When Sam Mulroy first picked up a football in the seventh grade, he tossed it left-handed. The fact that he had thrown a baseball for years with his right hand didn’t strike him as odd.
After all, Muroy had become used to using both sides of his body. He kicked with his right foot, but wrote, brushed his teeth, and ate with his left.
Five years later, Mulroy is a unique two-sport standout at the Maret School. As a left-handed quarterback, he threw for 1,500 yards and ran for 1,010 last fall. As a right-handed throwing (and hitting) relief ace and catcher, he closed several wins with his 85 mph. fastball and batted .510 with seven home runs, drawing interest from Division I programs.
“It’s just the way it shook out,” said Mulroy, a 6-foot, 200-pounder. “When I started playing baseball, my mom had me use my right arm. When I started playing football, it was more comfortable for me to throw with my left arm.”
Mulroy can throw a baseball with his left hand, but can’t throw a football with his right.
“I don’t think about it,” said Mulroy. “It’s just how it is.”
The baseball team at the small Northwest D.C. private school won a Mid-Atlantic Conference title last year and always has been strong. Mulroy’s impact has perhaps been greater on the traditionally struggling football program. Maret’s 6-3 mark last fall was only the school’s second winning season since 1993, and its three league wins was a first-time achievement since the MAC was established in 1995.
Mulroy was a defensive back in his sophomore year. But when rookie coach Mike Engelberg arrived last season, he quickly identified Mulroy as the man to run his unique Pistol offense, a variation of the spread.
“I think he’s the best athlete this school has ever seen. As a kid, he was a ridiculous swimmer. He would have been a starter on our basketball team but he got an injury,” said sophomore tackle Teddy Echeverria. “He can make plays whenever he wants. He just gives us confidence as a team.”
SAM I AM
» Mulroy will take official visits to Princeton, William & Mary and Davidson.
» Mulroy runs the 40 in 4.6.
» In the Pistol offense, Mulroy lines up two yards behind the center, in an abbreviated shotgun, with a single fullback, two wideouts and two slot receivers.
