Playing every day like it's his last
9/30/2016 2:01:00 PM | Football, Student Athlete, Features
Yale Preview | Lehigh Football Report
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
The 2016 season may be Brandon Short's last as a college football player.
Hopefully, it's not.
Regardless, Short's approach to every practice, every game and every opportunity to improve is the same, whether this is his last season or he returns in 2017. That extra sense of urgency, which seniors often say they feel, has been there for Short ever since returning from a season-ending injury he sustained early in the 2014 season.
"That experience really brought things into perspective," he said. "We always hear coaches say play every play like it's your last. I started three games as a sophomore, which got taken away in the matter of two plays. It really opened my eyes to enjoy and appreciate what I'm doing."
Because of that injury and missing the rest of the season, Short hopes to return to Lehigh for a fifth year to earn his master's degree while continuing to play football. Several logistics still need to be figured out, but that's his goal.
Short wasn't heavily recruited coming out of high school in Mentor, Ohio. Most of the schools interested in him were Division II programs, but Lehigh came calling and there was an almost immediate connection.
"I didn't know about Lehigh until I got a call before practice my senior year. One of Lehigh's recruiting coordinators said he was going to be at my practice in 10 minutes," said Short. "I didn't know anything about the school, who they were or where they were located. It led to a visit around January of my senior year and it felt right, so I made the decision to come here."
Short's transition to Lehigh was fairly smooth. He likes challenging himself, as evident by entering the Engineering school. He is now a Mechanical Engineering major.
"I'm a blue collar kind of guy," said Short. "I like challenges and don't want to go into something that's going to be easy. Playing at a strong FCS program, coupled with the strong academics, I knew Lehigh would be a challenge, but it would be the best of both worlds."
Being a bright individual who finished in the top 15 percent of his graduating high school class, the beginning of Short's collegiate career featured ups and downs, but nothing he couldn't handle.
"The transition in the classroom was bigger than I expected," said Short, who took many business courses in high school, but had minimal engineering experience. "On the field, it was a slight transition. It wasn't as big as I expected, since we ran the same type of offense in high school. It took me a few weeks to get used to the different calls, but I feel like I picked up the offense pretty quickly."
Short entered Lehigh pretty quiet, which can be expected as a youngster, but he's progressed into a leader. Along the way, Lehigh Athletics' leadership programs proved extremely helpful in his development.
"Being on the field as a sophomore, I really wasn't vocal. I went out there, played and did my job," he said. "Being involved in the leadership programs here at Lehigh has really helped me grow as a person, on and off the field, and connect with more people."
Those connections led to Short being named a captain this season.
"Brandon was elected as a captain through his peers, which says a lot," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "He's been engaged with our leadership culture here and people gravitate towards him. He's not a big vocal guy, but he's a tremendous leader by example."
One of the turning points in Short's career was his injury and the subsequent months when football was taken away from him.
It's an experience no student-athlete wants to deal with, but if it comes about, can serve as an opportunity for growth.
"When the injury originally happened, I was pretty devastated," said Short. "I got a couple phone calls from Coach Coen and the offensive line coach at the time, Coach Sawyer. All the work I put in was gone, but then I realized I'd have an extra year of eligibility if I'd like to take it. It eased the pain a little bit knowing that I'd be able to come back, play and contribute to the team."
Short has come back from his injury and contributed in a big way.
Offensive linemen don't have stats you see in a box score, so they take pride in others' stats and accomplishments - such as Dominick Bragalone eclipsing 1,000 yards as a freshman last season.
"The offensive line has a lot of pride in what they do," said Bragalone. "Last year, they were always reminding me every week how many more yards I needed for 1,000. It wasn't really something I was thinking about or focusing on, but they really wanted me to achieve that goal."
Short works hard every day with team goals and motivation in the forefront of his mind. He puts his heart into not only football, but also everything he does.
"Giving it 100 percent on the field and in the classroom is my attitude," said Short. "If I give it my all, but it doesn't go the right way, I know there's another day tomorrow. Being able to put everything you have into whatever you're doing is rewarding, especially when it pays off."
