To Eat Or Not to Eat? Not Even a Question

Carb-counting? Fat-free? Not eating past seven pm? Not these men. These are the men who have protein shakes—before they start eating.

These are the men who stay up late, waiting for the pizza delivery guy with the two large pizzas.

These are the men who look like they could rip a phonebook in half and then eat it for a snack.

These men are Harvard’s linemen. And for them, with the simple goal of protecting the quarterback or opening holes for the running back comes another objective: being big. Real big.

A typical Harvard lineman is around 6’4” and weighs in at 275 pounds, while NFL linemen tip the scales at an average of 300 pounds.

How do they do that, you ask? They eat. And they eat a lot.

They eat as much as they can, and sometimes even more.

Eating becomes almost another form of training.

After all, it takes a special something for someone to graze on three chicken breasts, two hamburgers, soup, rice and wash it all down with four, maybe five glasses of Gatorade and water—in one meal.

When they pump iron in the weight room, strength coach Craig Fitzgerald gives his players a unique motivational mantra that influences their eating as well.

“I’m gonna swipe in, load up my tray, and light my hair on fire,” says junior offensive lineman Tom Rodger, invoking the coach’s favorite inspirational phrase.

As a result, these linemen are constantly conscious of their weight and eating habits.

After commiting to join the team in their senior year of high school, they are given a goal weight by the coaching staff. The incoming players are expected to meet this target by the time they arrive for preseason camp in August.

After arriving on campus, they are weighed twice every week year-round to make sure they are maintaining their bulk through proper weight training and caloric intake.

The motto here is “more mass equals more force,” and the more force you have, the more likely you are to see playing time and the better your chances of overwhelming your similarly large opponent.

Getting that big takes a plan. It takes devotion. It means eating even when you aren’t hungry, and it almost starts to look like just another version of workout.

Rodger recalls his brother, former Crimson lineman Will Rodger ’05, saying “I go into Annenberg, and sit there and eat until I sweat. That’s when I know I’m done.”

Tom Rodger says that after all these years of training to be an offensive lineman and the constant workout on his stomach, he can feel neither satiated nor hungry; he just eats because he knows he has to.

In a world of dieting and exercise where being slim is sought after with drastic measures, these guys have the opposite goals in mind: to get bigger, to get stronger, and to become unsurpassable.

Does society’s perfect weight affect these men striving for their own perfect weight?

“Linemen develop these complexes,” Rodger says. “There are two types: either embracing it, or just doing it because you have to.”

But fighting it won’t get you very far, because you still have to do it if you want to be in the game.

There is no way around the scale when it comes to succeeding as an offensive lineman.

“I’m the big guy,” says Rodger, “but you gotta do what will help you out right now.”

“Right now I’m a football player,” he adds as he shovels in another bite of grilled chicken and rice.

On the field and in the realm of the sport, the bigger the better, but what about after they take off their cleats and pads?

When asked about concerns for the future and life after football, several linemen say they look forward to dropping some weight, particularly as they think about their long-term health.

“I’m looking forward to dieting after football,” says sophomore offensive lineman Ryan Pilconis.

“Football is a part of my life—it’s so important, it’s worth the sacrifice in order to continue playing, but after football I’ll get down to a healthy weight,” he adds.

Others have dreams less centered around the health effects of the intentional weight gain.

“I’m looking forward to getting a size smaller so I’ll be more comfortable at the beach,” Rodger says.

So next time you’re in the dining hall, loading up on salad and Diet Coke, remember that the big guy standing next to you in line is getting ready to light his hair on fire.