Senior football player Rob Heleniak has experienced success both on and off the field during his time at Hopkins. As quarterback of the football team, Rob led the Blue Jays to their 6-3 record this past season. He was one of the stars in their last game of the season, a big victory over Western Maryland, 21-14. In what his coach calls, "the best game of his career" against Western Maryland, Heleniak completed a career-high 28 passes on 45 attempts for 242 yards and three touchdowns.
Heleniak, a Philiadelphia native, was involved in athetics all through his childhood. Encouraged by his father, who often coached him, and his older brother, also a college athlete, Rob was a three sport varsity athlete in high school. Among many academic honors, he was also the recipient of the Maxwell Award to recognize excellence in both athletics and academics.
Rob chose Hopkins for both its outstanding academic reputation and for the chance to play football. During his freshman season he developed a strong self-motivation to earn himself playing time. He explains, "I, like most freshmen, didnt expect to play at all in my first season. But after practicing with the guys everyday and watching all the games, I knew I could play at their level and, more than anything, I wanted to be out there with them contributing to the team."
Consistent playing time came the next season when, as a sophomore, Rob was splitting time with two seniors at quarterback. It was during his junior season that Rob started to play a key role for the Hopkins squad as the starting quarterback. Unfortunately his season was cut short when, in the seventh game of the season, he suffered a broken collar bone. According to Rob, "I had never been injured before. It was very frustrating to not be able to play but at the same time I knew there was nothing I could do about the rest of the season. I knew I was done."
After rehab in the winter and spring of his junior year, Rob spent last summer preparing for football. "I never really had any doubts about if I would come back or not - I knew I would. I just wanted to do as much as I could so that I would come back as strong, if not stronger, than before I was hurt."
Called "a true leader on the field and an inspiring student of the game" by teammate Leif Glynn, Rob had his best season so far this past fall. He was 159-of-296 for 1,651 yards and 12 touchdowns on the year. Rob's 1,651 yards and 183.4 yards per game both led the Centennial Conference. He was also ranked third in total offense with an average of 182.5 yards per game. With 159 completed passes this year, Rob is ranked as third highest in this category in Hopkins history. He was honored as an honorable mention selection to the All-Centennial Conference team.
Hopkins Head Football Coach Jim Margraff has nothing but praise for Heleniak. He states "Rob Heleniak embodies all that we look for in a Hopkins Football player. He is an excellent student who has been on Dean's List the last two semesters, a model citizen and an excellent football player. In my 12 years at JHU as football coach we have had some very good quarterback's but none that match Rob as a total package as a student-athlete."
Academically, Rob stands out above the rest. Majoring in public health and minoring in business, he has a GPA over 3.3. Rob explains, "I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do when I first got here. I knew I was interested in healthcare but after taking classes for pre-med I knew I didn't want to pursue med school. So I went with Public Health because it let me stay in the field I was so interested in."
Although his football days at Hopkins have come to an end Rob plans on staying active in sports. He is an avid basketball player and plays in the intramural league here at Hopkins and in summer leagues at home.
Athough he is unsure of his plans for next year, Rob is considering going to grad school to earn his masters in health sciences.
For Rob Heleniak, his Hopkins experience would not be the same without football. He states, "Obviously it's been a challenge to balance football and classes. But it was well-worth the hardwork and frustration. My teammates are my best friends here at Hopkins."
As both a student and an athlete, Rob's strong work-ethic, sense of loyalty, and competitive nature have earned him great successes at Hopkins.
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