By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Damian Maldonado wasn’t planning on playing football when his career at Brownsville Veterans Memorial began four years ago.
He was focused on basketball, where he became a four-year letterman and one of the top players in the Rio Grande Valley. But when he was a freshman, Chargers football coach David Cantu told him “the door is always open,” and Maldonado’s friends talked him into hitting the gridiron. He became a force there, too.
Cantu called Maldonado instrumental in the Chargers winning two district championships, and Maldonado earned first-team all-district honors as a tight end/wide receiver twice. Now, Maldonado is heading to the NCAA Division I ranks to play football for the University of Texas-El Paso as a preferred walk-on.
“It’s a surreal feeling. I had no idea that I would be playing college football,” Maldonado said. “Once this opportunity came around, I realized it was the best for me. I changed my perspective on who I am as a person. I’m not a basketball player anymore. I have to change how I train and love the sport because I’m going to be doing a lot more football stuff now.”
Cantu described Maldonado as the “prototypical tight end” because of his large frame, strong hands and reliability on the field. He said UTEP offensive coordinator Mike Canales first became interested in Maldonado during a visit to the Valley almost two years ago.
Maldonado was used in a variety of roles for the Chargers, including on special teams. He said he’s willing to take the field in any position for the Miners to prove his worth and fight for playing time. Cantu believes Maldonado has all the “immeasurable characteristics” necessary to make it as a walk-on and eventually earn a scholarship.
“He developed a certain tenacity and confidence about the game of football, and towards the end of his senior year he was, in my opinion, the best player on the field,” Cantu said. “We did a lot of things with him this year as an H-back or tight end where he’s up front blocking linebackers, blocking defensive ends, and you could see that the more he did it and the more success he had, he just started to unleash on opponents. That’s when I knew that he really could play at a high level. (The UTEP coaches) saw his video from our last few games, and they knew they wanted him to be a Miner.”
Maldonado began playing football at a young age for his uncles, Gilbert and Joey Flores. He thanked a variety of Chargers coaches, including basketball coach Larry Gibson, for helping him become a better athlete and person throughout his high school career. He called himself fortunate to have had “a lot of positive role models” in his life who have prepared him for what’s coming next.
He has been talking with Los Fresnos graduate Eloy Atkinson, who also went to UTEP as a preferred walk-on, to get some insight on the Miners football program. Maldonado said he’s going to focus on getting stronger in his first year and is considering redshirting because of the uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the upcoming season.
Maldonado will be studying biology at UTEP and plans to go into the medical field when his playing days are over. He knows some challenges lie ahead, but he’s excited to take on this next chapter of life and make a name for himself with the Miners, just like he did as a two-sport standout at Brownsville Veterans.
“I’m thankful to my parents. They would drive me everywhere, they paid for tournaments, for practices, training, camps, they did all this stuff to help me succeed in basketball, and it actually worked out for football. It all led up to getting a DI football offer,” Maldonado said. “Everything just fell into place and it worked out the best for me, and I’m really grateful for that. Now I just got to take full advantage of the opportunity I have and just try to make people proud.”