Mullooly epitomized the definition of sports hero

She’s one unique teen: Local juggles many crafts
April 30, 2013
VCHS coach hosting camp
April 30, 2013
She’s one unique teen: Local juggles many crafts
April 30, 2013
VCHS coach hosting camp
April 30, 2013

In the world of sports, we tend to use the word “hero” quite often.


When a player overcomes a rough start to a game, but perseveres and sinks a game-winning 3-pointer, newspaper headlines define that player as the “local hero.”


The same is said for the star quarterback who tosses three touchdowns every Sunday. He, too, immediately gets labeled with the four-letter “h-word”.

But every now and again in this job, you encounter someone who makes you redefine the way that you see life.


Every so often, you meet that person that makes you rethink how you use and define the word hero.


For me, Ross Mullooly was that person.

Let me now explain the backstory.


I met Ross when I was assigned a story about a marathon.


I’m not a big racing or running person. I get calls or emails about at least 50 marathons a year.

They are all put on by wonderful people with wonderful organizations. I’m just not into running – I much prefer other sports.


I will admit that when I first got the information about the race, I scoffed and thought this would be a boring run of the mill interview.


I was wrong.

As I dug deeper into the race and its history, I learned why this was something that I should care about.


At the time, Ross Mullooly was a 21-year-old college student.


He was a member of the Colonels’ cross-country team. It was pretty easy to tell right away that running was the love of this young man’s life.

His mother recalled stories of her son running from South Terrebonne High School to Houma’s YMCA.


“It’s funny because the people from the Westside would say, ‘Hey, I saw your son running today,’” Ross’s mother Monica Mullooly recalled. “They were just amazed that he’d be out there running and doing that. He was always just training for something. My son has always been trying to be prepared for something or another.”


When Ross turned 19, the preparedness shifted from running to a battle that would last the rest of Ross’ life.

Mullooly was diagnosed with cancer at 19 while still a member of the Colonels’ cross-country team.


The ailment that Ross had was a rare form of colorectal cancer.


When I came across Ross, he was already two years into his fight.

He was undergoing chemotherapy at the time.

The first thing that I learned right away upon speaking with Ross was that I wasn’t dealing with anyone “different.” I was instead talking to someone who was just a common man, like myself.

Ross didn’t like the natural attention that cancer brought to him. He didn’t want to be known as the kid who had cancer.

He didn’t want to be labeled in any way. He didn’t want to be different from anyone else.

He just wanted to be Ross. And as I discovered more about this person, it became obvious that “just plain Ross” was plenty enough to make a difference in the world.

From the earliest days of his diagnosis, Ross told me that he wanted to help others who were also in his situation. Instead of moping and feeling sorry for himself, Ross said loudly and clearly that he wanted to stay active and promote positivity to those also actively engaged in a fight with cancer.

While undergoing treatments, Ross created the Ross Mullooly Project – a non-profit designed to raise money for those fighting the deadly disease.

When asked if it was hard to stay focused or motivated while undergoing treatments, Ross quickly responded by saying, “Not really. I don’t think of it like that. I just like helping people, and I want people to know that this is something that we can fight together.”

What started small grew big, and the Ross Mullooly Project hosted its inaugural race in December.

It was a huge success. Mullooly, himself, said that he didn’t expect the turnout to be so big. The race raised thousands of dollars for cancer patients – money that was used to buy amenities to make living conditions more comfortable for patients at Hope Lodge.

Ross beamed with pride when speaking about the race and the accomplishments of the Ross Mullooly Project.

He was flattered to be making a difference in the lives of many people.

The last thing he told me in our initial meeting was that it was his dream to beat cancer and run in the race as a participant.

Unfortunately, that never got to happen.

Ross’s journey in life came to a close last Sunday when he passed away at the age of 22.

But while the book of Ross’s life may now be complete, his legacy will live forever.

The desire in Ross’s heart to make others better has become contagious, and has successfully spread to others. Because of that, the Ross Mullooly Project will push forward with its goal to help as many people as possible dealing with the effects of cancer.

Ross Mullooly left the world in better shape that it was on the day he was born.

THAT is the mark of a true hero.

Ross Mullooly was just that.

A true hero – in every way.