Trading Ivy League for Pro League

By the time they graduate, most Harvard students have become strangely desensitized to the outstanding accomplishments of their classmates. Three Nobel laureates? Heard it before. Three future presidents? That's nothing new. But three pro-football players? Now there's something to talk about.

Last week, in a moment of glory that Harvard football probably hasn't seen since long before the formation of the Big Ten, three seniors were given the opportunity to play in the NFL. Senior linebacker Isaiah J. Kacyvenski '00 was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the NFL draft. Defensive end Michael E. Sands '00 and tight end Christopher J. Eitzmann '00 were offered free-agent contracts by the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, respectively. In an arena dominated by players on athletic scholarships at top-ranked football schools, their achievements are truly remarkable.

By himself, Kacyvenski is a standout. Harvard's all-time leading tackler and a three-time All-Ivy First Teamer, Kacyvenski was the first player to start all 40 games of his Crimson football career. As the 119th draft pick, Kacyvenski is the highest Harvard player ever drafted, not to mention the only Ivy-League player drafted this year.

Sands and Eitzmann are quite notable as well. Sands made 37 tackles last year. Eitzmann had 12 receptions as a junior, including two touchdowns in a dramatic 23-22 win over Princeton. Together with Kacyvenski they made for one of the strongest Crimson lineups in recent memory.

And so as they head off into the rough and tumble world of professional football, we wish them well. Maybe not ten thousand, but three men of Harvard won victory today.