The 2022 Senior Perspectives is the 17th in a series of annual collections. Senior captains and representatives of teams at Harvard have been invited to contribute viewpoints based on personal experience from both their senior seasons and full varsity careers at Harvard.

Spencer Rolland
Hometown: Apple Valley, Minn.
Concentration: Mechanical Engineering
House Affiliation: Eliot

When asked to write a senior reflection about my time as an athlete on the football team at Harvard, I thought it would be easy. These past four years have been filled with unforgettable memories and lessons that have shaped who I am today. But it's tough to capture the significance of my time and put into words how much this program has meant to me. There aren't many experiences in life where you can grow as a student, an athlete, a friend, a brother, and most importantly as a person when compared to being one of the 10,000 Men of Havard.

As soon as I stepped into that locker room my freshman year, I was accepted and welcomed into a second family. This instant sense of community and brotherhood is unparalleled to the majority of other situations in life. These relationships are forged through the many shared experiences that exist throughout the football season; experiences of adversity like the sleepless mornings when we had to be in Palmer Dixon by 6:30 am Harvard Football time for a grueling workout, or the relentless cold showers that we are all convinced are controlled by the coaches, or the heartbreaking theft of a win at Princeton after defeating them in the third overtime. But it's also forged through moments of success like the first day of practice when we were all back on the field together for the first time after two long years of Covid, or each subsequent practice where everyone still brought the juice and the energy, or the victories such as the comeback win against Yale to solidify a 9-1 season and claim Harvard Football's first Ivy League championship since 2015. It's moments like these, and many more, that forged an everlasting bond of brotherhood amongst our team that none of us will ever lose.

These moments taught me many life lessons that can't be taught in the classroom. Sometimes in life, things will not go your way despite how hard you work, how meticulously you plan, or how long you prepare. But it is not about whether you get knocked down or how hard you get knocked down, rather it is about how you get back up after you have been knocked down. This sentiment was consistently preached by Coach Murphy as he would say, "control what we can control". At the end of the day, that was our effort and our attitude. Despite what was thrown at me in the classroom, I always showed up ready to give it my all and work hard when I crossed the Charles to the athletic complex.

Another lesson I learned throughout my time is that you get out what you put in. Coming in as a freshman, I was a severely undersized offensive lineman that would be constantly mistaken for a tight end and would be thrown around during practice. I could have easily given up and stopped but I was determined to prove myself as an offensive lineman. I quickly realized that if I wanted to make an impact on the team and become a starter, I needed to buy into the program which meant leading the scout team as a freshman offensive lineman. But it also meant doing all the little things right such as never being late to a practice, finishing all of the lifts, and seeking out a nutritionist so I could lay out a dietary plan to meet my goals. If I wanted to find success, I knew I needed to work hard day in and day out, from the start.

As my final weeks at Harvard come to a close, I will forever cherish these moments, lessons, and bonds I have created. These past four years of my life with Harvard Football have been nothing short of a blessing. I am forever grateful to Coach Murphy and the coaching staff for offering me and my family this life changing opportunity. This campus, program, team, and brotherhood will always have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life.

-Spencer Rolland, #72