LEO, a hybrid defensive end-linebacker position that is critical to the success of the team's defense.
"Rick's had to overcome a lot to get to where he is, and I think that speaks to the type of guy he is," outside linebackers coach Al Seamonson said. "If he can stay healthy, he can be a great weapon for our defense this season."
Costa transferred from Temple University to Maryland in 2004, joining his younger brother, Phil, on the Terrapins squad. Unlike his brother, though, Rick Costa arrived in College Park as a walk-on and had to play his way into receiving a scholarship.
After sitting out the 2005 season to comply with NCAA transfer rules, Costa recovered from a shoulder injury in time to serve as a reserve strong-side linebacker during the 2006 campaign, tallying 12 tackles and tying for the team lead with two fumble recoveries.
At the coaching staff's request, Costa moved to weak-side linebacker prior to last season, and his junior campaign started promisingly. Costa played in the first six games and registered a sack of All-America quarterback Pat White during the Terps' game against West Virginia Sept. 13.
That promise, however, soon faded, as Costa's season was derailed by injury. Earning his first career start Oct. 6 against Georgia Tech, Costa suffered a neck injury during the first quarter that would shelve him for the remainder of the season.
Through it all, Phil Costa, a junior offensive lineman, has been there to support his older brother during times of adversity. The siblings have lived together each of their four years in College Park and currently share a residence with defensive end Jeremy Navarre and linebacker Alex Wujciak.
"I can't say that everything's gone as planned, but that's part of playing football," Rick Costa said. "But being able to play and live with my brother - I couldn't ask for more. We're very close, and that's meant a lot to me."
That the Costas were reunited on the football field as collegians has been a dream come true following years of shared memories playing together at the peewee and prep levels, and the brothers soon realized their competitive sibling rivalry still exists.
"It's always fun in practice when we get to hit each other because we both know we're always going to get each other's best shot," Phil Costa said. "When Rick's healthy, he can hit with the best of them."
Staying healthy, indeed, remains a top priority for Rick Costa heading into his final season. The injury-plagued senior has recovered from off-season shoulder surgery and has switched positions yet again, shifting to LEO as the Terps hope to capitalize on his versatility.
Rick Costa's combination of size and strength make him an ideal candidate for the job, as he possesses the ability to rush the passer, defend the run or drop back in pass coverage depending on the situation. He is expected to share time with the incumbent LEO, senior Trey Covington.
"That's a position that doesn't leave the field, and it requires a guy to do many things well on every play," Seamonson said. "With him and Trey, it gives us a one-two punch and a chance to have playmakers there that we haven't really had since the days of Shawne Merriman."
For Rick Costa, simply being healthy and having an opportunity to spend another season on the gridiron with his teammates has made him eternally grateful. In addition to his brother, he credits their parents, Dr. Richard and Helen Costa, for fueling his steadfast determination to continue living out his dreams playing college football.
Formerly named Mr. New Jersey in 1980 for his bodybuilding prowess, Richard instilled the art of pumping iron upon his sons at a young age.
"He's taught us everything we know about lifting," Rick Costa said. "We have picture of Phil and me doings squats when we were seven or eight years old."
To this day his weight lifting regimen continues to serve Rick Costa well in football, but it has been strength of a different sort that has enabled him to persevere in the game he loves. And that inner fortitude is the reason Rick Costa takes the field with the Terrapins today.
