Yale Bulletin and Calendar

March 19, 2004|Volume 32, Number 22

Nate Lawrie

Bulldogs' Nate Lawrie busy
preparing himself for NFL Draft

Nate Lawrie '04, who has been hailed as one of Yale's most distinguished gridiron greats in recent times, is shaping himself for the April 24-25 National Football League (NFL) Draft.

Before the 6-foot-7, 265-pound tight end and punter has his name called on draft day, numerous NFL executives and coaches who have been calling for information will thoroughly scrutinize his background in search of things that make him stand out among the hundreds of college seniors who happen to be his size.

What they will discover is that Lawrie has accomplished a rare feat for an Ivy League athlete by competing in two collegiate football all-star contests, the Blue-Gray and Las Vegas All-American Classics. He was invited to these professional football showcases because he broke the school season (72) and career (116) record for receptions by a tight end and was Yale's top offensive line performer six times in 10 weeks during the 2003 campaign.

Lawrie's white helmet with its block-letter "Y" could be seen on ESPN2 on Christmas Day in the 65th edition of the Blue-Gray Classic at Troy, Alabama, as Yale's "tower of power" ran pass routes and made crisp blocks against some of the nation's finest collegiate talent. A few weeks later at a new all-star event in the desert, Lawrie further displayed his skills.

"Playing in the Blue-Gray Game was an amazing experience. I was a little nervous going in, but after I got into practices and started interacting with the other players, it all felt natural to me," says Lawrie, who many say may find a better fit as a free agent than as a player taken in one of the seven rounds of the draft. "There were a lot of good players to compete with and against, but I didn't feel like I was outmatched in any way. It was a lot of fun for me to test my skills against some of the best players from around the country."

Lawrie, who also distinguished himself as a thrower for the track and field team by scoring in all four events against Harvard two years ago, earned spots on the I-AA All-America first teams of the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association and I-AA.org (official site of I-AA football), while also becoming a first-team All-Ivy and All-ECAC pick.

"Nate has completely dedicated himself physically and mentally to preparing himself for the upcoming NFL Draft," says Jason Novak, Yale's head strength and conditioning coach. "The proof of that is the fact that Nate now weighs more [265 pounds] and runs faster [4.8 seconds for a 400-yard dash] than he ever has during his college career.

"He is working with a professional training team in Indianapolis specially geared toward preparing him for the NFL workouts and the draft," adds Novak. "I have noticed remarkable gains by him each week he returns from Indy."

All this from a player who went from three catches as a sophomore to 41 as a second team All-Ivy selection in 2002 and then bumped it up another 31 receptions last fall to move into No. 2 on the Yale all-time receiving list. All of this was accomplished while Lawrie also served as the team's top punter: He booted 40 balls for a 35-yard average in 2003.

"In four years Nate has gone from a big kid with potential to a bona fide NFL Draft pick," sats Yale head football coach Jack Siedlecki. "He excelled in our offense as a run blocker and pass catcher and realized his potential through commitment to the off-season program."

The Yale athlete says of his gridiron career: "I always believed I had the potential to do great things on the football field. I have had a lot of sound coaching from a very young age and I was blessed with great size. For me to have two great seasons as a starter, I knew that I had to continue to work hard and listen to my coaches. They allowed me to develop into the player that I am today."

Lawrie, who owns the record for the second most catches in a game for a Yalie with 16 against I-AA runnerup Colgate, was an all-state gridiron performer as well as a track standout at Roncalli High in Indianapolis.

He is currently throwing for the Bulldog track and field team while preparing for the NFL Draft. "I am going to try and throw as much as possible in the outdoor season," he says. "I want to treat this track season just like the rest, but there are definitely going to be some differences."

-- By Steven A. Conn,
Sports Publicity

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Yale scientist on team that discovered new planetoid

Robert Blocker has been reappointed to third term . . .

Center to foster research on cerebral cortex

Bulldogs' Nate Lawrie busy preparing himself for NFL Draft

Political scientist Ian Shapiro named YCIAS director

Zbigniew Brzezinski . . . to present talk on campus

Magic, comic mayhem prevail in re-telling of old tale

'Digital Cops in a Virtual Environment' will explore . . .

Conference to consider 'The Future of Secularism'

Exhibit features works by artist who combined fact and fantasy . . .

NIDA director discusses complicated causes . . . of drug addiction

Castle Lectures to explore materialism in today's culture

English faculty to present staged reading of 'Pentecost'

'Enclave' to explore architectural aspects of ports of commerce

In Focus: Office of Cooperative Research