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Explains a lot of those dumb picks.
"Listening to Bears quarterback Rex Grossman talk about football, you sometimes get the feeling the NFL has robbed the nation of a promising analytical mind that might be better used on the economy, international exit strategies or hopeful medical research.
Grossman might come from a football family, but he's also the son of an eye surgeon. Surely, his natural intelligence could be applied toward a more noble goal than completing a forward pass.
''I think you would have to sit in on a couple of classes before you gave me that compliment,'' Grossman said. ''I'm not real proud of it.''
Grossman always has been ambitious, driven and naturally bright, but he applied those characteristics on the football field, not to academic pursuits off it. He says he drove his father crazy by taking an NFL-or-bust approach to life at an early age.
Grossman was loaded with promise as a football player for as long as anyone can remember, earning player of the year honors in Indiana by his junior year in high school. But in a family that puts a high premium on education, he was the type of high school kid who tested well but struggled to remain interested in the classroom.
Majors come, majors go
Grossman's course of study at Florida is a tribute to his single-mindedness as a football player. He started out as a business major but switched to economics before opting to pursue a general degree in business administration. By the time he had completed his core requirements and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy after his junior season, football was dominating his mind more than ever.
Grossman changed majors to travel and tourism, then switched again to leisure-services management. By his final semester of college, Grossman had taken a unique approach to academic life.
''My classes just got closer and closer to the Florida locker room,'' said Grossman, who took four classes because they were in the building closest to the practice field. ''It made sense. All four of them were easy enough for me to get a B without much work.''
How easy?
''I remember taking a class on stress and anxiety management, and for one period -- an hourlong class -- you had to bring in a pillow and take a nap,'' Grossman said.
''I don't know why I thought I was going to the NFL. Maybe it was stupid, even if I turned out to be right. I just always expected to go to the NFL, and nobody ever comes out of Bloomington [Ind]. to play football at Florida, let alone the NFL. I just for some reason always felt like I was going to make it.''
It might not have spread to the classroom, but Grossman did a lot of football homework. The way he recruited Florida as much as the school recruited him is an example of that.
Grossman was a highly recruited player being pursued by the top t in the country and had received letters from Florida when he showed up on campus.
Meeting of the minds
It was just after the recruiting period had ended following his junior year in high school when he decided to travel to Florida State for a visit. While in the state, he decided to drop in at Florida and was taking a campus tour when he ran into coach Steve Spurrier, who took a rare day off from golf to visit the office. A recruiting coordinator introduced the two, and Spurrier had Grossman come into his office, where they watched Grossman's highlight tape and a tape of the Gators' offense.
''It was awesome,'' Grossman said. ''How he gets receivers open, the offense, great weather, Gainesville, being in Florida at a top-five school in the country, throwing the ball, Steve Spurrier, the whole thing.''
In a way, that is where Grossman's education really began, and it turned out to be a perfect meeting of the minds. Not to mention a great deal for the Bears. Developing a young passer never has been a speciality of the franchise. The organization is renowned for its use of stopgap players at the position, employing a series of journeymen for the prerequisite series on offense before getting back to the task of playing defense.
Jim McMahon won a Super Bowl with the Bears, but you always got the impression he knew more about the forward pass than his coaches did. Grossman has that sort of pedigree in terms of earning a football doctorate at Pass Happy U.
He has played in plenty of different schemes and understands the game and how to succeed. His pro career has been stalled by injuries, and there might come a time when he wishes he had applied himself better in school. Then again, he always will have the money to afford tutors if he ever goes back. "
"Listening to Bears quarterback Rex Grossman talk about football, you sometimes get the feeling the NFL has robbed the nation of a promising analytical mind that might be better used on the economy, international exit strategies or hopeful medical research.
Grossman might come from a football family, but he's also the son of an eye surgeon. Surely, his natural intelligence could be applied toward a more noble goal than completing a forward pass.
''I think you would have to sit in on a couple of classes before you gave me that compliment,'' Grossman said. ''I'm not real proud of it.''
Grossman always has been ambitious, driven and naturally bright, but he applied those characteristics on the football field, not to academic pursuits off it. He says he drove his father crazy by taking an NFL-or-bust approach to life at an early age.
Grossman was loaded with promise as a football player for as long as anyone can remember, earning player of the year honors in Indiana by his junior year in high school. But in a family that puts a high premium on education, he was the type of high school kid who tested well but struggled to remain interested in the classroom.
Majors come, majors go
Grossman's course of study at Florida is a tribute to his single-mindedness as a football player. He started out as a business major but switched to economics before opting to pursue a general degree in business administration. By the time he had completed his core requirements and was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy after his junior season, football was dominating his mind more than ever.
Grossman changed majors to travel and tourism, then switched again to leisure-services management. By his final semester of college, Grossman had taken a unique approach to academic life.
''My classes just got closer and closer to the Florida locker room,'' said Grossman, who took four classes because they were in the building closest to the practice field. ''It made sense. All four of them were easy enough for me to get a B without much work.''
How easy?
''I remember taking a class on stress and anxiety management, and for one period -- an hourlong class -- you had to bring in a pillow and take a nap,'' Grossman said.
''I don't know why I thought I was going to the NFL. Maybe it was stupid, even if I turned out to be right. I just always expected to go to the NFL, and nobody ever comes out of Bloomington [Ind]. to play football at Florida, let alone the NFL. I just for some reason always felt like I was going to make it.''
It might not have spread to the classroom, but Grossman did a lot of football homework. The way he recruited Florida as much as the school recruited him is an example of that.
Grossman was a highly recruited player being pursued by the top t in the country and had received letters from Florida when he showed up on campus.
Meeting of the minds
It was just after the recruiting period had ended following his junior year in high school when he decided to travel to Florida State for a visit. While in the state, he decided to drop in at Florida and was taking a campus tour when he ran into coach Steve Spurrier, who took a rare day off from golf to visit the office. A recruiting coordinator introduced the two, and Spurrier had Grossman come into his office, where they watched Grossman's highlight tape and a tape of the Gators' offense.
''It was awesome,'' Grossman said. ''How he gets receivers open, the offense, great weather, Gainesville, being in Florida at a top-five school in the country, throwing the ball, Steve Spurrier, the whole thing.''
In a way, that is where Grossman's education really began, and it turned out to be a perfect meeting of the minds. Not to mention a great deal for the Bears. Developing a young passer never has been a speciality of the franchise. The organization is renowned for its use of stopgap players at the position, employing a series of journeymen for the prerequisite series on offense before getting back to the task of playing defense.
Jim McMahon won a Super Bowl with the Bears, but you always got the impression he knew more about the forward pass than his coaches did. Grossman has that sort of pedigree in terms of earning a football doctorate at Pass Happy U.
He has played in plenty of different schemes and understands the game and how to succeed. His pro career has been stalled by injuries, and there might come a time when he wishes he had applied himself better in school. Then again, he always will have the money to afford tutors if he ever goes back. "
