Kauffman's Motor Never Stops
9/5/2018 5:03:00 PM | Football, Student Athlete, Features
By Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Senior Harrison Kauffman has it all going for him. On the field, he earned a scholarship after just one year at Lehigh. In the classroom, he is an Academic All-District honor. As a leader, he was named a team captain for the 2018 season.
As Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said, Harrison Kauffman is an "All-American guy."
It's hard to be successful is so many different areas. More time spent in one area means less time available for other areas. How does Kauffman do it?
He never takes a play off. He never takes a class off…
He never takes a moment off.
"What I bring to the team is my motor. I try not to let myself have a bad day," said Kauffman, a native of Kalispell, Montana.
"One of my high school coaches had a final piece of wisdom. He said when you're a decent player in high school, you can show up and take plays off, but in college, you miss one rep and all of a sudden, you go from a one to a two on the depth chart.
"I always try to pride myself on never letting myself have a bad day – whether it's in the weight room, academically or anything I'm doing."
Nothing was ever given to Kauffman. He's worked for everything that has come his way. After growing up in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania (approximately 20 miles southeast of Lehigh), Kauffman's family moved to Montana in the fourth grade. Little did he know that he would make his way back to the Keystone State years later.
"When I was thinking about college, I zeroed in on Ivy League and Patriot League schools," said Kauffman. "Education is really important to me."
Kauffman found that place at Lehigh.
"Zach Bucklin was my host and I had the best time ever," he said. "Zach was a really cool guy from Seattle, really down to earth, and I fell in love with the guys. I knew I was going to get a great education. I remember Coach Coen saying the three most important things here are faith, family and football and I thought, that's all me. From then one, there was no looking back."
Transitioning back to Pennsylvania was a bit of a challenge, but nothing Kauffman couldn't handle.
"I always say everything that happens here hits Montana six months later," said Kauffman. "Even the music here was totally different. The pace was fast and I felt totally out of my element at first. It hit me like a ton of bricks.
"But Coach Roberts was really awesome and the senior leadership was phenomenal. It took a little bit of time, but it all fit into place."
Things certainly fell into place nicely for Kauffman. After his freshman year, the recruited walk-on was awarded a scholarship.
"I was a scout team player my freshman year and I went against [offensive lineman] Zach Duffy most of the time," said Kauffman. "He was a great role model and helped me pick up the speed of the game, playing against an All-League player and getting better."
Kauffman got better due in large part to what's at the core of his persona… his motor.
"There was a turning point in camp my freshman year when Coach Roberts said he loved my hunger and told me to stay hungry. That's when I realized it would be my key to seeing the field and being a leader on the team," said Kauffman.
From every which angle, Kauffman stayed hungry and it was evident to everyone around him.
"I think a lot of Harrison," said Coen. "He is just a big ball of energy. He's been that way through good times and bad. We always need to have those guys who have that positive energy. Everybody loves him."
Among the "everybody" is Kauffman's teammate, classmate and roommate, kicker Ed Mish.
"Harrison is always on," said Mish. "He genuinely cares about his family, friends and teammates and would do anything for them.
"Harrison takes pride in being enthusiastic and raising the intensity of any situation."
Entering Lehigh, that enthusiasm was already engrained in Kauffman. Lehigh helped bring it to the forefront.
"My parents always instilled a really hard work ethic and said you can't get anything by going halfway," said Kauffman. "Also, the guys here bring it out of you. Greg Palma my freshman year had that same kind of motor. When you have guys around you who challenge you to have that kind of intensity when you play, it's easier to bring that to the table."
Kauffman's intensity has also translated to the classroom. The finance major owns a 3.45 cumulative GPA and has garnered endless academic accolades – Academic All-District, Academic All-Patriot League and more.
"I came in wanting to do finance and accounting," he said. "Then, I had an internship in accounting my sophomore year and realized I didn't want to be an accountant. I actually want to take my finance background and use it in insurance when I get out."
From his Lehigh experiences, on and off the field, there is no doubt Kauffman will be ready for life after college. Even with his busy schedule, he has found time to secure valuable internships.
