True Student Athletes

I see in this AZ Republic article that Gilbert's own Ryan Fitzpatrick is truly a St. Louis Ram now, lining up as the 3rd quarterback:

Soon after learning he had made the St. Louis roster as the third quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick gave his dad approval to buy a No. 12 Rams jersey.

"I wouldn't let him buy one until I officially made the team," Fitzpatrick said Tuesday.

"He was probably the happiest of all because he could go get his jersey."
The former Highland High standout beat out 2004 draftee Jeff Smoker for the third spot.

If Rams coach Mike Martz is correct, it might not be long before stores in Missouri will be inundated with fans looking for a No. 12 jersey.

"We are very pleased with him," said Martz on the team's Web site after Fitzpatrick's performance against Kansas City in the final preseason game. "Don't tell him that. My expectations for him are different than for everybody else because I think he's very special. So I expect him to be perfect.

Perhaps he expects himself to be perfect as well, since that was how he approached his studies at Highland High School. He was in many of the same classes with our second daughter, following the Honors track that eventually led to his scholarship at Harvard. He excelled as a quarterback at Harvard, was drafted in the seventh round - which was an anomaly for an Ivy League school - and now continues his quest for excellence in the NFL. He really is a great kid (I can call him a kid because I'm older), not at all self-enamored, and I wish him well.

A Higley Groves West resident shares a very similar story to this one, except he didn't see the same success on the athletic side of things. Ryan Little, our neighbor, is a year younger than Ryan Fitzpatrick, and he also graduated from Highland HS on the Honors track, and is now starting his senior year at Harvard, where he was recruited to play basketball. He wasn't able to make the team last year, but he is on schedule to graduate this year with a Harvard degree, and that's saying something. He, too, is a genuinely nice guy, very humble and grateful for the opportunities he's had.

It would be very simplistic (and incorrect!) to say that there is something in the Gilbert water that produces these sharp kids; but I will say that these two guys are indicative of the great families that live in Gilbert, and that the town seems to attract families that value education, responsibility and family togetherness; which in turn, makes it an attractive place to live. That's a great cycle to perpetuate.