Superior Student Athletes

By Rick Burton, Executive Director, Warsaw Sports Marketing Center

Amidst all of the trophies and plaques in the University of Oregon's Casanova Center, there exists, in the Duck Football Office, a sign that says: "Honor Roll - The aim of every coach is to successfully combine academics and athletics. The term of student-athlete is not just a catchy phrase."

Surrounding that sign are the photos of 30 young men including left guard Ryan Schmid and quarterback Joey Harrington. Both were starters this past fall on the Duck football team and stalwarts in the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business.

In fact, Harrington was selected as the Pac-10's All-conference quarterback and was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Schmid, meanwhile, anchored the Pac-10's number one offensive line. Both players were instrumental in leading Oregon to a Fiesta Bowl victory (a 38-16 victory over Colorado) and the Duck's first-ever 11 win season.

Given that football players often dedicate more than 60 hours a week to football for strength conditioning, medical treatment, review of film, practices and Saturday games, it might surprise some readers that any student athlete could create enough time to study.

"It's really important to have strong time management and discipline skills," said Schmid during the season. "You can't compromise either your sport or your studies. So you have to sacrifice some stuff like social time. But it pays dividends in the end."

Both Schmid and Harrington, who played together with the Ducks for five years (including their redshirt or non-eligible year), understand the concept of dividends. Both athletes graduated on time with their respective classes and entered their fifth year on the team as post-baccalaureate undergraduate business students.

Schmid, who graduated in June 2001 with a 3.95 grade point average in entrepreneurship and management applied for a Rhodes Scholarship in the fall in order to attend Oxford Divinity School. Harrington, who also graduated in June with a 3.23 GPA, made his academic focus sport business. As of press time, many National Football League scouts projected him to emerge as a first-round draft choice in the NFL's annual draft.

But whether discussing football or future careers, it was clear both young men thoroughly enjoyed their classes in LCB and worked at excelling in the classroom.

"I started as a poly sci major with a business minor," said Harrington, "but after taking a finance class with Jeanne Wagenknecht, I decided to get into the business school and focus on marketing and sports marketing. People like Anne Forrestel and Dennis Howard were absolutely great."

Schmid echoed Harrington's LCB faculty comments noting that classes with Peter Mills, Alan Meyer, Randy Swangard and Forrestel had encouraged him to pursue an entrepreneurial focus for his future.

"The entrepreneurial side really kicks in for me," said Schmid a 6-foot-4, 288-pound senior from Lake Oswego, Oregon. "I don't want to necessarily build a better mousetrap but instead create something unique and cater to special needs."

"Ryan Schmid is probably the finest student I've ever taught," said Meyer when asked about the student who won both the management and entrepreneurship awards for the class of 2001. " He's an amazing student and tremendous young man."

The same is often said about Harrington.

"He never missed a class," said Dennis Howard when asked about Harrington, the 6-4 quarterback from Portland and the first Pac-10 quaterback ever to win three bowl games. "Irrespective of his athletic celebrity, he was one of the top students in my sports finance class and one of the few to receive an A."

Harrington's knowledge of finance may come in handy if the NFL comes calling. Recent estimates suggest he could command as much as $60-million for continuing to play football. It has made the future management of that potential fortune significant.

"If I am drafted and get the chance to play in the NFL," said the quietly humble Harrington in early November, "I will go there with some knowledge of what my money is doing." Harrington's plan is to hire professionals to manage his contract and negotiation as well as his taxes, investments, and marketing. "There are so many business aspects of what I might be getting into that my hope is that I won't be blind to what's going on. The College of Business will have helped me greatly on that front."

Neither Harrington nor Schmid, who led the Ducks to an 11-1 record, seemed overly concerned about the future and at a certain level it may reflect the confidence born of intense competition and practiced discipline.

"Sometimes you had to start your homework at 11:30 at night and pick it up again the next morning before class," said Harrington who holds numerous Duck and Autzen Stadium passing and scoring records. "I've even had times when I was reading stuff while I was getting poked with needles for acupuncture therapy."

If that's the kind of commitment these young men were willing to make for class, and for their sport, it's almost certain student-athletes like Harrington and Schmid will go far in life. The fact that LCB played a major role in their personal growth is something all alums can appreciate.

Rick Burton is Executive Director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business. Rick has recently written editorials for the The New York Times and Sports Business Journal and been quoted by National Public Radio, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and ESPN.com.

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