ECU's Milner provides lesson on overcoming obstacles

East Carolina junior defensive lineman Matt Milner faced a barrage of questions Friday from students at Annunciation Catholic School in Havelock. And he answered every one.

He’s 6-foot-3.

He bench presses 400 pounds.

He’s fine with country singer Taylor Swift. "She’s not bad."

His favorite team is the Pittsburgh Steelers and his favorite NFL player is Hines Ward.

He likes purple. "It really grows on you."

But then there was one question he simply couldn’t answer.

"Which one of my sisters was my favorite," he said.

Milner spoke to the students at Annunciation as part of Catholic Schools Week. Annunciation principal Susan Parks is friends with the Milner family and was at St. Mary Magdalene when Milner was a student at the Catholic school in Apex.

Milner also recently spoke to students at St. Peter’s in Greenville, where Parks’ daughter is a teacher.

"I really enjoy it, getting to speak with the kids," Milner said. "It really takes you back. It brings back good memories."

Milner said attending Catholic schools not only strengthened him academically but also strengthened his faith.

"After going through all my years of Catholic education, I would not take back a thing," he told the students. "It made me a better person."

He also talked to students about overcoming challenges. As a fifth-grader, Milner began losing weight and complained of not feeling well. He was later diagnosed with diabetes.

But, the now 20-year-old junior for the Pirates said he never let that slow him down on the field or in the classroom.

"God will not give you more than you can handle," he told the students. "You have to fight through all the obstacles and make yourself a better person. Don’t let anyone stop you. You can do anything you want."

Milner is proof of that. He went on to be a standout football player at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh and signed with East Carolina in 2009.

After a redshirt season in which he was named the top player on the scout squad, Milner has seen significant playing time the past two seasons for the Pirates.

All this as he balances his diabetes (he said he does finger pricks to test his blood eight times a day), his football (he works out at 6 a.m. daily), and his academics, where he has a 4.0 grade point average in physics and is academic all-Conference USA selection and second-team academic All-American.

"A typical day, I get up at 5 a.m., go work out for two hours, go to class, go back for team meetings, and sometimes I’m up at 2 a.m. still studying," he told the students. "It’s tough. You have to stay on top of time management."

Many of the students asked about his diabetes and how he is able to play football while having the disease.

"You have to try to eat the same thing every day," he said. "You have to take your medication and watch what you eat and know how what you eat affects your body."

In an interview after his presentation, Milner said he and his fellow Pirates are gearing up for spring practice.

"We’re in the middle of workouts right now," he said. "We’re just grinding on those with coach (Jeff) Connors, and getting ready for spring when it comes around."

Milner had 37 tackles last season, including four for loss, and also recovered a fumble as a sophomore starter and is looking to improve as a junior.

"The main thing I’m working on is strength and putting on size," said the 257-pounder. "I’m trying to add on a couple of extra pounds wherever I can find them."

East Carolina went 5-7 last season, ending a streak of five straight bowl appearances. Milner said the players realize they need to work hard now so the 2012 season can be better.

"That’s one of the main things we’re focusing on, building strength and building speed, especially on the defensive side," he said. "We’re trying to improve on last year. Last year, we made improvements from the year before that. We want to keep going in the right direction.

"It’s just going to take more work. We worked really hard last year, but I think it’s just going to take more and a constant dedication."

The Pirates open the 2012 season against Appalachian State on Sept. 1 in Greenville. ECU season tickets for the 2012 season are scheduled to go on sale Feb. 22.