Versatility Helps Balkema Thrive

Behold the many faces of Rob Balkema.

On field goals, he’s the guy holding the ball for kicker Matt Schindel. On kickoffs, you can probably catch him running around looking for somebody to hit. Before the snap, you’ll probably see him in the defensive backfield—and when the play ends, there’s a good chance he’ll be wreaking havoc in the offensive backfield.

Balkema has certainly given people ample opportunity to catch a glimpse of him on the field in one way or the other. The senior linebacker and safety from Mahwah, N.J., has played five different positions since joining the Harvard football team.

But no matter his spot on the field, it’s his intensity that has helped him keep a spot on a crowded Crimson roster.

“Football is so much fun to me,” Balkema says. “I love what I’m doing, so it’s easy to get in that mindset.”

That mindset has helped immensely this year. To call this season a breakout year would be a gross understatement, considering that the past three years saw Balkema amass a total of just 24 tackles, compared to 40 this year with three games still to play. A career-high 13 of them came against Dartmouth last weekend. His three sacks against the Big Green are also tied for best in a single game by an Ivy League player this season. No Ivy player has totaled more than Balkema’s five tackles for loss in a single contest either.

But all of this has come as a relative surprise to Harvard.

“I’d be disingenuous if I said we expected this from him,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy says. “In all honesty, we probably recruited Balkema as one of the last recruits of his recruiting class. We recruited him because we thought he was a tough kid and would be a great program guy.”

It’s a good thing that Balkema did make it to Cambridge, as he enters this week as the Crimson’s third-leading tackler. While his success may have turned out to be a pleasant surprise for some, Balkema says he saw it coming.

“I always thought I could play here and contribute,” he says. “I’m just lucky to get a chance.”

That chance, a starting spot at the weak safety position, came thanks to an injury to junior safety Danny Tanner. Balkema stepped in to join a defense which, considering the accomplishments of a number of offensive stars, doesn’t usually get as much credit as a team with the most sacks in the league might deserve.

“We only get credit when we do something wrong, so for me personally, I don’t mind not getting a lot of credit,” Balkema says. “Because the offense is so amazing, they deserve the credit they get, but if you’re doing something right, someone here usually recognizes us. Within the team, we all know who’s contributing and who’s doing what.”

Captain Erik Grimm provides some of that recognition.

“Rob is just an inspiring player,” he says. “He doesn’t have all the skills as far as height, weight, and speed like everyone else, but he makes up for it with heart. He plays through pain and always gives 110 percent.”

Back in 2002, when the Crimson was recruiting Balkema, Murphy recognized many of those intangibles. At that point, he was exactly what the staff was looking for.

”When you get down to the last couple of slots, you’re not going to get, maybe, the greatest athletes, so we look a lot for character,” Murphy says. “His character allowed him to compensate for a lack of Division I-AA size and speed. The end result is he’s a great player. Hekeeps getting better and better.”

Balkema’s progression began before he ever played a single down for the Crimson.

He was primarily a quarterback in high school with a bit of free safety experience, so the transition to special teams and defense was fairly seamless. But at times, Balkema misses his offensive roots.

“I can see now that I made the right decision, it was probably the best decision I’ve ever made,” he says. “I kind of miss playing quarterback sometimes, but hitting people is what I enjoy most.”

Though he’ll have only three more opportunities for hitting, Balkema is ready to savor the conclusion of his football-playing days. Next up is a trip to New York.

“The most important thing is getting that win against Columbia, and then getting that next one,” Balkema said. “Everyone loves beating Penn and Yale too. I want to have fun, and I only have three games left in my life, and when you win, you have fun, so that’s the most important thing.”