ORONO, Maine — Kris Enslen is on borrowed time when it comes to football.
His left knee has been surgically repaired twice after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament.
This week, the University of Maine senior hopes to make it through his fifth consecutive game, a feat he has accomplished only once in four seasons.
“The doctor said, ‘You’re capable of playing. It won’t be comfortable, but you can still do it,’” Enslen said of his return in 2012. “I didn’t want to walk away from the sport I’d been playing my whole life.”
He will have extra motivation Saturday when coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears travel to Enslen’s home state of Delaware for a 3:30 p.m. Colonial Athletic Association game against the Blue Hens.
“It’s pretty cool to play there, considering I played high school football a couple miles down the road,” said Enslen, who attended Caravel Academy in Bear, Del. “I have a lot of family coming to the game and a lot of old friends.”
Enslen, who has been part of the Black Bears’ defensive line rotation this fall, has been in on eight tackles, including a sack. Despite lingering knee issues, he is doing whatever he can to contribute.
“I think it’s a huge credit to him to persevere through the injuries, to work, to drive himself, to rehabilitate himself to get back to play a very physical game,” Cosgrove said.
“Kris has really fought and fought and fought,” he added.
Enslen realizes he is fortunate to be playing at all.
“Coming back to this [preseason] camp, I was ready to play but I wasn’t sure how my knee would hold up,” Enslen said. “There were a couple times during camp where I actually thought about retiring.”
After speaking with a lot of people, including some friends whose careers had been cut short by injury, he decided to continue.
“He’s had perhaps as many reps in rehab and treatment as he has had on the field,” Cosgrove said.
Enslen, who is 6-foot-5 and has bulked up to 265 pounds, has moved from end to defensive tackle. It is a new challenge.
“At tackle, you can get double-teamed any play,” he offered. “There’s a big guy outside of you and a big guy inside of you. It’s a totally different mindset.”
Cosgrove explained that Enslen, because of his physical limitations, has become a specialist who plays primarily in UMaine’s third-down package. He is on the field for 25-30 plays, but still has an impact.
“He brings a lot to that role with his toughness and his athleticism,” Cosgrove said. “Kris plays with an emotional toughness, head to toe. It’s recognizable every Saturday.”
UMaine’s coaches and trainers have done everything possible to keep Enslen on two feet. That includes limiting his participation during practice.
“They understand that you’ve got to practice but, at the end of the day, we want you to play on Saturday,” Enslen said.
Enslen was a late addition to UMaine’s 2008 recruiting class. In addition to football he wrestled and was an accomplished 110-meter hurdler (at about 220 pounds).
He was being recruited for football, mostly as a walk-on, but the Black Bears saw potential and offered him a sizeable scholarship.
Enslen earned a spot in the defensive end rotation as a redshirt freshman in 2009. He was already playing through a shoulder injury suffered during preseason when he tore his ACL in the fifth game of the season.
That was three years ago on Wednesday.
He said the first time wasn’t so bad, especially since teammates and roommates Jeff Falvey and Warren Smith also wound up injured and having surgery that season.
“We were always together, crutching around campus together,” Enslen said. “It was kind of funny and embarrassing.”
Enslen worked his way back after surgery and returned in 2010 to play 10 games, matching his career high with 25 tackles.
The following spring, he tore his ACL for a second time, the first such recurrence for the doctor who had performed the surgery, Enslen said.
“It’s the sport of football. We all know the risks,” he said.
That left Enslen back on the shelf, but he gradually got healthy again. He received medical clearance to play prior to the 2011 regular-season finale at New Hampshire.
He credited his parents, Jim and Peggy Enslen, along with his coaches and teammates, for helping him make it through the rehabilitation a second time.
“The mental part of injuries is way worse than the physical part,” Enslen said. “It was a struggle.”
Enslen finally played in the season-ending Football Championship Subdivision playoff game at Georgia Southern.
“I think I got nine reps [plays] in there. It was cool to be in that atmosphere, at that stadium,” Enslen said.
63 players on scholarship? How many do they need? Who pays for this?
Maybe with more scholarships, the team would be more successful, draw more fans, and in turn make money for UMaine. A good business doesn’t just cut a program because it’s losing money, it figures out how to turn losses into profits. If you spent half the time you do complaining about Maine Athletics working towards a college education, you might learn that.
An Issue I have it is done with My money And the money I will pay if I send my son to UMaine. If it is a for profit Business then I have no issue let them pay taxes lives everyone else. How is losing $870,000 plus In a year being successful at anything except spending money? School is about indoctrination . My son In first grade learned about Columbus . In the play ground he would Say I am Columbus . His name is Christopher. Being 1/4 native american . I had to explain to him how some things his teacher teaches are to make it sound good. I had to have a talk with his teacher Columbus was a brave explorer set of to find a new land. Hitler was a brave man and also was nice to Ava Braun also we do not celibrate him. Both men were genocidal maniacs . Except Columbus won. Someone who fed native babies as dog food is no hero in my book. So glad I have an IQ in the 70s back in first grade of maybe I would have been smart and got indoctrinated . The problem with democracy is talk with the average voter for 5 minutes. people are so selfish and Gready. I would have no issue for player on scholarship For player from the lower middle class to the poor with above average SAT scores only. Maybe what 20% of players? I will not get into my personal issue with Cosgrove on here . But lets say this he already got enough of my money before he gets the tax dollars he gets from me to loose games .
If a good Business can not make a profit in one area it get cut. If I sell shoes and loose millions year after year of money on flip flops they will not be not on my self .