On February 4, Calvin Ruch signed his National Letter of Intent to continue in his athlete career playing football at Shepherd University (SU) in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Entering as a part of the class of 2030, he will compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II football.
Calvin has been a member of Linganore High School (LHS) varsity football program for four years. This year, however, marks seven years of playing football, since he began playing in sixth grade.
When he went to look at colleges, SU greeted him with open arms. When he went late at night, all the coaches greeted him warmly and made him feel he belonged.
“It was a place that felt like home,” Ruch said. “All of the coaches really welcomed me with open arms and they just made it feel like a place I wanted to be at and a place I wanted to spend the next four years of my life.”
Ruch’s mother, Brooxxe Bly, was ardent in her support of Calvin through his entire journey, despite balancing her time between three kids.
“He realized he loved football and was like mom, I need football,” Bly said. “I love hitting guys, and I love being hit [Ruch said].”
Every step of the way, his mom encouraged him and his siblings to be active and be there for each other.
To Ruch, football was not just a sport. To him, football was about the community and the people who came with it.
When asked about his favorite part of the sport, he said “The community that it [football] creates and the brotherhood and the connections that you’re able to create with the people you play with,” is how he described football. Ruch explained the community and people he knew through football shaped him into the player that he is today.
Although balancing academics and athletics was a struggle, Ruch managed by setting some rules for himself.
One rule he lived by was “Getting work done as soon as you get it assigned. The further or longer you wait to do something, it just keeps piling up,” Ruch said. “Sometimes, the balance can be tough, but I think that sports definitely help you with the balance because it holds you accountable.”
Even after college, Ruch believes he will still be pursuing something in the sports field.
“I’m going to major in sports marketing,” Ruch said. “I’m not 100% sure on what im going to do after college, but something in business, sports, marketing, something like that”
Some of his athletic highlights include completely shutting down linemen, overpowering them, and making sure no one breaks through to the quarterback. To view Ruch’s highlights, click here.
