Under the Helmet – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 17, 2005
Complete Story in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Anthony Gonzalez will forever be remembered by Buckeye fans for his 68-yard touchdown reception against Michigan last year on the opening drive of the game. While celebrating his touchdown, most fans probably did not stop to think about Gonzalez the student. Maybe they should have.
Gonzalez is a philosophy/pre-law major and earned a 4.0 grade point average spring quarter.
While a few Division I-A college football players have a one-track mind set on the NFL, Gonzalez knows that while the National Football League is a great opportunity for some, it is essential to get a good education while you are in college.
“You see people every day who sign big contracts in the NFL and then get cut after one year,” Gonzalez, who also has aspirations of playing professional football, said. “That happens and then all of a sudden that person is not going to get all the money he once thought he was.”
Contracts in the NFL are not guaranteed, so even if a player signs a long term deal for a lot of money, the team could release him and not have to pay for the remaining years on the contract.
Gonzalez knew when he came to Ohio State it was important to get his degree, but he did not know he would change his major in order to pursue a career as a lawyer. He enrolled at Ohio State in 2003 as a business major but decided after only one year he wanted to switch to pre-law.
“My grandfather always said he wanted a lawyer in the family,” Gonzalez said. “He also said all lawyers should be English and philosophy majors. At least I got half of that.”
After switching majors, Gonzalez knew he was going to have to raise his grade point average to get into the law school of his choice. His focus and commitment paid off last spring quarter when he earned a 4.0. Gonzalez anticipates his grade point average to be around a 3.6 by the time he graduates from Ohio State in the spring of 2007.
This lawyer-to-be is the type of person who wants to go to one of the most prestigious law schools in the United States.
“My dream school would probably be Stanford,” Gonzalez said. “Then after Stanford my next choice would probably be Harvard or Yale. I will probably apply to all of the schools in the Top 25 and go to the best one I get accepted to.”
What school Gonzalez will be able to attend depends on his law school aptitude test (LSAT) score. He has taken a few practice tests but is not sure yet when he is going to take the real one. Gonzalez could take the LSAT as early as next year, or it could be 15 years from now.
“My best case scenario would be to have a good career in the NFL and then go to law school,” Gonzalez said. “The NFL is my No. 1 goal, but if that does not work out, I will have something great to fall back on.”
Fans hear about the lucrative contracts in the NFL and cannot believe how much money the players make. The problem is, for every player who makes it, there are many who do not and have no education to fall back on. Gonzalez is making sure no matter what happens in his career as a professional athlete, he will be successful off the field.