"I worked a bit with KPMG (one of the big four auditors) after my freshman year," he said. "This past summer, I interned with a company called Luck Stone. Their program, Values Based Leadership, caught my eye. I thought it would be valuable to take back to Lehigh and someday to my future life. It's focused on figuring out who you are, what you bring to the table and helping everyone on the team figure it out as well."
Experiences in the real world can translate to the playing field, and vice versa. Experiencing last season's early troubles (starting 0-5), yet turning things around to repeat as Patriot League Champions, parallels being knocked down in life, but picking yourself up and continuing to work.
"[Strength and conditioning coach] Eric Markovcy challenges you to have a good day, even when you're beaten up. Show up with everything you have, even when you're 0-5," said Kauffman. "Doing that in the real world is key to success."
"Life is going to knock you down, but you have to be able to get back up time after time," Kauffman continued.
"I always think about that Rocky scene… 'You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.'"
Moving forward is exactly what the 2017 Mountain Hawks did and it ended with a championship. Kauffman has learned that every season, every game and every day is unpredictable. He's been knocked down plenty of times, but you would never know it. Kauffman moves forward with a positive attitude, a mindset which will serve him well post-graduation.
"Believe it or not, I just got engaged so I have a lot of balls in the air right now," he said. "I feel really excited to take on the world. The preparation you get at Lehigh is incredible. Between toughness from football, leadership from the leadership academy and more, all the different pieces come together to really set you up for success in the future.
"Football aside, just the amount of time you spend trying to become better men, then take what you learn and make the team better, I don't think that exists anywhere else."
In the end, Kauffman's parents instilled a strong work ethic in Harrison from a young age. That work ethic set him up to attend a prestigious institution in Eastern Pennsylvania (Lehigh), where it's only been enhanced, setting him up for the next steps in his life.
Kauffman hopes one of his next steps includes staying in Eastern Pennsylvania.
"I would like to work in insurance and hopefully stay connected to Lehigh in some way," said Kauffman.
"I guess all roads lead to Bethlehem."
As Lehigh head coach Andy Coen said, Harrison Kauffman is an "All-American guy."
It's hard to be successful is so many different areas. More time spent in one area means less time available for other areas. How does Kauffman do it?
He never takes a play off. He never takes a class off…
He never takes a moment off.
"What I bring to the team is my motor. I try not to let myself have a bad day," said Kauffman, a native of Kalispell, Montana.
"One of my high school coaches had a final piece of wisdom. He said when you're a decent player in high school, you can show up and take plays off, but in college, you miss one rep and all of a sudden, you go from a one to a two on the depth chart.
"I always try to pride myself on never letting myself have a bad day – whether it's in the weight room, academically or anything I'm doing."
Nothing was ever given to Kauffman. He's worked for everything that has come his way. After growing up in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania (approximately 20 miles southeast of Lehigh), Kauffman's family moved to Montana in the fourth grade. Little did he know that he would make his way back to the Keystone State years later.
"When I was thinking about college, I zeroed in on Ivy League and Patriot League schools," said Kauffman. "Education is really important to me."
Kauffman found that place at Lehigh.
"Zach Bucklin was my host and I had the best time ever," he said. "Zach was a really cool guy from Seattle, really down to earth, and I fell in love with the guys. I knew I was going to get a great education. I remember Coach Coen saying the three most important things here are faith, family and football and I thought, that's all me. From then one, there was no looking back."
Transitioning back to Pennsylvania was a bit of a challenge, but nothing Kauffman couldn't handle.
"I always say everything that happens here hits Montana six months later," said Kauffman. "Even the music here was totally different. The pace was fast and I felt totally out of my element at first. It hit me like a ton of bricks.
"But Coach Roberts was really awesome and the senior leadership was phenomenal. It took a little bit of time, but it all fit into place."
Things certainly fell into place nicely for Kauffman. After his freshman year, the recruited walk-on was awarded a scholarship.
"I was a scout team player my freshman year and I went against [offensive lineman] Zach Duffy most of the time," said Kauffman. "He was a great role model and helped me pick up the speed of the game, playing against an All-League player and getting better."
