For any athlete at UCLA, it is tough to handle the rigorous schedule of practices, workouts, meetings and class.
For Darius Savage, multiply that strenuous schedule by two and you would have a better idea what he has been through during his career so far at UCLA.
The sophomore from San Diego has spent his first two years as a Bruin shuffling his focus from the Rose Bowl to Drake Stadium, balancing his life between football and track and field.
This spring quarter, everything has been crammed into one. With the track season in full swing and the start of spring practice, this is the first time Savage has had to deal with both sports at the same time.
“It’s pretty busy,” Savage said. “It’s probably been the hardest few weeks for me athletically.”
It is not an easy schedule. Football workouts in the mornings. Class during the day. Track practice Mondays and Wednesdays. Football practice three times a week. Lifting and conditioning. Tutoring and meetings. After some reading and a little time to relax, it’s finally time for bed.
Although it seems like a lot, Savage seems to have handled everything well, and he is excelling on the football field and in the throwing circle.
After spending last football season as a part of the scout team on both lines, he has come into his own this year and will likely be starting as a guard on the offensive line next fall.
In the winter, Savage had a great indoor track season, earning a trip to the NCAA Championships and scoring in the shot put. Now, in the middle of the outdoor season, he will set his sights on becoming one of the top throwers in the nation.
“To sustain the academic requirements and do both sports at a high level is very, very, difficult,” track coach Art Venegas said. “He’s a very gifted individual that way, not just a great athlete but an organized and dedicated person.”
Two is nothing new
Growing up in an athletic family laid the foundation for success for Savage.
His mother LaDene played volleyball, softball and track in college. His father Robert played football for Fresno State.
Following in his parents’ footsteps, Savage was able to stay committed to different sports throughout his childhood.
Savage started competing in track when he was 8 years old, but did not play football until the ninth grade, since he was too big and would have had to play with 16-year-olds, the highest division in Pop Warner.
“Being a mom, my mom didn’t want me to (play football) against 16-year-olds,” Savage said. “So I needed to find something else to do, and track was the only thing.”
That decision paid off and led Savage to Morse High School where he started football under his father and also played basketball, in addition to track.
“My dad said that I was saving my body for high school and making it in college,” Savage said. “And I’m here now, and my body is fine.”
He was rated a four-star recruit by Scout.com, the No. 42 defensive tackle by Rivals.com, and earned All-State and All-Section honors for football.
Savage came to Westwood as the 2006 California state champion in the shot put and the 2005 and 2006 state champion in discus. He also holds a number of Morse records, as well as the No. 3 California high school mark in the shot put and the No. 2 national high school mark in the discus.
“I think it’s fun balancing more that one sport,” Savage said. “I did it all through high school, and now I’m here doing both.”
Lineman extraordinaire
Savage did not start out on top in the UCLA football program.
Like a lot of incoming freshman, Savage did not see much playing time and spent time on the scout team on offensive and defensive lines last season.
With the coaching change this season, Savage chose to participate in spring ball, something he did not do last year.
The change of coaches also changed Savage’s prospects with the team.
Savage started at guard during the spring scrimmage and looks to hold that position until the fall.
“I expect him to be a starting football player and become a dominant football player,” coach Rick Neuheisel said. “If he does what we ask him to do and works at it like he’s capable of working at it, I’d be shocked if he doesn’t have a long career.”
Solely concentrating on offensive line and finding a definite position, Savage has been working hard in the new system and helping the team in every way he can.
“My goal is to help this offensive line prove everybody wrong,” Savage said. “All the critics, the media, have said we can’t do it, but I want to show them we can.”
Track star
Entering UCLA as a state champion may have created a little extra pressure to put up big marks, but Savage has remained calm and has let his performance speak for himself.
In his first season at the collegiate level, Savage qualified for West Regionals, finished eighth in the shot put and discus at the Pac-10 Championships, and won the “B” section of the discus at the Texas Relays.
This year, as he has in football, Savage has grown to be one of the top competitors in a Bruin uniform.
Savage earned All-American honors after finishing sixth in the shot put at the Indoor Championships and placed second at the Cal/Nevada Championship meet.
“We hope that he will be a factor at the national level,” Venegas said.
A two-sport future?
UCLA has a rich tradition of great multi-sport athletes, including Jackie Robinson (baseball, basketball, football, track and field) and Jonathan Ogden (football, track and field), and Savage would like to join that select group.
Despite conflicting schedules and commitments, the coaches from both teams support Savage’s endeavors and have been working together to help the transition between sports go smoothly.
“We have had a lot of great dual-sport athletes here at UCLA, and when you’re accomplished enough to be good at both, you deserve to be,” Neuheisel said.
Venegas echoed Neuheisel’s sentiments and is proud to have Savage on his team.
“I think (Savage) should do track to make himself a better football player,” Venegas said. “Coach Neuheisel and I are working very strongly to do more of that in the future.”
With the track season heating up, Savage hopes to place his mark on the national rankings and make it to the Olympic trials. Competing in both the shot put and discus, Savage has put up some impressive marks and his goals match his size: big.
“I want to be an All-American in both the shot put and the discus,” Savage said. “I want to hit those top marks.”
While competing in two sports is possible in college, the same will not be true in the future. Financially, there is more to gain from football, so that would seem to be the more logical choice for Savage.
But Savage is not thinking about that now. He is too busy thinking about the dual meet against USC this weekend and moving onto nationals.
He also enjoys both sports and is still torn between the two.
“I wouldn’t be able to choose,” Savage said. “It’s like having two things you love and you can’t let go because you want them both.”