Nov. 24, 2004
Lafayette sophomore Brad Maurer has used his intelligence and his physical skills to great effect on the football field, acting decisively in leading the Leopards as a double-threat, passing-and-running signal caller.
Last Saturday, before a sellout crowd and nationwide television audience, he capped the regular season with an MVP performance as the Leopards dominated Lehigh in the 140th meeting of college football's most-played rivalry. The 24-10 win gave Lafayette a share of the Patriot League title and the College's first-ever berth in the 16-team NCAA Division I-AA football championship.
Every day, in a less visible way, Maurer matches his athletic attainments in the classroom. He has approached his academic challenges with leadership, resolve and success during his first year and a half on campus as he embarks on one of the hottest and most challenging college majors today, neuroscience.
Who says so? Well, the faculty.
At Lafayette he has taken two courses each in biology and psychology, the main disciplines of neuroscience. The field of neuroscience explores the development, structure, and behavioral consequences of the nervous system.
"Neuroscience is one of the most challenging and demanding majors on campus, and Brad definitely has the intellectual equipment for it," says Wayne Leibel, associate professor of biology, who taught two of Maurer's freshman-year classes. "I was glad to give him the two A's he earned.
"Brad distinguished himself by being a leader in discussion in my first-year seminar on human behavior. He was clearly captivated by the subject material. He also did quite well in the general biology course," Leibel says.
Maurer is a Lafayette Marquis Scholar. Selected for academic excellence and intellectual curiosity from among Lafayette's top applicants, Marquis Scholars receive the College's highest academic scholarship - a minimum award of $12,500 per year ($50,000 over four years) or a grant in the full amount of their need, if the need exceeds $12,500. They also receive the program fee for a faculty led, three-week, study-abroad course during interim session and opportunities for cultural activities in major cities and on campus.
Trustee Scholarship recipients receive a minimum of $7,500 per year ($30,000) over four years or grant-to-need awards if need exceeds $7,500. The amounts of both the Marquis and Trustee Scholarships will be increased beginning with the class entering Lafayette next fall. Marquis Scholars in the Class of 2009 and beyond will receive a minimum award of $16,000 per year and Trustee Scholarship recipients will receive a minimum of $8,000 per year.
"My number one priority in choosing a college was to find the best school possible that offered a wide variety of courses," Maurer explains. "Lafayette has certainly allowed me to take excellent classes in several different fields. The education I'm getting here is invaluable to me, and the credit for that goes to the wonderful professors at Lafayette."
Along with his neuroscience curriculum, Maurer has taken a rich mix of courses in his three semesters so far. He has excelled in chemistry and calculus. But he's also taken courses in Latin, Spanish, and philosophy. And even a course called "Politics of Russia, the Other Post-Soviet States, and Eastern Europe." Now that's intellectual curiosity.
Maurer was valedictorian of his graduating class and a National Merit Scholar finalist at Kings High School, Kings Mills, Ohio, near his hometown of Loveland in the Cincinnati area. Ohio's Division II offensive player of the year, he received the "That's My Boy" award from the National Football Foundation as the top scholar-athlete in the football-rich Buckeye State.
It's that synergy of academics and athletics that drew Maurer to Lafayette, according to head football coach Frank Tavani.
"At Lafayette, we have a special environment for the student-athlete and make no secret that academics come first. Football is a commitment as well and it's really the best of both worlds," Tavani says.
"The recruitment of Brad was really the same as how we recruit anybody else," the Leopards' leader explains. "He had shown interest and we brought him onto campus, and like most of the students we bring into Easton, he loved it and signed with us."
Tavani also employed a tactic that he had used just one other time in his five years as the Leopards' head coach.
"In Brad's case, we also utilized President Rothkopf and his wife, Barbara," he comments. "We had Brad and his father meet with the president since we wanted to make the connection that even the president cares about this type of student-athlete. The Marquis Scholarship, which is completely academic, factored into Brad's decision as well."
Senior captain Stephen Bono, a civil engineering major and four-year starter at offensive guard, is also a Marquis Scholar. Earlier this fall, Bono earned placement on the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-District II team for the third time, while Maurer was one of three sophomores to make the squad of 24 student-athletes.
Bono and his offensive line mates paved the way for the league's second-ranked rushing attack, led by Maurer and Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Joe McCourt. On the ground, the sophomore quarterback rolled up 627 yards and nine touchdowns, while throwing for over 1,000 yards and five scores.
"As a football player, he's a true leader and we've really seen those leadership qualities from him, as well as his athletic ability," Tavani enthuses. "Of course, his academic qualities speak for themselves. We knew he was the complete package, and as a quarterback he has what you're looking for - he has the heart of a lion."
On the field, Maurer may have a lion's heart. But as assistant professor of philosophy Julie Yoo says, "He's a very active participant in class and a really sweet guy, too - very approachable." Maurer is currently taking Yoo's course "Philosophy of Mind," an elective that counts toward the neuroscience major.
"He has very philosophically astute things to say, and he's just a sophomore. I'm very impressed with that," Yoo says. "He's one of the stronger students I've encountered, and I think he'll be successful in anything he chooses. I only wish he were majoring in philosophy. Maybe I can talk him into it."
Leibel, Maurer's biology professor, says, "The thing about Brad is that he's unassuming. He really didn't talk at all about the sports end of his life. When he was in the classroom he was all about the classroom, and he was very good at it."
Sidney Donnell, associate professor of Spanish, echoes Leibel: "He's brilliant, very likable, and very modest." To complement his studies in neuroscience, Maurer may minor or add a second major in Spanish, and he's currently taking his second course with Donnell.
Donnell learned last spring that Maurer was a member of the football team when Maurer signed up as a freshman to take Donnell's upper-level course in Spanish civilization and culture. "But," Donnell says, "I didn't know until this weekend that he was the star quarterback!"
Leibel continues, "I remember commenting in the spring about how he seemed to be bulking up, and he said, `Yeah, I've been working out,' but never mentioned he was on the football team. So this fall, I was watching a game on TV and was just blown away to see him leading the team. For that matter he also never drew attention to being a Marquis Scholar, never acted like he thought he was important."
"In class he's very participatory, but sensitive to other students," Donnell adds. "He's on top of things, but he doesn't grandstand at all. He has an ear for the language and a talent for literary and cultural studies. He's gifted and bright, and I wish we could have more Brads in the classroom."
Maurer says, "I'm humbled to hear the nice things my professors have said about my character and personality. To me, those types of comments are worth far more than anything that can be said about intelligence or athletic ability, because there will be times when those things fail, but character is something that endures."
"Brad seems happy and well-adjusted," Donnell says. "I think he'll be fine with all the accolades he's suddenly receiving because he's well-grounded. In Spanish there's a slang verb, torear, meaning to `do the bullfight move,' to handle everything that comes at you gracefully, and look good doing it. That's Brad."
As a football coach, Frank Tavani is used to having the last word. The man who brought Maurer to College Hill says, "Brad epitomizes what the Patriot League was founded on and stands for. He is truly a student and a scholar-athlete. He's been outstanding in the classroom in high school and throughout college, and outstanding on the football field. Those are two characteristics that allegedly, through stereotypes, don't usually match up.
"Brad Maurer really represents everything we want in a Lafayette College student-athlete and certainly a Patriot League student-athlete."
