From the Prairie to the Pigskin

Hollywood, it's time to meet Chris Eitzmann.

A hard-working Nebraska farm boy who played eight-man football in high school is now the 126th captain of the Harvard football team and one of the most successful tight ends in school history.

Cinematic story lines don't get much better than that.

"Just being captain of the Harvard football team proves that Chris Eitzmann is a tremendous leader," Harvard Coach Tim Murphy said. "He leads the team by setting a great example for them, and he's one of the hardest-working kids in this program."

Eitzmann grew up in Hardy, Nebraska, and attended Chester-Hubbell-Byron High School, which had a mere 50 students. After a successful three-sport high school career in which he excelled in football, basketball and track, Eitzmann graduated in a class of eight.

"In high school, I was the biggest kid by far, and when I got to Harvard, I wasn't even close to the biggest guy," Eitzmann recalled. "Everything was going so much faster."

But the athletic Eitzmann quickly adjusted to the rigors of Division I football. In 1995, his rookie season, he earned his first varsity letter by spending his time on special teams. He became the first player from Nebraska to letter for the Crimson since 1960.

"As a freshman, I was a skinny guy who just ran around and didn't know anything about technique," Eitzmann said. "I basically just ran around and tried to hit people."

Later that year, he won the Most Improved Award among tight ends, but a right hamstring injury suffered during the second game of the 1996 season tied him to the bench for most of his sophomore year.

In 1997, Eitzmann finally became the impact player that Murphy and his recruiting staff had hoped would emerge with time and experience under his belt. He helped the Crimson to compile a 9-1 record and win the Ivy title that year by pulling in thirteen catches during the season, including four for touchdowns.

During that breakout season, Eitzmann's talents on the field go the attention of the Harvard coaching staff. At 6'4, he is a powerful tight end who possesses great speed for his size and strong blocking skills. In addition to his outstanding athleticism, he is remarkably agile and uses his tall frame and steady hands to reel in difficult passes.

After a successful season in 1997, Eitzmann then took the spring semester off, choosing to work on the trading desk at Hellman, Jordan Management, Inc. in Boston.

"I lived with Brendan Bibro [last year's captain] when I took a semester off," Eitzmann said. "He taught me so many things about what it means to be a great player, how to fight, how to be a leader, how hard to work."

Eitzmann returned to campus with the goal of winning the Ivy. As captain of this year's squad, his vocal leadership in the locker room and on the field has been one reason why the Crimson was in the hunt for so long.

"He's just an inspiration to me," senior split end Terence Patterson said of Eitzmann. "He'll yell at me when I drop a pass, and he'll yell at himself when he drops a pass. I really admire him because of his leadership and also because of his ability. He's like 6'4 and 250 pounds, and sometimes, he plays like a wide receiver, and sometimes, he'll play like he's Mike Clare, who's 300 pounds. He's just a great leader."

This season Eitzmann has united a team that has seemingly been mired in controversy. With an inexperienced receiving corps, a new offensive line and a highly publicized quarterback shuffle, Eitzmann has had to solve off-the-field tensions in addition to

encouraging his teammates on the field.

"It seems like we've had a lot of controversy, but there really hasn't been any because there are so many seniors on this team who know the ins and outs of the program," Eitzmann said. "I just try and get everyone to know that we're all working towards the same goal, and whatever your role is on the team, that's your role, and we understand that."

Eitzmann's leadership has been instrumental in helping the young offensive line, and he has worked hard this season to develop the raw talents of freshman receivers Kyle Cremarosa and Carl Morris.

"We have a really good team this year, and we're better than what our record says," Eitzmann said. "What's frustrating to me is that we have so much talent on this team, and we thought that we would be at a better position than we are right now. But what's important is that everyone has played hard in every game this year."

Saying goodbye to five years of college football is not a task that the dedicated Eitzmann will easily overcome. Focusing his energies on the last few days of the season, the psychology concentrator has not yet made definite career plans, choosing to enjoy each day of his last year at Harvard.

"Harvard football has been such a huge part of me for the past five years," Eitzmann said. "I can't imagine what life is going to be like without having football in my life everyday. Thinking about going down to the field house and hanging out with the guys and

lifting weights everyday--it's going to be such a huge change in my life."

Even with change looming over him, Eitzmann's future looks bright. Just as this Nebraska farm boy has solved the problems plaguing the Harvard football team this year, so

too will he continue to tackle every crisis that he faces with the poise of a movie star and the heart of a champion.