Athlete Spotlight: Ryan Huxtable

Ryan Huxtable was the type of high school football player that you expected to do great things. He was named second team all-state, first team all-city and was a finalist for the “That’s my boy” award. He was also honored as the Wendy’s High School Heisman Representative. Needless to say, everyone knew he could go on to play college football, it was just the question of where. With an impressive list of options, including many Ivy schools, Ryan chose the University of Chicago. He has since graduated, and looking back on it he couldn’t be happier with the decision he made.

What schools from other divisions were interested in you/did you consider going to?
Brown, Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth, Middle Tennessee State, Davidson, Indiana

Why did you choose to play at Chicago instead?
Chicago offered me the perfect combination of academics and the opportunity to play the sport I loved. It also had the major that I wanted (economics) and was close enough to home that my family could still come to games. The University of Chicago provides an education at or above an Ivy League level and prepares students for life after college.

What were you able to be involved in at Chicago outside of sports?
Campus Crusade for Christ, The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta, Stork Investment Partners

What do you think were some benefits of playing d3 instead of a higher division?
As a D-3 athlete you are there for an education, not an athletic career. Not one person on our team had a misguided dream of playing in the NFL. However, sports at any level in college prepare you more for the real world than any class ever could. It teaches you how to be regimented, multi-task, leadership, team-work, etc.

A lot of people say D3 is just an extension of high school sports, how would you compare the competition levels between the two?
As a whole, D3 athletics are better than high school, but you will get some “superstars” in high school that you won’t see in D3. Teams are better prepared and have more complex game plans that you won’t see in high school athletics.

How do you think your academics were affected by going D3?
Academics always come first at The University of Chicago as well as the majority of D-3 schools. Classes, study groups, and labs were never missed due to practice or meetings. Coaches were very understanding when classes or tests conflicted with practice.

What are you doing now that you’ve graduated?
Healthcare IT Consulting

What was the highlight for you of your college career?
Beating Washington University sophomore year and winning the 2005 UAA Championship.

Did you have any regrets about not playing in a higher division?
None at all.