Lehigh University Athletics
Lehigh Engineers Opportunity For Ruhl
12/8/2015 2:03:00 PM | Football, Student Athlete
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations
When you hear student-athlete, the student comes first for a reason. Senior tight end and co-captain Chris Ruhl understands why he's at Lehigh University.
"Coming in, I wanted to make sure I got the student aspect down, which I think I did pretty quickly," he said. "I found out what it took to be a successful student here."
Ruhl currently owns a strong 3.70 GPA and was named to the prestigious 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. The Huntingdon Valley, Pa. native wasn't always destined to play college football. Growing up, he played football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
"I always thought hockey was my favorite sport, but then I got to a point right before high school when I had to make a decision," said Ruhl. "I was still playing four sports and realized hockey was the one sport where I'd have to ditch the other three."
Ruhl decided to focus on basketball, football and baseball. For a while, he still wasn't sure what sport to play in college.
"Ultimately, the deciding factor was that I got so much more attention from football," said Ruhl. "Every week, there were football coaches talking to me, mainly Patriot League and Ivy League schools. By my junior year, I realized I could play at the Division I level."
Ruhl was drawn to Lehigh for several reasons.
"I wanted to study engineering and out of all the schools on my list, Lehigh really jumped out," said the Huntingdon Valley, Pa. native. "It was the perfect distance from home and the tradition of excellence in athletics really drew me to the school."
Ruhl was well-prepared for the rigors of Lehigh's academics. His biggest challenge came on the football field.
"The academic transition was actually quite smooth," said Ruhl. "I was a hard worker in high school. I challenged myself my senior year, taking a lot of advanced placement courses to test out of some college classes."
One of Ruhl's biggest adjustments was the amount of film study and analysis required in college football.
"My high school football team didn't have a playbook," he said. "The coaches prepared us great all week, then we went out and did our jobs. Here, it's another class and tougher than any other class I've ever taken. It requires just as much attention as all my classes combined. I had to learn how to use my skills that I had once set apart for just academics and find a way to use them for athletics, too."
Being the bright individual he is, Ruhl caught on and his playing career reaped the benefits. After not seeing action as a freshman, he played in seven games as a sophomore then nine games as a junior.
"I was making too many mental errors at first, but started turning the corner my junior year when I really started getting everything down pat," said Ruhl.
One memory that stands out is his first-career reception at Georgetown his junior year.
"The first play of the second half, we called a play that wasn't even in the game plan," said Ruhl. "I had no idea that we even had the possibility of running it. I got the ball for a 42-yard catch."
The catch may have never been possible without Ruhl's tireless work. He credits his coaches for catching him up to speed.
"Coach Coen was my position coach my first two years, then Coach (Andy) Marino was coaching tight ends," said Ruhl. "Coach Marino was a really great teacher. He made sure the tight ends, especially the younger guys, really knew the playbook and then Coach Coen took over the tight ends again this year."
As Ruhl's position coach for most of his career, Lehigh head coach Andy Coen was impressed by Chris' work ethic.
"With every critique, Chris had a notepad and wrote everything down," said Coen. "He's very studious in that respect. He's a great thinker. He can pick things apart and really understand everything that's taught, which helped him become a better player. He did a great job and I think a lot goes back to how much he soaked up over his prior three years here."
Along with the coaches, another influence for Ruhl was recently-graduated tight ends Tyler Coyle and Dylan Colgate.
"Whether I was involved in a rep or not, I watched them every single play," said Ruhl.
As a senior captain, Ruhl was on the other side of things during the 2015 season. His leadership was on fully display.
"I took what I learned and tried to broaden it to the entire team," said Ruhl. "I never saw myself as a vocal leader. I was definitely shy at first, but I felt there was a need for someone to be a little more vocal. I'm not really an in your face, scream at you guy, but I did more than lead by example. It can be necessary to create some energy with your words, which is what I tried to do."
"Chris is a leader who backed up what he preached because he did all the little things and gave 110 percent, whether it's on the field, in meeting rooms or the weight room," said junior quarterback Nick Shafnisky. "'Uncle Ruhl' is definitely a role model that multiple freshmen look up to, and a great guide to being a successful person in life."
Ruhl helped lead his Mountain Hawks to a strong bounce back season while impressing on an individual level as well.
