By Ryan Barry
NEFJ Correspondent
AMHERST – Located just 6.5 miles north of the campus of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst sits Mount Sugarloaf.
With its sweeping views of the Pioneer Valley and open rock faced slopes to its south, one could say there’s enough room for a “Mount Rushmore” should anyone ever be interested in such a project.
If the UMass Athletics department were up to task, no doubt they’d etch the faces of Minutemen basketball legends Julius Erving and Marcus Camby, hockey great Cale Makar, and arguably the face of success for UMass Football, Victor Cruz.
On Saturday morning in the Campus Center Auditorium, the university honored Cruz among three others with the honor of joining their athletics hall of fame.
Joined by Chaz Williams (basketball), Michaela Butler (Diving), and Deanna Groark (Rowing), Cruz, who spent time with the program from 2005-2009, expressed incredible thanks for such an honor.
“Thank you to the university, thank you to the hall of fame committee, and thank you for allowing me up here from Patterson, New Jersey, to be part of such an illustrious list of hall of fame inductees,” opened Cruz.
Quickly after sharing his thanks, he was quick to point out how bumpy his journey initially was with the program.
“As some of my teammates have alluded to, I think I watched the movie “Blue Chips” a couple too many times before I came to UMass,” Cruz joked. “I had some academic issues and thought that if I was a highly touted football player that I would be ushered through some classes, but I found out that was very wrong very quickly.”
In his time at UMass, Cruz was sent home twice for off the field issues around academics, but feels it was these experiences that helped him grow.
“I think those things happened for a reason, for me to understand how important it is to apply yourself not just at your respective sport that you play, but from an education perspective,” said Cruz. “It’s very important to apply yourself because you never know what’s going to happen post career, you never know how long your career is going to be. I was fortunate to play eight years at the next level, I know some guys that only did one, I know some guys that never did and are still trying to figure out what they want to do, so education is a huge part of it, and even though I learned that the hard way, I figured it out.”
While at UMass, Cruz finished with 136 receptions for 1,958-yards, both of which rank him in the program’s top five all-time. He also finished with 11 touchdown receptions.
The performance Cruz is best known for in a UMass uniform came in 2008 against James Madison, where he posted a school-record 262 receiving on 13-catches, tying a school best for single-game receptions and good for fourth all-time in CAA history.
After heartfelt words for his mother who kept him on track and always supported him, Cruz gave special thanks to his father who passed away when he was just 20 years old at UMass.
“He wasn’t able to watch me, at least in-person, play at the collegiate or professional level, but I also think he had his hand on me each and every step of the way, with each and every touchdown, each and every catch, at every level from UMass all the way up to the professional ranks,” said Cruz. “I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t feel his spirit every time I laced them up out there or put my shoulder pads on.”
Cruz’s presence was immediately felt as soon as he walked into the room on Saturday morning, with his larger than life personality, and Super Bowl ring, on full display.
While a member of the New York Giants, Cruz made 303 receptions, 4,549 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. His 2011 Super Bowl winning campaign saw him finish Second-team All-Pro, and his 2012 season, where he finished with a career high 10 touchdowns, saw him earn a Pro Bowl bid.
Wrapping up his speech, Cruz sang the praises of all those in the football world that helped him reach the heights he did throughout his career.
“I’d like to thank every coach, every person that inspired me, had their hand on me, or just had faith in me,” said Cruz. “Coach Don Brown was one of those people who was my head coach at the time while I was here. He came to my house in Patterson and sat in my living room and gave his speech, his tutelage, and understood that I needed to apply myself a little bit more. He really put that catalyst behind me.”
Recently hired as a studio analyst with TNT Sports, Cruz has enjoyed his post-football life. With his foundation helping young people in educational, financial literacy, college readiness, and S.T.E.M. initiatives, he’s got plenty going for him.
As for being on that “Mount Rushmore” of UMass legends, Cruz is well aware of the company he’s joining. With his final words, he gave one more round of thanks, and a nod, to those that’ve come before him, as well as what’s ahead.
“Thank you so much again for this tremendous award and being honored with the likes of Dr. J and all these different people,” said Cruz. “ It really isn’t lost on me, my impact not only on this university, but in the world, and I look forward to continuing that as the days go on.”