Holding the Line

Unlike the majority of college students, offensive tackle Mike Frey couldn’t wait to get back to campus.

Having recovered from a season-ending injury in 2003—when he broke both his right tibia and fibula against Northeastern—Frey was finally healthy and fired up for his senior season with the Harvard football team.

But as he moved to block Matt Thomas during a preseason scrimmage, the linebacker got lower than Frey was anticipating.

Crunch.

Thomas’ helmet jarred Frey’s left hand, sending a shock of pain through his fingers. Diagnosis: a spiral fracture in his second metacarpal. Doctor’s verdict: Frey was cleared to play—with a protective cast the size of a watermelon on his arm.

“It is not easy to play with a broken hand,” Frey admitted. “The first couple of weeks, I was blocking people one-handed.”

But compared to his earlier injury troubles, Frey calls the broken hand a “walk in the park.” In addition to his broken ankle in the fall of 2003, Frey also had to endure shoulder surgery in the off-season before that.

“He has bounced back from a couple of pretty traumatic injuries already,” said fellow offensive lineman and roommate Brian Lapham. “But he never gave up, and there was never really a question as to whether or not he was going to come back.”

While the hand has slowly begun to heal, Frey has continued to be a fearsome force on the Crimson front five, helping propel the squad to a 2-0 start. His gritty enthusiasm was cited by teammates as a key element in the comeback win over Brown last week.

“You notice his passion for the game and his desire to be out there and to compete,” said sophomore running back Clifton Dawson. “Many guys wouldn’t have come back to play after an injury like his.”

Frey’s high level of play while coping with the injury is a testament to his fiery competitiveness, because an offensive tackle’s hands are key to his game.

“When you’re blocking, most of the contact comes from your hands,” Lapham said. “It’s really a big deal [to hurt your hand], and the level of play Mike is able to reach is amazing. He’s a very motivated individual.”

With two months remaining in the season, Frey is out to prove his mettle. In particular, he is looking forward to two games on the schedule: the one against Northeastern on Oct. 16, and the one at Penn on Nov. 13.

“The Northeastern game is more of a personal one,” Frey said, referring to the anniversary of the game in which he was injured. “The Penn game is important because it seems like, every year, that’s the game that determines whether we win the [league] championship.”

Keeping these goals in mind is what blocks out the excruciating pain that resides just under the skin of his left hand. To Frey, it’s important to make the most of the remaining seven weeks—even though he must suffer through torture in order to play. And he isn’t doing it for the attention, either.

“The offensive line doesn’t get much of the glory,” Lapham said. “Despite that, to come back from major injuries and to play at the level that [Frey] does, it’s inspiring to not only the rest of the offensive line but also to the rest of the team.”

So when he’s blocking Lafayette defenders this Saturday, Mike Frey won’t be concentrating on that searing pain through his left hand. The game of football is way too important to worry about little things like that.

“It’s more of a mental barrier,” Frey said. “The healing is giving me confidence, and I’m going to sell out. It’s all about taking pride in your team.”