Spring might be upon us, but a name you’re bound to hear this fall will be on campus this evening.
Indianapolis Colt’s quarterback, Andrew Luck, will be presenting an Ubben Lecture tonight at 7:00 pm in the GCPA’s Kresge Auditorium. As always the event will be free for DePauw University students and Greencastle residents alike.
Luck, a Stanford University graduate, is widely considered one of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks. His speech entitled, “Creating Your Personal Game Plan for Success” will not center on football, rather the decisions he made to stay in college and finish his degree, rather than taking his chance in the NFL. He’s centering his lecture on excellence in and outside of the classroom.
“This is something I’ve tried to make happen for about three years,” DePauw’s Director of Media Relations, Ken Owen said. Owen also manages the Ubben Lecture series.
“I think people in general are impressed with him,” said Owen.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
After a standout 2011 campaign on the football field, Luck was faced with a decision. He was widely projected as the NFL’s first overall draft pick, but Luck walked away. As a junior he returned to Stanford to finish his degree in architectural design and lead the Cardinal to a BCS Bowl game birth. Luck’s decision to stay in school would ultimately land him a spot with the Indianapolis Colts.
With Peyton Manning’s health up in the air, the Colts selected Luck with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Since then, Luck has led the team to three straight playoff births and an AFC Championship birth last year.
“You hear a lot about guys who use a college scholarship as an audition for the NFL or NBA,” Owen said. “For him to stay in school shows a lot about his character.”
Although Luck’s primary lecture is not centered around football, he will still cover the topic. Luck will have a private session with the Tiger football team covering solely football.
Ken Owen wants students to understand Luck’s visit to campus will be brief. “The primary thing is that everybody wants to meet [Andrew]. My very strong supposition will be that every seat will be filled,” he said.
Students are excited about Luck’s arrival.
“I think it’ll be an invaluable experience to gain some insight from one of the most prominent student athletes of our time,” said Tiger defensive lineman, Chris Hawk. “We are very excited as a team, and hopefully will take away some ideas on how to balance excellence in the classroom and on the field.