Rob McHugh
will be back

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Now it looks like Rob McHugh’s decision was a good one, though it didn’t start out that way.
McHugh, a 2003 graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School, transferred from Lehigh University to Widener University after his freshman year.
The Fox Chase resident switched schools to enroll in Widener’s criminal justice program. He also brought along his powerful kicking leg.
But shortly before Widener’s first football game during McHugh’s sophomore year — and his first with the team — that powerful leg lost plenty of power.
"I tore my quadriceps on my kicking leg," McHugh said. "It hurt. It was the last practice before my first game with the school and I couldn’t play.
"They said I could try to rehab it, but instead I decided to red-shirt and miss the year," he explained. "It takes about a year to fully recover from the injury, and I really wanted to have more time, so I just sat out the year, focused on school and then came out my junior year."
It might have been a painful journey, but McHugh isn’t living in the past. In May, he graduated with a degree in criminal justice. But because of his injury, he still has a year of eligibility. This fall, the punter will pursue his master’s degree while doing his best to resume a successful football career.
During his senior year at McDevitt, McHugh was the first-team All-Catholic selection at kicker and punter in the league’s Blue Division.
Last year at Widener, he averaged 36 yards per punt, was selected as the special team’s most valuable player and landed nearly one-third of his punts inside his opponents’ 20-yard line.
"That was my thing," McHugh said. "Different situations call for different kinds of punts. Sometimes, especially if we were playing a team with a fast return guy, I’d kick it out of bounds. Other times I’d try to hang it up in the center. Every team, every punt is different."
McHugh graduated cum laude at Widener and was honored with the Patricia Blair Criminal Justice Award, given to the senior with the highest grade-point average in that major.
Like football, school is pretty easy when you have a passion for it.
"Criminal justice was something I’ve always wanted to study," he said. "I think every kid has that phase where they want to either be a policeman or a fireman. I never got out of that phase. It’s a cool job, and it’s something I’d love to do with the rest of my life. That’s really the only reason I transferred to Widener, and I’m happy I did it."
But the football part paid off too.
"Widener is the perfect fit because it’s pretty much a bunch of city guys," McHugh said. "Most of the guys on the team are (Philadelphia Catholic League) guys. We got guys from all over Philadelphia; most of the guys I either played against in the Blue (division) or are guys I knew from the Red. It’s a really nice fit for me."
The summer has been a busy time for McHugh. During the day he works as a camp counselor, playing sports with children at Philadelphia Academy Charter. At night he gets a little head start on his future.
"I work security at the Tweeter Center," he said of the Camden arena. "Most of the time it’s a pretty good job. There are days when you work all day long, but most of the time it’s pretty good.
"We got a Marilyn Manson concert coming up, and I’m not looking forward to that," he said with a laugh. "But really, the people there are usually pretty cool, they’re just there to watch the show.
"And the camp job is great," he said. "Those kids keep you in shape. I get to play sports with them and have fun. It’s the perfect summer job." ••
Joe Mason can be reached at joemason70@hotmail.com