Five things you might not know about Troy Fumagalli

The Broncos chose Troy Fumagalli in the fifth round of this year’s draft, and he could see significant playing time in his rookie season. Jake Butt, a second-year tight end who is yet to see the field, is set to take the starting job, leaving Fumagalli to fight for the backup spot with Jeff Heuerman and Austin Traylor.

Here are five things to know about Troy Fumagalli:

HE WAS A WALK-ON

Fumagalli wasn’t a highly-rated recruit out of high school, mostly because he didn’t seem big enough to play big-time college football. He walked on at Wisconsin as a 6-foot-4, 215-pound tight end and redshirted his freshman year.

By his second year in Madison, Fumagalli had grown an inch and gained nearly 30 pounds. He contributed as a redshirt freshman, then took over as a starter the next year—with a scholarship in hand.

Fumagalli’s nearly declared for the 2017 draft, following a second-team All-Big Ten season, capped off with a Cotton Bowl MVP award. He opted to return and was named a first-team preseason All-American by ESPN and Sports Illustrate, and second-team by the Associated Press and Pro Football Focus.

He didn’t end the season on any All-America lists, but he did put up respectable numbers. He caught 46 passes for 547 yards for four touchdowns, good enough for a first-team All-Big Ten nod and the Kwalick-Clark Award for the conference’s best tight end. He beat out Penn State’s Mike Gesicki—the Miami Dolphins’ second-round pick—and succeeded Jake Butt, the winner in 2015 and 2016.

That’s quite a resumé for a former-walk on.

HE HAS AN IN WITH HIS COACH

For the last three years of his college career, Fumagalli played for head coach Paul Chryst.

Does the name ‘Chryst’ ring a bell?

If it does, that’s probably because Paul is the brother of Geep Chryst, the Broncos’ tight ends coach.

Fumagalli’s college coach, Paul, ascended through the coaching ranks primarily as a tight ends coach himself. He’s produced numerous pro tight ends, including the former-Bronco Owen Daniels.

HE ONLY HAS NINE FINGERS

Troy Fumagalli has great hands. He’s made some spectacular one-handed grabs, and he’s brought down his fair share of jump balls.

But he’s done all of that without the index finger on his left hand.

Fumagalli suffered from amniotic band syndrome, the same condition that caused new Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin to lose his hand as a child. Fumagalli’s finger was removed a few days after he was born because an amniotic band had wrapped around it and cut off circulation while he was in the womb.

While there are some obvious drawbacks to only having nine fingers, there was also one big advantage: He had amazing movement on his pitches as a left-handed flamethrower. In fact, his pitching was so good that he may have landed a baseball scholarship if it weren’t for an injury to his throwing elbow.

“I couldn’t throw anything straight,” Fumagalli told ESPN. “It would always move. I think that helped me out. They say when you throw a curveball, all the pressure comes off the middle finger and you kind of play around with that. That helped me out a bunch.”

Last month, the Milwaukee Brewers invited him to throw out the first pitch before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals:

FUUUUUUUUM‼️⚾️🔥

“I let it rip.” What grade we giving @TroyFumagalli for his ceremonial first pitch at the #BrewersOpener? Check it out from @Big_Cheeks34’s view. pic.twitter.com/ucXrGn7oil

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) April 2, 2018

HE PLAYED THROUGH A HERNIA

A sports hernia kept Fumagalli off the field for the combine and his Pro Day, but it didn’t stop him from playing in the Orange Bowl.

The 6-foot-5, 248-pound tight end was in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl, playing for the Broncs-coached North team. The injury prevented him from playing in the actual game, but he was one of the standouts in the practices leading up to it.

Fumagalli had surgery to repair the hernia earlier this offseason and is expected to be back to full-speed in the next week or two.

HE’S A DEEP SEA FISHERMAN

Fumagalli caught three passes in Wisconsin’s 34-24 win over Miami in the Orange Bowl—all of which came late in the fourth quarter drive that iced the game—but his biggest catch came a few nights before the game.

A few Badgers, including Fumagalli, chartered a fishing boat after arriving in Miami and spent a night trying their luck in the Atlantic.

The result?

Make the trip to Miami ❄️✈️☀️
Practice for @OrangeBowl 🍊✔️

Go deep-sea fishing and catch a 450lb hammerhead… 🦈✔️ pic.twitter.com/tIYgOZfs5g

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) December 27, 2017