On Monday, March 4, John Urschel delivered the keynote speech that kicked off Xavier Week at McQuaid Jesuit. From professional football player to an acclaimed mathematician at MIT, Urschel’s story was unique, interesting, and unlike any other.

Playing guard, Urschel had an extremely successful college football career at Penn State University. The success of Urschel’s stint at Penn State earned him a draft pick from the Baltimore Ravens in 2014. Urschel played three seasons with the Ravens before he made a radical, yet calculated, decision to give up football and pursue a career in math.

Urschel is currently a mathematician and PhD student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was recognized by Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 for his outstanding work in the math field.

Urschel is connected to McQuaid because he attended McQuaid’s Jesuit brother school, Canisius, in Buffalo. In his speech, Urschel spoke about going to an all-male high school.

“I was lucky to be at a place that taught me discipline. I was lucky to be at a place that cared about values,” Urschel said.

Urschel’s keynote spoke on this year’s Xavier Week theme: “Good Men Create Great Men.”

“It is an honor to take part in Xavier Week here at McQuaid. I can’t think of a better reason for all of us, as young men, to come together and talk about how we should be,” the former NFL player said.

Although Urschel is very thankful for his Jesuit education, he pointed out the fact that all-male environments, such as Canisius and the high-level football locker rooms that he has been in, can create problems and challenges when facing the real world. Urschel got to share and reflect on his experiences in these environments and challenges with the students and faculty of McQuaid.

Urschel has a young daughter who has greatly influenced his life, giving him a new perspective on what being a good man truly means.

“I believe that there are a few essential qualities that good men share. Qualities in character,” he said. “They strive to make the world better, and also to improve themselves.”

McQuaid students shared positive feedback from Urschel’s talk. Many students took advantage of the question and answer session after Urschel’s talk. One of these students was McQuaid junior Francesco Simone, who asked Urschel about what it was like to play on the Ravens during the Ray Rice scandal.

“It was very cool to hear from, and be able to talk to, a former NFL player. Urschel has had some very unique experiences in his life involving football as well as math, and it was great to listen to him talk about them,” Simone said.

“Urschel made some great points about what being a man truly means,” junior Karanveer Blagan said. “His speech really tied Xavier Week together.”

Urschel informed and inspired the McQuaid community, and gave the young men in attendance fantastic insight as to how to live life properly as good men.

McQuaid Jesuit is grateful for John Urschel who made McQuaid’s first ever Xavier Week a success with his keynote speech.