Hokies walk-on gets his name called
Alex Markogiannakis had been better known for his big name and small stature before his key touchdown for Tech on Saturday.
By MARK BERMAN
THE ROANOKE TIMES
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The little walk-on with the long name made a big play.
Alex Markogiannakis, who is called "Alphabet Boy" and "Midget" by his teammates, scored on a 25-yard fumble recovery in his starting debut Saturday. It was a pivotal touchdown in the fifth-ranked Hokies' 30-0 win over Western Michigan.
It was also a gratifying conclusion to years of frustration for Markogiannakis, a fifth-year senior who is still a nonscholarship player.
"A lot of my hard work paid off," said Markogiannakis, a middle linebacker from Chantilly. "It's just a really good feeling that I could step in and not disappoint my teammates and myself and my coaches."
Markogiannakis is only 5-foot-9, a major reason he didn't get any Division I-A scholarship offers and then had to wait until this season to get significant playing time at Tech.
"He just hung in there," Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "He's a short fellow, but he's not short on effort and he's not short on heart."
"You guys might want to do a movie [on him] and get out of this business," defensive coordinator Bud Foster told reporters after the game.
Markogiannakis' touchdown was probably the turning point of the game.
After Tech scored its first touchdown, the Broncos began their next series at their own 33. Tech defensive end Nathaniel Adibi chased down quarterback Jon Drach from behind and sacked him, forcing the fumble. The ball bounced off the artificial turf and into the hands of Markogiannakis at the WM 25. He ran up the left sideline for the touchdown to extend the lead to 16-0 with 1:21 left in the second quarter.
"That kind of broke their back a little bit right before halftime," Markogiannakis said. "I saw Adibi run him down and then I just saw the ball and ran. ... I was bobbling it the whole time. It was ugly, but it was six."
Markogiannakis, whose name is so long that the last two letters on the back of his jersey are on his right shoulder, is the son of immigrants. In 1975, his father immigrated to the United States from Crete and his mother immigrated to Canada from Cypress. The couple met in Canada at a wedding, where his mother's sister married a friend of his father.
Markogiannakis was an all-state linebacker as a senior at Robinson High School, helping his 14-0 team win the 1997 Group AAA Division 6 title. He had more than 200 tackles that year, but his only Division I scholarship offers were partial offers from two I-AA schools, James Madison and Delaware.
"If I was 6-3, I'm sure I would've gotten offered by a lot of D-I-A schools," said Markogiannakis, who weighs 204 pounds. "That was a really frustrating time for me."
He was invited to be a walk-on at Tech, where his best friend, Chris Krebs, was on the team. His parents were willing to pick up the tab; his father owns a company that makes kitchen-counter tops and his mother works for an engineering firm.
Markogiannakis played in four games in 1999, another four in 2000 and five last year. He did not see any action in the second half of last season - and was still doing double duty with the junior varsity team last year.
"My size has a lot to do it," he said. "A lot of people don't normally see a 5-9 linebacker at a Division I-A school.
"I was frustrated a little bit. The only reason I stuck with it was because I knew I could play. The only reason I wasn't playing before was because I had good players ahead of me."
He moved up to the second team this season. He earned the starting nod Saturday because Mikal Baaqee was sidelined with an ankle injury.
"I was nervous" at the start of the game, said Markogiannakis. "I had a lot of adrenaline going. I got lucky - my number got called."
In the first quarter, he helped Cols Colas bring down running back Philip Reed, whose fumble was forced by Colas. It was a good assist for someone who was nicknamed "The Tick" by Foster.
"He said when I tackle people, I just stick to 'em - just take them down, like ticks suck your blood out," Markogiannakis said.
His touchdown came in the next quarter. He had dreamed Friday night he would make a big play.
"I dreamed I got an interception, not a fumble," he said.
He's not complaining. He's not even going to start lobbying the coaches for a scholarship.
"If they decide to maybe give me some money, that'd be great," he said. "If not, I'm not going to hold anything against anybody. They gave me the opportunity to come here."
And he made the most of it.
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