"People see my size and the first thing they ask me is what position I play," Leif Glynn, an offensive tackle on the Hopkins football team, explains. "In some ways I get a kick out of that attention, but then I just hope that people don't just assume I am just some big, dumb guy who just eats, drinks, and plays football.
At 6'8" and 290 pounds, Junior Leif Glynn is definitely a 'big guy.' But to this computer science major, football is just one aspect of his life here at Hopkins which he describes as "Very challenging but a lot of fun."
Leif comes to Hopkins from Croton, N.Y. When asked how he got started in football he jokes "Well I just really like hitting people- it seemed like the appropriate sport." Leif comes from a family of talented athletes and football players. He played Varsity football and golf in high school.
After seeing significant time in his first two seasons, Leif is a full time starter for the Jays. As an offensive lineman he has a lot of pride in his position saying "If we don't do our job, people get hurt. Of course we are out there to win, but we are also out there to protect our teammates."
His passion is evident when he says "I'm an ass kicker before I'm a fit up man - believe it or not there's a lot of strategy to playing well on the o-line."
Offensive tackle is his favorite position because of the competitiveness associated with it. "A lot of times I'll be blocking the same defensive end all game. Things get intense and very personal. It's a one on one combat every play."
As the least penalized offensive tackle for the Blue Jays, Leif is making a huge contribution to their 4-2 record and very exciting season.
He says "Winning the Centennial Conference would be the highlight of my college career. We are so good this year and its great to see our hard work from the summer and from practice pay off on the scoreboard." He attributes their successful record to the fact that they have a lot of returning starters and also because of a strong motivation and positive attitude among players and coaches.
"The work ethic of the guys is incredible. People don't realize how much time football really takes up. I am up at the AC at least four hours a day. And then on the weekends, when most teams have a day off, we are there watching film, studying technique and working on new plays. It really tells you something about the players, if they are willing to give up so much of their college life to this sport."
Teammates John Baker and Rob Heleniak, both seniors, have nothing but good things to say about Leif. They explain, "At first you don't realize the magnitude of his size because he's fluid and coordinated, which takes a lot of hard work at that size. His athletic ability is what makes him so good and it's why when we watch film we constantly see him just blowing linebackers up. We saw him send one guy airborne for like five yards!"
Despite his football committments, Leif is a very successful computer science student with a GPA over 3.0. He is the recipient of numerous academic scholarships and loves the opportunities that an elite school like Hopkins offers. He states "I really enjoy my CS classes here. Like football, it's challenging, but my schoolwork is very rewarding when I finish a program or a website." Leif's favorite classes so far have been Object Oriented Systems and Agent Bases Simulation, both very rigorous upper level courses.
Aspiring to do upper level computer science work or web design after Hopkins, Leif has a good deal of professional experience. He has spent the past two summers working for Digital Bungalow, one of the top web design firms in the nation. One of the things Leif enjoys most about playing football is the commradery and friendships that have developed among his teammates.
He states, "My best friends at Hopkins play on the offensive line with me. We play together, have classes together and hang out together. We are always having a great time whether its watching the traditional pre-game Varsity Blues or going out on the weekends."
It is clear that although Leif Glynn definitely looks like the sterotypical football player, he, by no means, fits into this mold. Both on the field and in the classrooms Leif's competitive spirit leads him to great success.
