Last month, I was on a college recruiting trip with my son who is interested in playing football in college. It was a cold, windy, cloudy early Spring morning and after a long drive to arrive at the college, needless to say, I was not really all that excited to watch another football practice for the next few hours. After about 30 minutes into the practice, a 65-year-old man came over to me and asked me where I was from and if I had any questions about the college. First, I was like, “where did this guy come from?” I was just standing on the side of the end zone of the football field, a few yards away from my son.

Well, 45 minutes later, this kind man told us all about his days at the college, his experience as a football player, how the school prepared him for a successful career and how his team won the D3 national championship his senior year, too. He shared with us a lot of current up-to-date information about the college and asked my son very friendly and engaging questions. He made a lasting impression on us both.

When I asked Larry why he was up early, and at this Saturday morning Spring practice, he replied, “Oh, I’m retired now, so I just decided to make the drive down from Syracuse, where I live, to watch the team.” I asked him how long the drive was from Syracuse, and he said, “Only an hour.” (Which in my book is a long drive to come watch a practice!).

Why am I posting a blog about Larry? Because every college needs a Larry. He was so kind, friendly and generous with his time to talk with a high school recruit and his mom (being me) about the school, what my son’s potential experience could be at the school, and why he should highly consider coming to the school. This is not a typical experience on a college recruitment visit. He made a lasting impression on my son and I.