Myron Rolle (FSU football) wins Rhodes Scholarship

[tbyers11]

Winning a Rhodes Scholarship is an extremely impressive feat and I thought that the accomplishment by an ACC athlete was worthy of recognition.

Here is an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/sports/ncaafootball/20rolle.html?_r=1&em) from the NY Times describing Rolle's story and his decision to miss FSU's game against Maryland today for a final interview in Birmingham, AL.

He went to the interview and found out afterward that he won (http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/myron-rolle-wins-rhodes-scholarship/). He was then to hop a plane to try and make for the 2nd half of the game at MD.

Congrats to Myron.

[DukieInKansas]

Congratulations, Myron. Very impressive accomplishment.

[Carlos]

I'm willing to bet that this is the first Rhodes Scholar that Bobby Bowden has ever coached.

[footballfan2]

I'm willing to bet that this is the first Rhodes Scholar that Bobby Bowden has ever coached.

has Duke football ever had a Rhodes Scholar?

[rthomas]

I'm willing to bet that this is the first Rhodes Scholar that Bobby Bowden has ever coached.

What's your point? Why not simply say, congrats?

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

has Duke football ever had a Rhodes Scholar?
Rex Adams, later became dean of the Fuqua School of Business

[Acymetric]

This is a big accomplishment. Doing this while being a top tier athlete is even more impressive, congrats to Myron and all the other Rhodes scholars for their hard work!

[ugadevil]

Bobby Bowden, Florida State University, and the Rolle family should be extremely proud of Myron's accomplishment. What a great day for him and Seminole fans! Everyone who is an ACC fan should also be proud of his accomplishment - a true representative of what it means to be a student athlete. I read that Myron will now have to make a decision between going to the NFL or accepting the two year opportunity in Oxford. Whatever decision he makes, I'm pretty sure Myron will have great success.

[gotham devil]

Winning a Rhodes Scholarship is an extremely impressive feat and I thought that the accomplishment by an ACC athlete was worthy of recognition.

Here is an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/sports/ncaafootball/20rolle.html?_r=1&em) from the NY Times describing Rolle's story and his decision to miss FSU's game against Maryland today for a final interview in Birmingham, AL.

He went to the interview and found out afterward that he won (http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/myron-rolle-wins-rhodes-scholarship/). He was then to hop a plane to try and make for the 2nd half of the game at MD.

Congrats to Myron.

I watched him play for the Hun basketball team with his father. After the game, his father introduced me to him and the three of us watched two more games in the tournament. I've known five Rhodes Scholars (three friends, two professors) and another friend was a finalist. Respectfully, I never would've guessed that Myron Rolle would become a Rhodes Scholar (let alone with a 3.75 at Florida State).

For those that aren't familiar with the process, they divide up the country into now sixteen districts. As an applicant, you have the right to either apply in your home region (his would be the most competitive, New York/New Jersey) or your school's district (Florida/Alabama/Arkansas, considered the least competitive). He naturally opted for the easier route, his school's district. The other winner from the region was actually an ex-tennis player from Duke, Parker Goyer, who also opted to apply from that region (her home district). Congratulations to both of them.

[Jarhead]

Bobby Bowden, Florida State University, and the Rolle family should be extremely proud of Myron's accomplishment. What a great day for him and Seminole fans! Everyone who is an ACC fan should also be proud of his accomplishment - a true representative of what it means to be a student athlete. I read that Myron will now have to make a decision between going to the NFL or accepting the two year opportunity in Oxford. Whatever decision he makes, I'm pretty sure Myron will have great success.
Why does he have to make a choice? Bill Bradley, All American at Princeton, stellar carer in the NBA, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Rhodes Scholar, United States Senator, skipped over making a choice. He did everything, and did everything well. Myron Rolle can do it to. Congratulations to him, Florida State, and the ACC.

[ugadevil]

Why does he have to make a choice? Bill Bradley, All American at Princeton, stellar carer in the NBA, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Rhodes Scholar, United States Senator, skipped over making a choice. He did everything, and did everything well.

From what I just read about Bill Bradley on Wikipedia, it looks like he chose to go to Oxford and then he returned to play in the NBA. It's pretty cool that he also won a championship for a team in Europe during his time over there.

[footballfan2]

what exactly is a Rhodes Scholar? sounds like something for athletes. what do they learn?

[Acymetric]

what exactly is a Rhodes Scholar? sounds like something for athletes. what do they learn?

I honestly can't tell if you're being serious.

Rhodes Scholarship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodes_scholar)

On the off chance you are, thats a good link for you.

[FireOgilvie]

Myron Rolle was interviewed today by Jim Rome on his ESPN show. After the interview the guest panel was discussing how Florida State wasn't really the place you would expect to find someone like Myron, but instead probably "at Duke." Nice.

[CDu]

Why does he have to make a choice? Bill Bradley, All American at Princeton, stellar carer in the NBA, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Rhodes Scholar, United States Senator, skipped over making a choice. He did everything, and did everything well. Myron Rolle can do it to. Congratulations to him, Florida State, and the ACC.

Rolle does have to make a choice, just not the choice of a football career or the Rhodes scholarship. The choice is whether to get big money as a probable high draft pick (maybe 2nd or 3rd round?), or postpone his NFL career and study in Oxford for two years and then come back to the NFL. It's not as simple as simply going to Oxford and then coming right back.

Also, Bradley had a slightly easier choice. Staying in basketball shape (especially back when Bradley was a player) for two years away from the game is easier than staying in football shape to compete in the NFL today. The physical demands are much higher in the NFL today than it was in the NBA 30 years ago. Additionally, the money wasn't as good in the NBA back then as the NFL money is today. So Rolle will likely hurt his NFL earnings (and certainly shorten his NFL career) if he goes to Oxford to study full-time.

But regardless of the last paragraph, Rolle will certainly have to make a tough choice. It sounds like he's pretty intent on going to Oxford though. And in any case, it's an impressive story.

[Magnolia888]

For those that aren't familiar with the process, they divide up the country into now sixteen districts. As an applicant, you have the right to either apply in your home region (his would be the most competitive, New York/New Jersey) or your school's district (Florida/Alabama/Arkansas, considered the least competitive). He naturally opted for the easier route, his school's district.

There are sixteen districts, but you have your states mixed up a little. The groupings of the states by district are a little odd.

District 2 is Mass/NJ. District 3 is NY by itself. Rolle won from District 7, which is AL/FL/TN.

District 7 may be less competitive than the Mass/NJ district, but I can't imagine it's the "least competitive" district considering how populous FL is. District 11 is Arkansas/Kansas/Mississippi/Missouri.

In any event, it's a huge accomplishment, no matter what district he applied from. And score one for Augsburg College! I'm betting that school doesn't get too many Rhodes scholars, wherever it is.

[dukelifer]

Myron Rolle was interviewed today by Jim Rome on his ESPN show. After the interview the guest panel was discussing how Florida State wasn't really the place you would expect to find someone like Myron, but instead probably "at Duke." Nice.

I heard him interviewed on PTI a week or so back. This is one special young man- as poised as any student I have seen at his age. He is destined for great things. I am pretty sure the best at Fla State could perform near the top of any major university.

[LetItBD08]

And score one for Augsburg College! I'm betting that school doesn't get too many Rhodes scholars, wherever it is.

They also have a Nobel Prize winner with a Duke connection.

Peter Agre was Vice Chancellor for science and technology at the medical center not too long ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Agre