Year: 2015
College: BK
Major: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Hometown: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
With 23 touchdowns so far this season including an incredible 5 touchdowns in Yale’s win over Army, football extraordinaire Tyler Varga is a well-known name all over campus. In light of The Game coming up this Saturday, we’ve interviewed Tyler to get to know the man behind the mask (or helmet if you will) beyond his stats on the field. From a typical day in the life to romantic dates on top of Niagara Falls, get to know this week’s superstar cutie!!
Describe a typical day in the life:
My day usually starts pretty early. I like to get as much as I can out of the day so I’m not huge on sleeping in. I’m all for going on a run or getting a lift in before breakfast. Anyone who knows me knows I love to eat and to be honest with you I pretty much can be spotted on campus with food at all times. After a couple lectures or maybe even a lab I hit up the practice field. I usually work up a good appetite for dinner from a few hours out on the turf. Post-dinner is no joke either. Me and my 8 suitemates usually have our weekly cage-fighting tourney on Tuesday nights after section. This gets us ready to hit the hay.
How would your teammates describe you?
A big Canadian meathead who can eat with the best. They’d probably tell you I’m not afraid to do my own thing (nude ice tubs on the reg) and they’d blame all my weird habits on me being from Canada.
You’ve had incredible success this season, is there anything in particular that has driven you this year?
Yeah, definitely. As an athlete you’re always looking for inspiration. This year I’ve had one of my high school coaches in mind a lot. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in February and has fought it into remission against all odds. If he can have to strength to win that fight, I should definitely have the guts to fight for my team on Saturdays. On top of that, a standard of excellence within our team that has been the highest of any year that I’ve been here at Yale has pushed my teammates and I to success. It’s my senior year. I love my football brothers and the fact that this is the last season I’ll have a chance step on the field with them has driven me to give it everything I have every single day.
What are some of your pregame rituals?
There are definitely some top-secret rituals involved in my pregame. But I guess I can spill on a couple of them… I’ll tell you that from the minute I wake up until the moment I step on the field on Saturdays, Zac Brown Band is the only musician that I’ve got on my playlist. It keeps me light and even keeled on game day. When I enter the stadium just pre-kickoff you’ll see me head for the goalpost to the left of our bench. I give the goalpost pad a couple love taps and then head to the 10-yardline and set up shop for a minute. Right after that I head to a spot just inbounds, over the 40, off of our sideline. My feet don’t touch any white lines while I run the game through my head for a couple minutes in that spot. After that, I’m ready to go.
What is your favorite thing about Yale?
I’d have to go with the amazing people that are on this campus. How often can you find super slick 80-year-old Mambo professors, off-the-wall sports alums, world famous researchers and future leaders of world nations all in one place? I think that’s pretty cool.
What’s your most embarrassing moment at Yale?
Being tackled by a kicker… twice.
If you were to take a girl on a date where would you bring her?
That definitely depends what city I’m in and what I have to work with. I’m really active. I think around here I might take her to yoga or take her up to east rock for a sunset view.
What’s your favorite place on campus?
Close call between the Yale Bowl and the Commons dining hall buffet.
Favorite movie quote?
“Janice, I apologize to you if I don’t seem real eager to jump into a forced awkward intimate situation that people like to call dating. I don’t like the feeling. You’re sitting there, you’re wondering do I have food on my face, am I eating, am I talking too much, are they talking enough, am I interested I’m not really interested, should I play like I’m interested but I’m not that interested but I think she might be interested but do I want to be interested but now she’s not interested? So all of the sudden I’m getting, I’m starting to get interested… And when am I supposed to kiss her? Do I have to wait for the door cause then it’s awkward, it’s like well goodnight. Do you do like that ass-out hug? Where you like, you hug each other like this and your ass sticks out cause you’re trying not to get too close or do you just go right in and kiss them on the lips or don’t kiss them at all? It’s very difficult trying to read the situation. And all the while you’re just really wondering are we gonna get hopped up enough to make some bad decisions? Perhaps play a little game called “just the tip”. Just for a second, just to see how it feels. Or, ouch, ouch you’re on my hair.” – Vince Vaughn, Wedding Crashers
What is the most romantic thing you’ve ever done?
Candlelit dinner on top of Niagara Falls… Flowers and ice wine included.
Any guilty pleasures?
Peanut M&M’s
Where can we find you on a Saturday night?
DKE or Zeta
What class have you most enjoyed at Yale?
Human Osteology. They’ll give you a life size plastic human skeleton and Eric Sargis is a beast of a professor. What else could you ask for?
What’s something about yourself that people at Yale wouldn’t know?
I can walk on my hands.
Do you have any advice for girls at Yale?
A smile is the best make up a girl can wear.
What’s your best Yale memory so far?
Beating Army in Overtime to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Yale Bowl.
Yale girls are best because…
They’re more than just a pretty face.
Good luck to Tyler and the rest of the bulldogs at Harvard this weekend!!!