bodoyle
November 10th, 2005, 04:25 PM
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2219899
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- He's the top rusher in Division I-AA, most likely good enough for a shot at the pros. But Brown's Nick Hartigan would gladly set the NFL aside for the chance to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
What he won't do is abandon his teammates with the Ivy League title on the line.
So, with his two big dreams on a collision course, Hartigan is crafting an ambitious travel plan.
The senior running- back has made the finals in the Rhodes selection process and will have to interview Nov. 18 in Pittsburgh for the scholarship. Then he'll have to jump on a plane for New York, where Brown plays Columbia in its season finale the following day; at least a share of the Ivy League title could be on the line.
Afterward, he might have to fly back to Pittsburgh for another round of interviews that night.
But missing the game is not an option, even for a chance at Oxford.
"These kids are my brothers," said Hartigan, who's averaging 163 yards a game. "I've spent four years killing myself -- we all have -- to get this Ivy League title. It's not something I can skip."
Hartigan's lucky he even has a chance to both interview and play: Rhodes committees are famous for refusing to accommodate scheduling requests. But he caught a break. Unusually, his selection committee planned to start interviewing some candidates Friday afternoon. Late Wednesday he got word he could have one of those slots.
That means Hartigan will have a shot at one of the two scholarships being awarded from the Pittsburgh region, out of 32 nationally. He'll be up against a dozen or so other exemplary finalists in a pool where even his 3.91 GPA could be near the bottom.
But he'll get to make his case.
"It's about as great a situation as I could have hoped for," said Hartigan, also a candidate for the Draddy Award -- the "academic Heisman Trophy." "I'm incredibly grateful to them."
Whether he wins or not, Hartigan looks like just the kind of Renaissance young man diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes had in mind a century ago when he created the Rhodes Scholarship.
Rhodes's will ordered that recipients "shall not be merely bookworms" and shall be chosen for their scholastic achievements, character and "fondness of and success in manly outdoor sports such as cricket, football and the like." ...
read it all here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2219899
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- He's the top rusher in Division I-AA, most likely good enough for a shot at the pros. But Brown's Nick Hartigan would gladly set the NFL aside for the chance to study at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.
What he won't do is abandon his teammates with the Ivy League title on the line.
So, with his two big dreams on a collision course, Hartigan is crafting an ambitious travel plan.
The senior running- back has made the finals in the Rhodes selection process and will have to interview Nov. 18 in Pittsburgh for the scholarship. Then he'll have to jump on a plane for New York, where Brown plays Columbia in its season finale the following day; at least a share of the Ivy League title could be on the line.
Afterward, he might have to fly back to Pittsburgh for another round of interviews that night.
But missing the game is not an option, even for a chance at Oxford.
"These kids are my brothers," said Hartigan, who's averaging 163 yards a game. "I've spent four years killing myself -- we all have -- to get this Ivy League title. It's not something I can skip."
Hartigan's lucky he even has a chance to both interview and play: Rhodes committees are famous for refusing to accommodate scheduling requests. But he caught a break. Unusually, his selection committee planned to start interviewing some candidates Friday afternoon. Late Wednesday he got word he could have one of those slots.
That means Hartigan will have a shot at one of the two scholarships being awarded from the Pittsburgh region, out of 32 nationally. He'll be up against a dozen or so other exemplary finalists in a pool where even his 3.91 GPA could be near the bottom.
But he'll get to make his case.
"It's about as great a situation as I could have hoped for," said Hartigan, also a candidate for the Draddy Award -- the "academic Heisman Trophy." "I'm incredibly grateful to them."
Whether he wins or not, Hartigan looks like just the kind of Renaissance young man diamond magnate Cecil Rhodes had in mind a century ago when he created the Rhodes Scholarship.
Rhodes's will ordered that recipients "shall not be merely bookworms" and shall be chosen for their scholastic achievements, character and "fondness of and success in manly outdoor sports such as cricket, football and the like." ...
read it all here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2219899