Personal Statement

My parents tell stories about me as a toddler always wanting a ball.  When I recently made three fumble recoveries in one game, they were reminded of the times I would throw myself onto any ball I saw.  I don't know what it is about it,  but a ball has been part of my life since day one.  At the age of three, I began my athletic career playing football, soccer, baseball, and basketball.  As I grew older, I had to make choices involving limits, and football and baseball by far outweighed the others.  

Football is truly my passion.  I jokingly tell my friends and family to bury me on a football field, but I really do mean it.  Football is life!  I love everything about it, and I am able to play both sides of the field.  As a freshman, I played running back on our freshman team and even got a little time on the varsity team.  As a sophomore, I am a starting outside linebacker and the back-up running back for the varsity team.  

My friends and favorite teachers call me "Meathead" as a reflection of the athletic stereotype many would associate me with, but I truly am far from this stereotype.  What I love most about football is not the physical contact; I enjoy the comradery of my peers, the leadership skills, and the intellectual  challenges the game presents me with.  I'm extremely proud to be known as a "scholar athlete."  I manage to maintain a 4.17 average in AP and honors classes, and I'm also an active member in leadership and service organizations like Student Council and Beta.  I believe what I learn in my classes and through these clubs actually pushes me to be an even better athlete.  

My hope is that my athletic abilities, coupled with my high academic standards, will make me appealing to all schools, where I can pursue a degree in Sports Medicine while competing in the collegiate football arena.  I would, of course, love to go on to play for the NFL, and I will not lose sight of that goal, but I fully intend to use the lessons I learn from my football experiences in any career I end up in.