"Chris has grown tremendously," said Shafnisky. "He's a methodical leader in that he looked at every little step to get better, not just for himself, but also his position group and the rest of the team."
As long as people like Ruhl are leading the way, the Lehigh football program is in good hands.
"Chris is going to graduate here in December as an engineer," said Coen. "I've even talked to professors and his advisor and they are so blown away by what he's been able to accomplish. From the student-athlete standpoint, he is excellent in the classroom, a guy who made himself a great football player and someone who connects with everybody on the team."
Ruhl hopes his impact within the world of sports is just beginning. After graduating, the mechanical engineering major would like to work in the sports technology field.
"I would love to work directly with athletes, finding out what can improve their games," he said. "What kind of adjustments can be made to what's already being done? What new fitness, performance or safety products are needed, which I can design from scratch to production, to help that industry?
Ruhl is looking to combine two passions in his life, sports and engineering.
"It's just a matter of finding something that can suit both areas," he said. "I'm sure there's a need for mechanical engineers in the sports technology field."
Ruhl will be in a strong position after graduating Lehigh, due to not only his academics, but also professional experience. The past two summers, he's completed research for a Lehigh professor on 3D metal printing.
"We basically built our own 3D printer from scratch that extrudes metal," said Ruhl. "You're able to produce metal pieces in whatever 3D geometry you'd like."
The research opportunity arose from a conversation with Coach Coen.
"During my sophomore year, I went to Coach Coen saying I really want to be on campus this summer," said Ruhl. "I wanted to work out with whoever's going to be up here, but needed something to do. Instead of just finding some desk job for me, he went directly to the head of the mechanical engineering department and asked if there was anything he could find for me. Next thing you know, I was working on a groundbreaking research project."
Ruhl's experience epitomizes one of a true student-athlete, the type of experience Lehigh hopes its student-athletes receive over their four-year careers.
"Lehigh has definitely provided me valuable tools to use moving forward," he said. "I have a huge arsenal of things I can do, go back to and think about. Just having that arsenal of confidence is important.
"Being a student-athlete here, you go through a lot. I know I'm prepared for life after graduation because of what I've experienced at Lehigh."
When you hear student-athlete, the student comes first for a reason. Senior tight end and co-captain Chris Ruhl understands why he's at Lehigh University.
"Coming in, I wanted to make sure I got the student aspect down, which I think I did pretty quickly," he said. "I found out what it took to be a successful student here."
Ruhl currently owns a strong 3.70 GPA and was named to the prestigious 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. The Huntingdon Valley, Pa. native wasn't always destined to play college football. Growing up, he played football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
"I always thought hockey was my favorite sport, but then I got to a point right before high school when I had to make a decision," said Ruhl. "I was still playing four sports and realized hockey was the one sport where I'd have to ditch the other three."
Ruhl decided to focus on basketball, football and baseball. For a while, he still wasn't sure what sport to play in college.
"Ultimately, the deciding factor was that I got so much more attention from football," said Ruhl. "Every week, there were football coaches talking to me, mainly Patriot League and Ivy League schools. By my junior year, I realized I could play at the Division I level."
Ruhl was drawn to Lehigh for several reasons.
"I wanted to study engineering and out of all the schools on my list, Lehigh really jumped out," said the Huntingdon Valley, Pa. native. "It was the perfect distance from home and the tradition of excellence in athletics really drew me to the school."
Ruhl was well-prepared for the rigors of Lehigh's academics. His biggest challenge came on the football field.
"The academic transition was actually quite smooth," said Ruhl. "I was a hard worker in high school. I challenged myself my senior year, taking a lot of advanced placement courses to test out of some college classes."
One of Ruhl's biggest adjustments was the amount of film study and analysis required in college football.
"My high school football team didn't have a playbook," he said. "The coaches prepared us great all week, then we went out and did our jobs. Here, it's another class and tougher than any other class I've ever taken. It requires just as much attention as all my classes combined. I had to learn how to use my skills that I had once set apart for just academics and find a way to use them for athletics, too."
Being the bright individual he is, Ruhl caught on and his playing career reaped the benefits. After not seeing action as a freshman, he played in seven games as a sophomore then nine games as a junior.
