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to Newsletter IndexMay 1997 Newsletter Article
Title: Role Model - Former Yale Football Captain, Tony Mazurkiewicz
Author: Ray Lauenstein
Name: Tony Mazurkiewicz
H.S.: Mt Carmel High School in Chicago Ill. Sports: Four years of Baseball and Football. Honors: Team member of 4 time state champions, team captain as a senior, teammate of NFL phenom Simeon Rice, named the Scholar Athlete of the Year by the Chicago Tribune, Student Council President, class Salutatorian
College: Yale University, New Haven CT. Sport: Football 4 years, captain as a senior. Honors: All-Ivy honorable mention, Epson Bowl team member, Co-Sica National Scholar Athlete, History major.
Q: Why were you so successful on the field and in the classroom?
A: I had a passion for playing football and was able to fulfill that passion on a daily basis. It created an energy and an interest that carried over into the classroom. It actually raised my intensity level in the classroom. I think this can be true for any other hobby or interest.
Football was a huge part of my success in the classroom. In fact after the last practice of my senior year I found it was a lot harder in the class room. I was without that daily sense of accomplishment after football practice. It took some getting use to.
Q: What specific skills from playing sports have helped you in other areas of your life.
A: The usual things like time management, focusing , communication, ability to work with others, etc. You also learn to not worry about the things you have to do. Its better to start early and get right after something then to waste time. Especially in a sport like football you know your teammates are counting on you, so you have to study film and be prepared to focus. The same can be said for writing a paper, why wait and worry about it, start early and get it done. In this case you are counting on yourself.
Q: What motivates you?
A: If I am able to fulfill my passion for something on a daily basis that is enough motivation for me. As a captain every day you are motivated by your teammates looking to you for leadership and also, I was motivated by seeing my teammates work hard day in and day out.
Q: What advice do you have for the High School Student Athlete who is looking at colleges to play sports as well as pursue a degree?
A: Ask as many questions as possible to the current players. You are heading into basically 5 years of unknown and you need to make sure this is where you are going to feel comfortable.
A sport like football is a huge commitment, 5 or 6 hours a day at times, and you had better like the people you are spending time with. In ten years you are going to remember the people and the good times, not necessarily how successful the program was.
Its easy to look at a successful program and say, "oh this is where I want to play" but is it the best coach for you, the best overall situation? Ask questions, listen and also hear. You can discover a lot about the people and their feelings about the program without sounding too obvious in your questioning. With the information you gain compare it to the other schools.
Tony Mazurkiewicz was teaching and coaching at the Boston Renaissance Charter School in Boston, MA at the time of this article. The Athlete’s Advisor thanks him for sharing his thoughts and perspective with other student athletes.