This week’s campus celebrity is the one and only Ollie Starnes. You might remember him as #33 on the field because he graduated in 2010 as a Trinity Football legend. To give you some background on the mark he left, in his senior year playing against the undefeated Amherst team, he rushed 29 times for 117 yards while catching seven passes for 44 yards. At that time he lead Trinity and ranked second in the NESCAC with 701 rushing yards and 22 pass receptions for 160 yards, not to mention 7 touchdowns. Not only was he a 2008 All-NESCAC First team honoree, but he was the only player in the league to earn NESCAC Player of the Week honors two times. He has had over 1,700 rushing yards in his Trinity Football career, ranking him 10th all-time in College history. For those of you who might not fully understand how highly these stats and awards are regarded, let me put it this way. At his senior year homecoming game, there were g-strings sold with his name on them. You might have been lucky to see him last weekend at the football game, where we got a chance to interview this campus celeb!
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Roxbury, New Jersey
HCTrin: What were you involved with on campus?
OS: The football team and Alpha Chi Rho
HCTrin: What was your favorite meal to get on campus?
OS: My favorite meal was a turkey/bacon/lettuce/tomato/onion and fries at the bistro. My favorite cave meal was a steak & cheese made only by AL!
HCTrin: What was your most memorable moment on the field?
OS: In 2008 we won the NESCAC Championship, a perfect record of 8-0. The most memorable moment on the field was playing at home against Amherst. The game was always close and at one point I let my emotions get the better of me when I committed a personal foul on the Amherst own 2-yard line. Suddenly we were pushed back 15 yards and were forced to kick and it was blocked by Amherst. The team missed out on 3 points in such a close game and I felt like it was my fault. Eventually as a team we rebounded, especially the offensive line, that came together and sprung me for a 69-yard touchdown that all but sealed Amherst’s fate. On that day we became NESCAC Champions.
HCTrin: How did it feel to have to measure up to high expectations on the field every game?
OS: It’s an honor to be so highly thought of in regards to Trinity football. The program and its tradition means so much to me. The expectations of going undefeated (at least at home) each year are a bit heavy. Although critics or outsiders (who don’t know much about NESCAC football) will look at the caliber of talent of Trinity plus an eight game season and assume going undefeated is a foregone conclusion. But it’s daunting and nerve-racking. Entering each and every home game we knew we couldn’t lose. We couldn’t lose because we were better prepared than our opponents and we couldn’t lose because we had a streak to protect. To make matters worse, we always faced a team who would like nothing more than to be ‘the team that snaps the streak.’ It seemed like the Jesse/Miller Field became the visiting team’s “Super-bowl venue” because each team gave us their best shot. On that note, the underclassmen Trinity Bantams today have inherited a huge task. They are largely responsible for the future of Trinity football and will be examined under a microscope because of those who preceded them. These young Bantams knew what they were signing up for. They weren’t forced to be a part of the program, but from an insider’s perspective, it should be noted that the expectations they face on Trinity’s field are indeed greater than the ones we faced, and that’s all just a bit unfair.
HCTrin: How did you lead your team as a captain?
OS: As a captain, I was one of three leaders along with Chris Doval and Ben Sherry. All three of us had our unique qualities. My unique quality had to be my ability to lead by example. I lead my teammates by showing them the right way to do things on the field during practice, games, and lifting in the weight room. I would never ask anything of anyone that I wasn’t myself willing to do, or haven’t already done in the past. I had the trust of my teammates and I trusted them. That’s what made us such a great team.
HCTrin: Did you have a team motto?
OS: At a home game my senior year we took the field and gathered in the corner of the end-zone, as we normally did before the start of each game and after each half time. One game day, I was a tad late to the huddle and suddenly found myself in the center. It was clearly time for ‘something to be said’ so we can ‘break it down’ and take the field but I had nothing planned at the time. I wasn’t the primary vocal leader because that position belonged to Chris. He wasn’t around so I had to say something. In a light-hearted yet serious way I announced, “If you ain’t ready…Then you ain’t ready.” It sounds dumb now, but it was funny then. Every once in a while someone reminds me of that ‘in the moment’ saying.
HCTrin:Did you have a pregame and/or postgame ritual?
OS: Pregame Ritual–Music, headphones, band-stretching, focusing. Right after the national anthem and prior to kickoff I say a prayer that players on both sides avoid injuries. Postgame Ritual–Tailgate food and camaraderie, hoarding leftovers, stockpiling and consuming alcohol, going out and seeing people!
HCTrin: What do you miss most about Trinity?
OS: I miss playing football games the most. I think my favorite experience of Trinity football has to be overnight road games. They were great. On the way there we would usually watch one or two movies, eat snacks, and upon arrival at the hotel we would be assigned roommates and given a pizza. Then we would wake up, eat breakfast, and play football. On the way back we would watch more movies, eat more food, and tell stories and jokes about the game we just played. I love it.
HCTrin: What do you NOT miss about Trinity?
OS: I will not miss the conditioning test, especially the infamous pair of 300s. It’s amazing how much I miss football yet, I’m so glad it’s over.
HCTrin: What would you change about your time at Trinity if you could?
OS: Nothing, everything is fine the way it is. Things happen for a reason.
HCTrin: What are you doing now?
OS: I’m currently enrolled in Trinity’s Graduate Study program for Public Policy and Law. I chose that path as a way to extend my education in political science. I plan to graduate in May ’12 and then move back to Jersey to pursue a career in politics.
HCTrin: Do you have any advice for Trinity students?
OS: Stay in school!
Source:
http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-football/hrt-hctrinwes220081108224819,0,3886146.photo
http://athletics.trincoll.edu/Information/potw/Bantam_of_the_Week_m90910