When you give it your all, you have no regrets. That's what Short is all about.
Combine what he's doing in all realms, as a leader of Lehigh football and a Mechanical Engineering major with a GPA over 3.0, it makes his successes even that much more impressive. Short's career aspirations are to work in the business side of engineering, which came from his uncle, who was an engineer at Goodyear.
"I worked with my uncle on a senior project in high school," said Short. "When I saw what he was doing, I realized I could do a little bit of engineering and business, but you need an engineering background to manage the business side of the engineer."
That realization led Short to becoming an engineering major at Lehigh.
Short has developed an impressive resume in his time on South Mountain, which includes working in Lehigh's Mechanical Engineering department this past summer as assistant for the manufacturing shop.
"The experience featured more of the manufacturing side of things, creating different parts, taking in drawings and making the parts," said Short. "We welded and created parts, and we took apart a fan from the roof. It really got my nose into things."
Two years ago, as he was on the bus ride home from Yale, Short didn't know what his future would hold. Today, things are coming together in all facets. He hopes to work towards a business-related graduate degree next season, while continuing to play the game he's grown to love even more by the day.
"I think having the engineering degree with a business background would really put me above some base-level engineers trying to get into the field," he said.
Short's injury put more than just football into perspective.
"Last season, my mom got diagnosed with cancer, which really put life into perspective," he said. "She fought hard and beat it, but it really made me appreciate the little things in life."
Appreciating those little things have helped Short live every day to the fullest.
"Brandon has grown a lot as a person, just from his injury alone," said fellow senior and starting offensive lineman Zach Duffy. "It definitely wakes you up and helps you see the bigger picture. There aren't any guarantees in life, and Brandon has come to understand and embrace that. I think it's one of the main reasons he's such a strong leader on our football team."
One of those little things Short doesn't take for granted is suiting up with his teammates.
"I was the happiest man in the world to be back out there on the field after my injury," he said. "That feeling of getting back out there was something you can't really put into words. The love for the game was back and it was at an all-time high.
"My biggest takeaway has been to embrace every opportunity that you have and run with it. Never take anything for granted because you never know when it's going to be taken away."
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
The 2016 season may be Brandon Short's last as a college football player.
Hopefully, it's not.
Regardless, Short's approach to every practice, every game and every opportunity to improve is the same, whether this is his last season or he returns in 2017. That extra sense of urgency, which seniors often say they feel, has been there for Short ever since returning from a season-ending injury he sustained early in the 2014 season.
"That experience really brought things into perspective," he said. "We always hear coaches say play every play like it's your last. I started three games as a sophomore, which got taken away in the matter of two plays. It really opened my eyes to enjoy and appreciate what I'm doing."
Because of that injury and missing the rest of the season, Short hopes to return to Lehigh for a fifth year to earn his master's degree while continuing to play football. Several logistics still need to be figured out, but that's his goal.
Short wasn't heavily recruited coming out of high school in Mentor, Ohio. Most of the schools interested in him were Division II programs, but Lehigh came calling and there was an almost immediate connection.
"I didn't know about Lehigh until I got a call before practice my senior year. One of Lehigh's recruiting coordinators said he was going to be at my practice in 10 minutes," said Short. "I didn't know anything about the school, who they were or where they were located. It led to a visit around January of my senior year and it felt right, so I made the decision to come here."
Short's transition to Lehigh was fairly smooth. He likes challenging himself, as evident by entering the Engineering school. He is now a Mechanical Engineering major.
"I'm a blue collar kind of guy," said Short. "I like challenges and don't want to go into something that's going to be easy. Playing at a strong FCS program, coupled with the strong academics, I knew Lehigh would be a challenge, but it would be the best of both worlds."
Being a bright individual who finished in the top 15 percent of his graduating high school class, the beginning of Short's collegiate career featured ups and downs, but nothing he couldn't handle.
"The transition in the classroom was bigger than I expected," said Short, who took many business courses in high school, but had minimal engineering experience. "On the field, it was a slight transition. It wasn't as big as I expected, since we ran the same type of offense in high school. It took me a few weeks to get used to the different calls, but I feel like I picked up the offense pretty quickly."
Short entered Lehigh pretty quiet, which can be expected as a youngster, but he's progressed into a leader. Along the way, Lehigh Athletics' leadership programs proved extremely helpful in his development.
"Being on the field as a sophomore, I really wasn't vocal. I went out there, played and did my job," he said. "Being involved in the leadership programs here at Lehigh has really helped me grow as a person, on and off the field, and connect with more people."
Those connections led to Short being named a captain this season.
"Brandon was elected as a captain through his peers, which says a lot," said Lehigh head coach Andy Coen. "He's been engaged with our leadership culture here and people gravitate towards him. He's not a big vocal guy, but he's a tremendous leader by example."
One of the turning points in Short's career was his injury and the subsequent months when football was taken away from him.
It's an experience no student-athlete wants to deal with, but if it comes about, can serve as an opportunity for growth.
"When the injury originally happened, I was pretty devastated," said Short. "I got a couple phone calls from Coach Coen and the offensive line coach at the time, Coach Sawyer. All the work I put in was gone, but then I realized I'd have an extra year of eligibility if I'd like to take it. It eased the pain a little bit knowing that I'd be able to come back, play and contribute to the team."
Short has come back from his injury and contributed in a big way.
Offensive linemen don't have stats you see in a box score, so they take pride in others' stats and accomplishments - such as Dominick Bragalone eclipsing 1,000 yards as a freshman last season.
"The offensive line has a lot of pride in what they do," said Bragalone. "Last year, they were always reminding me every week how many more yards I needed for 1,000. It wasn't really something I was thinking about or focusing on, but they really wanted me to achieve that goal."
Short works hard every day with team goals and motivation in the forefront of his mind. He puts his heart into not only football, but also everything he does.
"Giving it 100 percent on the field and in the classroom is my attitude," said Short. "If I give it my all, but it doesn't go the right way, I know there's another day tomorrow. Being able to put everything you have into whatever you're doing is rewarding, especially when it pays off."
When you give it your all, you have no regrets. That's what Short is all about.
Combine what he's doing in all realms, as a leader of Lehigh football and a Mechanical Engineering major with a GPA over 3.0, it makes his successes even that much more impressive. Short's career aspirations are to work in the business side of engineering, which came from his uncle, who was an engineer at Goodyear.
"I worked with my uncle on a senior project in high school," said Short. "When I saw what he was doing, I realized I could do a little bit of engineering and business, but you need an engineering background to manage the business side of the engineer."
That realization led Short to becoming an engineering major at Lehigh.
Short has developed an impressive resume in his time on South Mountain, which includes working in Lehigh's Mechanical Engineering department this past summer as assistant for the manufacturing shop.
"The experience featured more of the manufacturing side of things, creating different parts, taking in drawings and making the parts," said Short. "We welded and created parts, and we took apart a fan from the roof. It really got my nose into things."
Two years ago, as he was on the bus ride home from Yale, Short didn't know what his future would hold. Today, things are coming together in all facets. He hopes to work towards a business-related graduate degree next season, while continuing to play the game he's grown to love even more by the day.
"I think having the engineering degree with a business background would really put me above some base-level engineers trying to get into the field," he said.
Short's injury put more than just football into perspective.
"Last season, my mom got diagnosed with cancer, which really put life into perspective," he said. "She fought hard and beat it, but it really made me appreciate the little things in life."
Appreciating those little things have helped Short live every day to the fullest.
"Brandon has grown a lot as a person, just from his injury alone," said fellow senior and starting offensive lineman Zach Duffy. "It definitely wakes you up and helps you see the bigger picture. There aren't any guarantees in life, and Brandon has come to understand and embrace that. I think it's one of the main reasons he's such a strong leader on our football team."
One of those little things Short doesn't take for granted is suiting up with his teammates.
"I was the happiest man in the world to be back out there on the field after my injury," he said. "That feeling of getting back out there was something you can't really put into words. The love for the game was back and it was at an all-time high.
"My biggest takeaway has been to embrace every opportunity that you have and run with it. Never take anything for granted because you never know when it's going to be taken away."
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