Captain Ramer Finds Strength in his Baldness

Unlike the biblical character Samson, Harvard football captain Brian Ramer seems to draw strength from the loss of his hair.

"When we were freshmen, Brian was a skinny, pencil-necked kid with hair," senior defensive back Jae Ellis said. "Now he is a huge, bald linebacker."

Ramer had sported a crew-cut since his senior year in high school, but he decided to shave it off before his sophomore season at Harvard.

"Everyone got a big kick out of it," Ramer said.

Ramer, however, sprained his knee that year and saw only limited action on special teams, so he stopped shaving his head that season.

Going into his junior year, Ramer decided to sport the shine once again to see what would happen, and success has followed him in a big way ever since.

"I shaved my head before the first game [last year] and we did well," Ramer said. "So, I kept shaving it every Friday. It has become something I look forward to every week."

Whether or not Ramer's dome was the reason for his success as a junior, he earned so much from his teammates for his leadership both on and off the field that they voted him the 1993 captain.

"When my players voted me in, it was pure excitement at first," Ramer said. "Then the responsibility of the whole thing hit me. But it's great."

"He's really open to ideas," senior quaterback Mike Giardi said. "He's an emotional leader, but he's also the type of guy who leads by example."

And several players, including Ellis and senior defensive back Chris Andre, took Ramer's cue and shaved their heads before the first game of this season.

"I got a kick out of it," Ramer said. "However, they let it grow back and now they can't seem to comb it. My hair grows in a lot faster since I shave it every week."

Not bad for someone who had been playing a different brand of football 12 years ago. As a young boy growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Ramer took to the game of soccer.

One day during the fifth grade, however, he joined a few friends who were playing some street football.

"I liked it," Ramer said. Later in the year, his pals suggested that they try out for a team.

And now, 12 years later, Ramer is leading more than 100 football players who don the crimson, black and white of Harvard. Who would have guessed?

"It's scary when you think back," Ramer said.

Even starting out as a freshman football player was somewhat intimidating for Ramer.

"Everyone seemed to be an all-state something or captain of their high school team," Ramer said. "But I realized after a bit that I could compete at this level."

Ramer's successful freshman campaign was followed by an injury-plagued sophomore season. Ramer's career, however, took a dramatic upward turn last year when he earned a starting position at linebacker.

"I got a chance to crack into the starting lineup, and my intensity and level of play increased," Ramer said. "I have a lot of confidence this year since I've been there before."

"There's just a fire burning in his eyes," senior linebacker Joe McClellan said. "He wants to do the best job that he could do. He's really taken on a lot of responsibility."

Nine tough games, including four consecutive painful losses, have taken their toll on Ramer and his teammates, but The Game on Saturday gives the Currier House resident one more chance to lead his team to victory.

"The Yale game is our bowl game," he said. "To end with a win would give the seniors and [retiring Head Coach Joe Restic] a good note to go out on."

What happens when the final gun sounds is unpredictable, but there will definitely be an empty feeling for Ramer and the other seniors whose competitive playing days will most likely be over.

"I can't anticipate the emotions when I take off the Harvard jersey for the last time," Ramer said. "I don't feel like my career is over--I've gotten better every game and each season."