By Mark Eckel, Player Engagement Insider
Quentin Gause knew it would happen, that was never in doubt. When it did he got even more than he anticipated.
Gause, a rookie linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles, planned to graduate from Rutgers University from the day he enrolled, maybe even sooner than that.
When that day came on Sunday, May 15th, Gause and his 12,000 Scarlet Knight classmates were greeted by President Barack Obama who gave the school’s commencement speech.
“That was pretty awesome to have President Obama there,’’ Gause said. “I was in the front row. I wanted to make sure I had a good seat.’’
The President made an impression on the 6‘0”, 240lb linebacker, who hopes to do the same for the Eagles’ coaches this summer at training camp.
“He was pretty down to Earth,’’ Gause said. “He spoke his mind. The worst part was just waiting for him. We had to get there at 7:00 a.m. and the graduation didn’t start until 12. But because of the Secret Service and all of that, we had to be there early. But it was still awesome.’’
On that warm, and rainy day, over 40,000 people packed the Rutgers Stadium not just to hear the President of the United States, but to honor the graduating class of 2016.
Included in that crowd were Gause’s parents and his younger brother Joseph, a freshman at Rutgers.
“I think more of my family would have been there, but we were given only three tickets, because of Obama being there,’’ he said. “(Graduating) was an important goal for me. My mom and dad both wanted me to finish college first, they stressed that, and then go on and do what I am going to do.’’
What Gause hopes to do is make the Eagles. The team is very thin at the linebacker position and the rookie made enough of an impression in the spring minicamp and OTAs that he has a good shot to do just that.
First, he wanted to make sure he had that college degree. And he accomplished that on time.
“It would have been a pain in the neck to have to go back and finish,’’ he said “I know some guys do that, but I just wanted to finish on time. And it feels good to be finished.
“It was something that I wrote down when I was young (to graduate from college). And I updated my goal sheet regularly, but it was something that had to get done. Now, I can check it off my list and move on to other things on the list. It was one of those things you say to yourself, ‘Just get it done.’’’
Gause majored in journalism and media studies at Rutgers. He interned at three television stations in Rochester, N.Y. when he was still at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester; had a college internship at SportsNet NY, a television station in New York City and worked at R-Vision at Rutgers.
“I call it my Plan B,’’ Gause said of pursuing a job in the media some day. “When I’m done playing ball, whenever that is, I’ll try to pursue that goal. But Plan A is making the Eagles.’’
If he gets through that goal the way he did graduating from college, he’ll be on the field at Lincoln Financial Field opening day when the Eagles host the Cleveland Browns.