Greg Paulus: From Hardwood to Gridiron
I’m not a huge college football fan, but I will certainly be setting the DVR on September 5th. Greg Paulus, former point guard for the Duke Blue Devils basketball team, suffered a down year as a senior last year, losing his starting position but always remaining a professional in the process. Now, after four years in one of the more storied NCAA basketball programs, Paulus graduated from Duke and got a special waiver from the NCAA to play football at Syracuse while he attends graduate school. Football?! Yes, football.
Keep in mind that Paulus does not look like the stereotypical natural athlete. In fact, at first sight, he appears a little too short, a little too slow, and certainly a little too small for big time college football. This gets even better, though – Paulus has impressed Syracuse so much already that he was just named the starting quarterback. This won’t surprise anyone from his hometown of Syracuse, NY since Paulus was a highly touted football recruit coming out of high school 1, but it’s still hard to imagine taking a 4-year break and then taking over at the most demanding position on a football field at a level never played before.
Also remember that while Paulus looked tiny next to his hoops teammates, he stands at 6-1, plenty tall enough for NCAA football. The Orange open the season at home against Minnesota September 5th.
No one knows what the results will be, but you can be sure when Paulus steps on the field, everyone will be talking about it. Luckily for you, you’ll already know the story!
Read on:
NYDailyNews.com – New Syracuse QB Greg Paulus says Duke experience will help Orange
ESPN.com – Paulus named Orange’s starting QB
NYTimes.com – Paulus’s Homecoming Stirs Syracuse’s Hopes
(Duke image taken from http://www.dukechronicle.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&ustory_id=76afa799-4986-455a-9492-fc9e9c5980d7)
(Syracuse image taken from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/sports/ncaafootball/20paulus.html?em)
- He was the 2004 Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year ↩
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[...] This won’t surprise anyone from his hometown of Syracuse, NY since Paulus was a highly touted football recruit coming out of high school 1, but it’s still hard to imagine taking a 4-year break and then taking over at the most demanding …Read More [...]