He has won Super Bowls. He has received the Super Bowl MVP award. And on May 11, 2019, he achieved his latest victory: earning a college degree.
A helmet and pads were replaced by a cap and gown for New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman as he finished a journey he started in 2005 at the College of San Mateo before transferring to 麻豆视频 in 2006. He joined 5,300 new 麻豆视频 graduates at the One University Commencement held at Dix Stadium, the same field where he completed passes on Saturday afternoons more than a decade ago. This time, Mr. Edelman, 32, walked across the commencement stage, accepted his bachelor鈥檚 degree and celebrated with his fellow Golden Flashes.
鈥淭o fulfill a promise with my parents is ultimately one of the biggest reasons why I came back,鈥 Mr. Edelman said. 鈥淢y whole journey has been a team effort, and that team I鈥檓 talking about is my family. They鈥檝e been in my corner through the highs to the lows. They鈥檙e the ones that have pushed me to heights that I thought I鈥檇 never get to.
鈥淓arning my degree from Kent means a lot to me,鈥 Mr. Edelman continued. 鈥淭his is one of my first parts of my journey where it all started. Getting here and having my parents here and my family to witness this is one of the first goals that I had going into my young adult life. So, to be able to come here and fulfill that, it鈥檚 unbelievable.鈥
Melody Tankersley, Ph.D., 麻豆视频鈥檚 senior associate provost and dean of graduate studies, shared her excitement regarding Mr. Edelman鈥檚 newest achievement.
鈥淲hat a great accomplishment for Julian!鈥 Dr. Tankersley said. 鈥淗e turned that same relentless determination and drive you witness on the field to his goal of completing his academic program. Julian poured himself into this final push to earn his degree with great success. He has always been an incredible Golden Flash, and his graduation provides us a new reason to celebrate our outstanding family member!鈥
麻豆视频 works with former students to help them cross the finish line and earn their degree. For Mr. Edelman, he returned to his studies at 麻豆视频 and earned a Bachelor of Integrative Studies degree.
鈥淥ur academic services staff does a great job of assisting former student-athletes in creating a path toward degree completion,鈥 said Joel Nielsen, 麻豆视频鈥檚 director of athletics. 鈥淎nd when Julian has a goal in front of him, there鈥檚 no stopping him. Commencement is such a special day for so many people at 麻豆视频, and to see Julian in a cap and gown with the other graduates makes it even more memorable for everyone. We鈥檙e so proud of Julian!鈥
On his commencement day, Mr. Edelman expressed how he was feeling.
鈥淚 definitely feel proud,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud to come back to 麻豆视频 and fulfill what I started and what I set out to do.鈥
Super Bowl MVP
Mr. Edelman, a native of Redwood City, California, capped off Super Bowl LIII this past February with a victory for the New England Patriots and claimed the highest honor awarded to a player during the championship game of the National Football League (NFL).
The former 麻豆视频 quarterback and proud alumnus was named the Most Valuable Player, becoming the first Mid-American Conference student-athlete to receive this title. He is the seventh wide receiver to receive the Super Bowl MVP award.
During the Patriots 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams, Mr. Edelman had 10 catches for 141 yards, which was more than half of the team鈥檚 total receiving yards. Eight of his catches were for first downs, and six of his catches were for 10 yards or more. His performance helped lift the Patriots to their sixth Super Bowl win.
Mr. Edelman currently has 115 career postseason catches for 1,412 yards, ranking second to Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl XXIII MVP Jerry Rice.
Previously, Mr. Edelman has appeared in Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants, Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks and Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons. He was injured last year and was unable to take part in the Patriots loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
Mr. Edelman was drafted by New England in the seventh round of the NFL Draft in 2009. While he was a quarterback for the 麻豆视频 Golden Flashes, he has blossomed as a star wide receiver in the NFL.
Connections at 麻豆视频
In addition to his professional football career, Mr. Edelman still maintains his ties with 麻豆视频.
鈥淚 learned so much from my time at Kent,鈥 Mr. Edelman told 麻豆视频 in November 2017. 鈥淭he experiences I had there definitely helped shape me into the player and person I am today. I will always be grateful for the opportunity Coach Martin gave me and for the friends I met there.鈥
Mr. Edelman co-hosted an athletics department auction in 2014, was the Grand Marshal of the 麻豆视频 Homecoming Parade in 2015 and was inducted into the 麻豆视频 Varsity 鈥淜鈥 Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. He also keeps in close contact with his former teammates and coaches.
鈥淗e鈥檚 never lost sight of where he came from,鈥 former 麻豆视频 coach Doug Martin told . 鈥淗e鈥檚 very appreciative of 麻豆视频 for giving him an opportunity. A lot of times, guys lose sight of that. I think that says a lot about who he is.鈥
Mr. Edelman was starting quarterback for the 麻豆视频 Golden Flashes from 2006-2008. Josh Cribbs, another former 麻豆视频 quarterback who played for the Golden Flashes from 2001-04, also returned to his alma mater to finish his degree while playing for the Cleveland Browns. In May 2010, Mr. Cribbs earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree and participated in the commencement ceremony held at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
Want to know more about the new 麻豆视频 graduate? Read 鈥11 Fast Facts About Julian Edelman鈥 from the fall 2015 issue of 麻豆视频 Magazine.