Minium: ODU's Nick Saldiveri Lost His Dad When he was Two, but His Mom Stepped up in a Huge Way

By Harry Minium

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.  – Nick Saldiveri sums up his life story in a few sentences with a matter-of-fact demeanor that belies the hardships he and his family endured.

"My dad passed away when I was two years old from a heart attack. I never had a father figure in my life," he said.

"My Mom did a great job. I'm very appreciative of all she did for me. I don't feel like I'm lacking in any way.

"I don't remember my dad.

"It is what it is. You just have to roll with the punches and keep moving."

His mother, Jennifer Townsend, said that "it is what it is" mentality has been with him since he was a youngster. She struggled to make ends meet, sometimes working two or three jobs,

"It's not easy to be a single mother," she said. "But Nick made it easier. He was so low maintenance as a kid. He never gave me any trouble.




"I taught him from an early age that you have to accept things as they are even when it's not pleasant. It's always best to look at things as realistically as possible.

"And he does that well."

Perhaps it's that realistic outlook, and his habit of looking problems square in the face and thinking of them as opportunities rather than hardships, that explains why Saldiveri emerged as a leader for the Old Dominion football team when the Monarchs endured obstacles of their own the last two years.  

ODU finished 1-11 in 2019 and after the season, the coaching staff was replaced. ODU then canceled the 2020 season because of the pandemic.

The Monarchs opened this season losing six of their first seven games and had to win their last five in a row to become bowl eligible.



ODU won those five in a row and on Monday, Saldiveri and his teammates will be rewarded for their perseverance when they take on Tulsa in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. It is ODU's first bowl game in five years and will be televised nationally on ESPN at 2:30 p.m.

Saldiveri, a 6-foot-6, 307-pound redshirt sophomore from Waxhaw, North Carolina, has become a stalwart for ODU at right tackle. And he was a leader in the locker room when the Monarchs were forced to essentially sit out nearly two years.

"You had to swallow that pill and wear it and make the most of your opportunity at the end of the day," he said.

Offensive linemen tend to be close, and when forced to go home and take courses online for months, ODU's O lineman just got closer.

"We would hold each other accountable," he said. "We would send videos of each of us working out.


Saldiveri, right, with older brother Jakob Brogdon

"For a while, it felt like it was never going to end. You could either look at it as a year to take advantage of it or feel sorry for yourself.

"When we got back to campus, all we could do was practice. But we did everything we could to get better every day. That's when we started building bonds as an offensive line and with our coaches.

"Honestly, I think that's when we made some of our biggest strides in the weight room.

"We worked so hard to get stronger. That pays off in November. We're in better shape and able to more locked in."

Preseason prognosticators thought little of ODU in preseason polls and thought even less of the Monarch offensive line.

ODU coach Ricky Rahne says his front five "is the most underrated offensive line in the country," and that's not hyperbole. He bristled when the All-Conference USA team was released and neither Saldiveri nor center Isaac Weaver were on the first or second team.

They were relegated to honorable mention.

ODU, mind you, had the fourth-best rushing offense in the league.

Curiously, while Weaver and Saldiveri are close friends, it took then a while before they figured out they had something major in common. They both lost their fathers at a young age.

Weaver was six when he lost his dad.

ISAAC WEAVER STORY  

"We've talked about it," Saldiveri said. "We've compared stories."


Saldiveri with his father

Playing in Myrtle Beach is a dream come true for Saldiveri, largely because he knows his family will be able to get there as well as his girlfriend of five years, Katie Crews, who attends nearby UNC-Wilmington.

"I grew up going to Myrtle Beach," he said. "I love it there. And it's only a few hours away for my family."

His mom misses most ODU games because of her job and the six-hour drive to Norfolk and because her mother, who is handicapped, lives with her.

Saldiveri was a relative late boomer in football who didn't start until he was a junior at Parkview High School. ODU discovered him before anyone else. Recruited by then assistant coach Arick Forrest, he committed to the Monarchs shortly after his junior season.

"After I committed to ODU, I didn't even make a senior tape" of video highlights, something all prospects do.

"When other schools came to recruit me, I told them I'm going to ODU.

"Old Dominion was the first school that took a chance on me. My high school coach was big on loyalty. My senior year, I didn't have to worry about recruiting. I just got to play football with all of my friends."

Townsend said she knows her son has no memories of his father, so she has spent a lot of time telling him about what his dad was like.

"I do everything I can to do tell Nick about his dad," she said. "He loved the New York Jets and Nick loves the Jets. I want him to have as much of a connection with his dad as possible."

Saldiveri said he missed his father when he was young. "If my mom was upset about it, I would get upset," he said. "But it hasn't bothered me since middle school.

"My mentality is that no one is coming to save me now. My mother has done everything in her power to raise me to be the man I am.

"She did a great job when I was growing up to not make it seem as tough as it was. It was difficult raising two children, especially two males.

Saldiveri looked up to his older brother, Jakob Brogdon, who is five years older. He also credits grandparents, Bill Townsend and JoLynn Pruitt, for wielding a huge influence on his life.

"I've been blessed to have them as a positive influence," he said. "I don't feel like I'm lacking in that department at all."

Jennifer Townsend said she is a "screamer" when she attends football games, and that sometimes applies to her living room, especially during ODU's last game, a 56-34 victory over Charlotte in which her son became the first offensive linemen in school history to score a touchdown.

Running back Blake Watson was running behind Saldiveri when the ball popped loose at the one and into the end zone. Saldiveri quickly smothered the pigskin and heard something offensive lineman almost never hear – his name being called out over the PA system.

"When he came up with the ball, I didn't know who it was at first," she said. "After a few seconds I realized it was Nick."

She said "the roof practically came off" she screamed so loudly.

Townsend said he often marvels at the difference between her son on the field and off.

On the field, he's violent and unforgiving. "He'll definitely pancake somebody," she said.

"But he's like a big teddy bear. He's got a heart of gold."



That shows in what he plans to do after graduation. He is a sport management major hopes to get his master's degree and become a sports administrator. He has an internship in the spring semester with Bruce Stewart, ODU's Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Operating Officer.

"I want to have an impact on the lives of student-athletes," he said. "I want to help student-athletes succeed."

Saldiveri says he dearly wants to beat Tulsa, but not just for himself. He wants to win for ODU's sixth-seniors, including Weaver, Joe Joe Headen and Jordan Young. All three redshirted during ODU's last bowl game, when the Monarchs defeated Eastern Michigan in the Bahamas Bowl. And they've never played on a winning team.

"Those guys could have left," he said. "They all could have gone somewhere else, but they decided to stick it out for ODU, because this is their school.

"I appreciate them for that. It's testament to their character.

"It's nice that these last five games, they got to feel what they deserved the feel their entire time at ODU.

"We want them to have that feeling one last time."

Minium worked 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot before coming to ODU in 2018. He covers all ODU athletic teams for odusports.com Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu