Lehigh University Athletics
On the move
9/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
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A Red Sox fan from
Fay also had the benefit of leaning on his family, which he says is very tight-knit. “My parents, who live in
Fay can still recall going to
Following the 2005 season, it appeared as though Fay’s career with Lehigh football was over. Faced with the prospect of not playing again, the 6-0, 230 pounder began to wonder, ‘What if?’ “Around Christmas time I sat down and talked to my family, I came in and spoke with Coach Coen and Coach (Adam) Scheier and I realized that I would miss the game too much if I stopped playing.”
Due to a back injury sustained while lifting weights prior to his freshman year, Fay was forced to miss his first season on the gridiron at Lehigh, which opened the door to the possibility of one additional year on
Fay discusses his back injury. “The pain (in my back) gets bad. I have thought about quitting, but then I start to think about being out there (on the field). I’ve always loved playing football. There is something about going out once a week and knocking heads. There is just something special about this game.”
With four years under his belt, Fay has tried to take on more of an expanded role this season, but it hasn’t come free of charge. “The guys call me granddad or Grandpa Fay because I’m the oldest guy out there,” he says with a chuckle. “I’m trying to be more of a leader and I think the younger guys are getting used to playing with me. I definitely feel as though me being out there helps them because I have been through it before.”
After five years of Lehigh football, including countless practices, blocking drills and late night film sessions, Fay knows he will eventually have to hang his cleats up. When the time comes, he will look for a job in the engineering field, particularly the transportation or environmental aspect.
“I became interested in the field back in high school,” Fay explains. “I knew Lehigh was very strong in engineering and the civil aspect was appealing to me. I knew that this was what I wanted to do, and after having a great visit to Lehigh, I knew this was the place for me.” He adds, “I wanted to come to a school in the Northeast that had a great balance of academics and athletics and Lehigh had it all.”
Fay has held an internship in each of the past two summers, one working on traffic design and traffic analysis, which was arranged through the civil engineering department at Lehigh, and the other consisting of land development and site planning, which the Mountain Hawks coaching staff helped him to land. “I really enjoyed both of them and learned a great deal. After graduation, I would like to stay up here (in the Northeast) because a lot of my extended family is located in
Fay and the Mountain Hawks are off this weekend, and will return to action on Saturday, September 30 when they play host to the Crimson of Harvard at Goodman Stadium. Kick off is set for 1:07 on Volunteer Day and tickets are still available. You can purchase tickets in one of three ways: in person during normal business hours at the Grace Hall ticket window, by phone during normal business hours at (610) 7LU-GAME, or on-line anytime at lehighsports.com.