Kauffman got better due in large part to what's at the core of his persona… his motor.
"There was a turning point in camp my freshman year when Coach Roberts said he loved my hunger and told me to stay hungry. That's when I realized it would be my key to seeing the field and being a leader on the team," said Kauffman.
From every which angle, Kauffman stayed hungry and it was evident to everyone around him.
"I think a lot of Harrison," said Coen. "He is just a big ball of energy. He's been that way through good times and bad. We always need to have those guys who have that positive energy. Everybody loves him."
Among the "everybody" is Kauffman's teammate, classmate and roommate, kicker Ed Mish.
"Harrison is always on," said Mish. "He genuinely cares about his family, friends and teammates and would do anything for them.
"Harrison takes pride in being enthusiastic and raising the intensity of any situation."
Entering Lehigh, that enthusiasm was already engrained in Kauffman. Lehigh helped bring it to the forefront.
"My parents always instilled a really hard work ethic and said you can't get anything by going halfway," said Kauffman. "Also, the guys here bring it out of you. Greg Palma my freshman year had that same kind of motor. When you have guys around you who challenge you to have that kind of intensity when you play, it's easier to bring that to the table."
Kauffman's intensity has also translated to the classroom. The finance major owns a 3.45 cumulative GPA and has garnered endless academic accolades – Academic All-District, Academic All-Patriot League and more.
"I came in wanting to do finance and accounting," he said. "Then, I had an internship in accounting my sophomore year and realized I didn't want to be an accountant. I actually want to take my finance background and use it in insurance when I get out."
From his Lehigh experiences, on and off the field, there is no doubt Kauffman will be ready for life after college. Even with his busy schedule, he has found time to secure valuable internships.
"I worked a bit with KPMG (one of the big four auditors) after my freshman year," he said. "This past summer, I interned with a company called Luck Stone. Their program, Values Based Leadership, caught my eye. I thought it would be valuable to take back to Lehigh and someday to my future life. It's focused on figuring out who you are, what you bring to the table and helping everyone on the team figure it out as well."
Experiences in the real world can translate to the playing field, and vice versa. Experiencing last season's early troubles (starting 0-5), yet turning things around to repeat as Patriot League Champions, parallels being knocked down in life, but picking yourself up and continuing to work.
"[Strength and conditioning coach] Eric Markovcy challenges you to have a good day, even when you're beaten up. Show up with everything you have, even when you're 0-5," said Kauffman. "Doing that in the real world is key to success."
"Life is going to knock you down, but you have to be able to get back up time after time," Kauffman continued.
"I always think about that Rocky scene… 'You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.'"
Moving forward is exactly what the 2017 Mountain Hawks did and it ended with a championship. Kauffman has learned that every season, every game and every day is unpredictable. He's been knocked down plenty of times, but you would never know it. Kauffman moves forward with a positive attitude, a mindset which will serve him well post-graduation.
"Believe it or not, I just got engaged so I have a lot of balls in the air right now," he said. "I feel really excited to take on the world. The preparation you get at Lehigh is incredible. Between toughness from football, leadership from the leadership academy and more, all the different pieces come together to really set you up for success in the future.
"Football aside, just the amount of time you spend trying to become better men, then take what you learn and make the team better, I don't think that exists anywhere else."
In the end, Kauffman's parents instilled a strong work ethic in Harrison from a young age. That work ethic set him up to attend a prestigious institution in Eastern Pennsylvania (Lehigh), where it's only been enhanced, setting him up for the next steps in his life.
Kauffman hopes one of his next steps includes staying in Eastern Pennsylvania.
"I would like to work in insurance and hopefully stay connected to Lehigh in some way," said Kauffman.
"I guess all roads lead to Bethlehem."
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DL
/ Football
DL
/ FootballLehigh Sports Central: Football
Tuesday, December 02
MHT EP6 - Football
Thursday, November 20
Brown & Flight - Episode 4
Friday, November 14
Football Blitz
Friday, October 31
