Brains and Brawn

Senior safety Ricky Williamson perks up and leans forward as he outlines the research he gathers for an honors thesis in biology.

“Zebrafish’s inner ear and visual systems develop very similarly to the way humans’ do, and it only takes four to five days,” he says. “I’m trying to find out what the alcohol’s doing in the inner ear that’s causing the auditory problems in the fish. I’m using that to extrapolate what might be happening in fetal alcohol syndrome in humans…The first round of results showed basically no cell growth in the hair cells of fish treated with alcohol compared to control. Indeed, alcohol is stopping cell growth.”He’s excited by the subject, and it shows.

“If you take the ethanol away, does the cell start growing again? Is it permanent?” he muses. “Then we have to find out what the mechanism is, what the alcohol’s doing in the cells to keep them from dividing.”

He offers a layman’s explanation: “I was joking with my friends-—they ask ‘What’s your research about?’ and I say I get fish drunk,” Williamson says. “It’s half true.”Meet Williamson—the scholar-athlete of the NCAA’s dreams and Harvard football’s starting strong safety for the 2004 season.

This is the Williamson who snagged two interceptions in the Crimson’s season-opening win over Holy Cross, the Williamson who has notched 17 solo tackles and 20 assists on the season.This is the Williamson with an A- GPA and top MCAT scores, recently named by the College Sports Information Directors of America to the University Division Football Academic All-District team.

“He’s a kid that I think will be up for a postseason scholastic award,” Harvard coach Tim Murphy says.Williamson tackles academics and his assignments on defense with equally passionate intensity.

“He’s a hard worker. You can tell in meetings—he always comes up with a lot of questions for the coaches,” junior linebacker Matt Thomas says. “You can tell he’s paying attention, looking at videotape. On the field, you can tell he’s picking up on things, and he’s always communicating. He does his best to get everyone on the same page.”

Williamson’s role in the secondary speaks to his ambition. Originally a running back, Williamson sought another channel to obtain playing time when now-junior wide receiver Ryan Tyler proved to be the primary ball carrier. “I really thought out of high school [he] would be our next great tailback, and for a variety of reasons that just didn’t work out,” Murphy says.

“I saw a lot of obstacles in my path, and I wanted to get on the field as early as possible,” Williamson explains. “The defensive coaches saw some potential in me to get on the defensive side of the ball.”

Although Williamson played outside linebacker in high school, the transition “took time.”

“Running back can be more of a finesse position,” Williamson says. “When you’re on the defensive side of the ball, it’s a much more physical game.”

A penchant for aggressively physical playing characterizes Williamson on the field, as spectators can attest.

“I enjoy when an offense runs the ball in my direction and I’m able to, either by block destruction or athleticism, make a play, make a tackle,” Williamson says. “I just love hitting offensive guys and taking ‘em to the ground.”

“He’s only 200 lbs., but he plays like he’s about 230, 6’3,” says senior wide receiver Brian Edwards. “The hit he put on Columbia’s tight end, Wade Fletcher, is unbelievable. When I see a play like that on defense, it gets me so fired up on offense to make a play like they just did.”

Consistently physical play has been one of his goals for his final season.

“At the end of the season I want to look back and say I did my job as hard as I could all the time, and that’s why we were successful,” Williamson says.

The senior’s hard work has certainly paid off in the eyes of his coaches.

“He had high hopes that didn’t work out, he fought through a little bit of adversity, and now, after four years here, he’s really blossomed in all regards,” Murphy says.

Even this season has been tinged with adversity. Williamson played no part in Harvard’s 34-24 win over Cornell on October 9. He was to be found not on the field or on the sidelines, but in the hospital, where he had spent the night fighting viral meningitis.

“That was not a fun experience,” Williamson says.

What began with a persistent headache and led to a spinal tap didn’t keep Williamson off the field for long—he picked up two tackles in the next week’s win over Northeastern.

Intelligent athletes aren’t rarities at Harvard, but Williamson’s indefatigability is exceptional.

As an honors-track bio major and a dedicated football player, Williamson has gained a mastery of the time management skills essential to balancing his heavy commitments.

Last spring was the worst for Williamson. His days began with a 6:30 a.m. wake-up. After lifting or running for preseason training, he headed to classes and labs for the rest of the day, went back to his room immediately, did as much work as possible, and took a three-hour MCAT class twice a week. On returning from class, he filled his evenings with work until an 11-12 p.m. bedtime.

“By the end of the semester, I was a zombie,” Williamson says. “But I had to do it, and it paid off.”

Reconciling practice and watching film with marathons in the lab actually helps Williamson manage his life.

“[Football] really does provide a lot of structure. By having a limited amount of time I can get other stuff done, it makes that time that much more important to organize,” Williamson says.

During his senior year, Williamson has had to make a few compromises. He’s trying to take an easier schedule than before, but football picks up whatever slack he lets out.

“Once football’s over, then gears shift to ‘OK, football’s over, so let’s get out into the real world,’” Williamson says.

By that, he means medical school, and a good one—Williamson has applied to Harvard, Duke, Stanford, Washington University, Johns Hopkins, BU, Pitt, UNC-Chapel Hill, UC-San Diego and UC-San Francisco.

While his intent to study medicine is certain, what he may do with his degree remains unclear.

After expressing interest in neurobiology, Williamson adds, “I also love athletes. I love being around athletes, and I could definitely see myself being some kind of sports medicine doctor like an orthopedic surgeon or that kind of thing.

“At the same time, I love hanging around kids,” says Williamson, a self-proclaimed “goofball” whose inner child emerges in a love for video games, Looney Tunes and Spongebob Squarepants. “I hang around my little cousins all the time and I really enjoy time with them, so being a pediatrician is another interest of mine.

“I’m not pigeonholing myself yet.”