Ivy League Sports

Living Up to Expectations
Chris Carey's family has a deeply rooted tradition in the Ivies. Columbia's captain as a junior, he's looking to continue the family legacy in 2002...

There has always been a debate about whether leaders are born or simply rise out of necessity. With Chris Carey, it could be a little bit of both. Playing one of the most important roles on the field, the 5-foot-11, 225-pound middle linebacker carries not only a load of responsibility, but also an Ivy League legacy on his young shoulders.

Embarking on his third season with the Columbia Lions, Carey made a name for himself in his sophomore season, recording 102 tackles (40 solo), the third-highest total in the League. Eighty of those came when he posted double figures in six consecutive games against the likes of Harvard, Yale, Penn, Dartmouth, Cornell and Lafayette. He was later voted captain, making him the second junior captain in 75 years of Columbia football. Carey’s drive, maturity and focus have led him to this stage, but performing is nothing new him.

“He really is the kind of kid who eats, sleeps, and drinks football,” says head coach Ray Tellier. “It’s very important to him, he works really hard at it and I think his teammates recognize that. It is a rare honor to be elected as captain as an underclassman; that tells you a lot about what his teammates think of him.”

“It was definitely a great honor and responsibility to be voted a captain of the team. There is definitely more pressure on you when you are given a responsibility like this,” Carey says. “However, this position also is what you make it and I put a great deal of pressure on myself. I just want to make sure I serve my team in the best manner that'll help us perform the best. Hopefully, the style in which I engage the team and the tone I set on and off the field will make us a better team and program.”


	Chris Carey
	Junior
	5-foot-11
	225 lbs.
	Hometown: Bernardsville, N.J.
	High School: Pingry
	Career Ambition: Tycoon
	Summer Job: Intern Salomon Smith Barney; Scout for Joshua Tree Entertainment.
	Favorite Thing About the Ivy League: Being able to tackle smart kids and get rewarded for it.
	Pregame Ritual: One read over a newspaper just to get my head in check, one look over the scouting report, a good breakfast, a lot of heavy metal, and no talking unless it's a mumble or a scream.
	Hobbies: Weightlifting, going to concerts, djing, riding motorcycles, eating.
	Toughest Opponent: Harvard or Penn
	Favorite Movie: Wall Street/King of New York.
	Favorite CD: The Second Coming, by E-Town Concrete.
	Top Vacation Spot: Coney Island, Brooklyn.

While a standout athlete at the Pingry School, Carey was the captain of the football and lacrosse teams and earned nine letters in the two along with wrestling. He set a school record rushing 1,561 yards his junior year and was also named first team all-conference three times, was first team all-area as a multipurpose player, and earned a New Jersey All-State Super 100 pick. Add to that his two-time Pingry MVP award as he led the Big Blue to the state final in 1998 and the semifinals in 1999.

The time and energy Carey has put into his football career is paying off. The self-proclaimed “football nut” is constantly seeking knowledge and prides himself on being a student of the game. By watching countless hours of tape and putting in extra time at the gym, Carey hopes his efforts will give him an edge and separate him from the rest of the athletes in the league.

“It's a fun conference to play in, there is always so much history involved,” he says. “These teams have been playing each other forever and to be a part of that tradition is a fun thing to think about. The Ivy League is different in the ways they level the playing field so much. It's like NASCAR racing; each team is designed to have a certain amount of talent. So, the only thing that separates teams is hard work, game plans, and preparation. I don't think there is any other conference in all of college football that makes the teams so evenly matched."

Carey takes his responsibility to the team very seriously. “It’s tough to be a leader when you’re not crazy about what you’re doing. There are kids I know that are leaders, but they aren’t completely into what they do. When you’re in a leadership position, you can’t be blasé about what you’re doing.”

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"It's tough to be a leader when you're not crazy about what you're doing. There are kids I know that are leaders, but they aren't completely into what they do. When you're in a leadership position, you can't be blasé about what you're doing."
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Coach Tellier agrees. “I don’t know if anybody on our team works as hard as he does,” He says. “He loves to practice. Sometimes practice can seem like drudgery, and he loves to play football, whether it’s a game or practice everyday. And he works just as hard during the off-season and brings a great work ethic and intensity for the game. I think as a captain, upperclassman and leader and a guy who has made plays and started 10 games for us, he’s going to demand that a lot from his teammates. I think that’s a good thing. Hopefully it will make us a better team.”

ALL IN THE FAMILY

As serious as he is about football and the Ivy League, you have to wonder where he got it from…

Steeped in Ivy League tradition, the Carey Family continues to pass the torch generation after generation. Carey’s grandfather Bill attended Columbia and according to Chris, commuted from Connecticut for classes. He later went on to wrestle while in the Navy. Next came his uncle, Max, who was a standout cornerback and kick returner for the Lions from 1966 to 1968. It turns out Uncle Max holds the season records for both punt returns (23) and return yards (332), set in 1967.

Carey’s father, also named Chris, wrestled for Princeton in the 1970’s while working his way through, and soon Mike (the elder Chris’ brother), followed. Carey also mentioned at least three of his cousins attend or have attended Columbia in recent years.

Carey grew up going to Columbia/Princeton games and even admitted he used to cheer for Princeton. “It's been a family rivalry for a long time and we always had a big party for games every year until I started playing football seriously,” he remembers. “I have to be honest, I used to root for Princeton, but I do remember Columbia winning a majority of the games.”

As a kid, he knew Ivy was the only way to go. “I always thought it would be so cool to play for one of these teams, I was always dreaming about it,” he says. “I guess it’s a kind of rare thing to grow up around it and end up going to one of the schools. It’s like a family school, everybody knows the fight song, and everyone loves to come to the games and it makes me really proud to be a part of it.”

Now, at age 20, it’s on Carey to help lead a team that went 3-4 in the league (3-7 overall) last season to a turnaround. That said, is a leader born or developed over time?

-- LaKesha Whitaker

	Career Highlights Carey was an Ivy League Honor Roll selection Received and an All-Ivy and Football Gazette Honorable Mention Led Columbia in tackles with 102 (40 unassisted) in 2001. Eighty of those came in six consecutive games against Lafayette (14), Penn (12), Dartmouth (14), Yale (10), Harvard (19) and Cornell (11).



























DID YOU KNOW?
Chris Carey's father (also named Chris) was a member of two Princeton Ivy Wrestling Championships in 1972 and 1973. His uncle Mike also helped the Tigers take another wrestling championship in 1975.