"I was making too many mental errors at first, but started turning the corner my junior year when I really started getting everything down pat," said Ruhl.
One memory that stands out is his first-career reception at Georgetown his junior year.
"The first play of the second half, we called a play that wasn't even in the game plan," said Ruhl. "I had no idea that we even had the possibility of running it. I got the ball for a 42-yard catch."
The catch may have never been possible without Ruhl's tireless work. He credits his coaches for catching him up to speed.
"Coach Coen was my position coach my first two years, then Coach (Andy) Marino was coaching tight ends," said Ruhl. "Coach Marino was a really great teacher. He made sure the tight ends, especially the younger guys, really knew the playbook and then Coach Coen took over the tight ends again this year."
As Ruhl's position coach for most of his career, Lehigh head coach Andy Coen was impressed by Chris' work ethic.
"With every critique, Chris had a notepad and wrote everything down," said Coen. "He's very studious in that respect. He's a great thinker. He can pick things apart and really understand everything that's taught, which helped him become a better player. He did a great job and I think a lot goes back to how much he soaked up over his prior three years here."
Along with the coaches, another influence for Ruhl was recently-graduated tight ends Tyler Coyle and Dylan Colgate.
"Whether I was involved in a rep or not, I watched them every single play," said Ruhl.
As a senior captain, Ruhl was on the other side of things during the 2015 season. His leadership was on fully display.
"I took what I learned and tried to broaden it to the entire team," said Ruhl. "I never saw myself as a vocal leader. I was definitely shy at first, but I felt there was a need for someone to be a little more vocal. I'm not really an in your face, scream at you guy, but I did more than lead by example. It can be necessary to create some energy with your words, which is what I tried to do."
"Chris is a leader who backed up what he preached because he did all the little things and gave 110 percent, whether it's on the field, in meeting rooms or the weight room," said junior quarterback Nick Shafnisky. "'Uncle Ruhl' is definitely a role model that multiple freshmen look up to, and a great guide to being a successful person in life."
Ruhl helped lead his Mountain Hawks to a strong bounce back season while impressing on an individual level as well.
"Chris has grown tremendously," said Shafnisky. "He's a methodical leader in that he looked at every little step to get better, not just for himself, but also his position group and the rest of the team."
As long as people like Ruhl are leading the way, the Lehigh football program is in good hands.
"Chris is going to graduate here in December as an engineer," said Coen. "I've even talked to professors and his advisor and they are so blown away by what he's been able to accomplish. From the student-athlete standpoint, he is excellent in the classroom, a guy who made himself a great football player and someone who connects with everybody on the team."
Ruhl hopes his impact within the world of sports is just beginning. After graduating, the mechanical engineering major would like to work in the sports technology field.
"I would love to work directly with athletes, finding out what can improve their games," he said. "What kind of adjustments can be made to what's already being done? What new fitness, performance or safety products are needed, which I can design from scratch to production, to help that industry?
Ruhl is looking to combine two passions in his life, sports and engineering.
"It's just a matter of finding something that can suit both areas," he said. "I'm sure there's a need for mechanical engineers in the sports technology field."
Ruhl will be in a strong position after graduating Lehigh, due to not only his academics, but also professional experience. The past two summers, he's completed research for a Lehigh professor on 3D metal printing.
"We basically built our own 3D printer from scratch that extrudes metal," said Ruhl. "You're able to produce metal pieces in whatever 3D geometry you'd like."
The research opportunity arose from a conversation with Coach Coen.
"During my sophomore year, I went to Coach Coen saying I really want to be on campus this summer," said Ruhl. "I wanted to work out with whoever's going to be up here, but needed something to do. Instead of just finding some desk job for me, he went directly to the head of the mechanical engineering department and asked if there was anything he could find for me. Next thing you know, I was working on a groundbreaking research project."
Ruhl's experience epitomizes one of a true student-athlete, the type of experience Lehigh hopes its student-athletes receive over their four-year careers.
"Lehigh has definitely provided me valuable tools to use moving forward," he said. "I have a huge arsenal of things I can do, go back to and think about. Just having that arsenal of confidence is important.
"Being a student-athlete here, you go through a lot. I know I'm prepared for life after graduation because of what I've experienced at Lehigh."
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