The Article below was published in Vol. 136, Issue 2 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on October 16, 2020.
By Ean Goldstein ’23
Staff Writer
Senior offensive lineman John Colasacco has been named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. Commonly known as the “Academic Heisman,” the award goes to the college football player in their last year of eligibility that has demonstrated outstanding football ability as well as strong leadership and citizenship, and who has a GPA of at least 3.2.
Stentor Staff interviewed Colasacco about his experiences playing football at Lake Forest College, as well as what this honor means to him.
Stentor: Where are you from?
Colasacco: I was born in Rockland County, New York and when I was 9 years old, I moved down to West Palm Beach, Florida until I came to Lake Forest for college.
Stentor: What is your major?
Colasacco: I am a business major and an entrepreneurship and innovation minor.
Stentor: How long have you been playing football?
Colasacco: I started playing tackle football when I was in fifth grade, but I have been around football my whole life. My dad played college football as well and my mom’s father was a chiropractor for the New York Giants. Saying this, I grew up playing football in the backyard and watching it every Saturday and Sunday.
Stentor: What is your favorite part about playing football at Lake Forest College?
Colasacco: There are a lot of things that are great about playing at Lake Forest, the best though I would have to say is how close everyone gets, not just the players but the coaches as well. You meet people that normally you would never get the chance to, people from all backgrounds and all walks of life. It really allows you to see things differently after sitting down and talking to people about what life is like from where they came from. I have guys I still talk to that graduated when I was a freshman because of this.
Stentor: What’s your favorite pre-game meal?
Colasacco: Game day, I usually did a small breakfast that mostly included bacon (can’t eat too much or you will feel full come game time), but as an offensive lineman we have a tradition that every week we would all agree on a place and do a dinner together after our Friday night practice. We go to all different places, but the best one has to be the Senior Game dinner; we move it to Thursday, so we have more time to spend at the restaurant. The offensive line dresses up and goes to Fogo de Chao, and not only do the current team members go, but any alumni that are in the area. This is the best meal, not only because we can eat unlimited amounts of meat, but also, we can catch up with some of the old players.
Stentor: How have you dealt with the postponement of the football season this year?
Colasacco: It has been a pretty hard task because of how spread out the team is across the country, also the uncertainty has been a hard task just because if we want to do something we need to plan things, and without knowing what we can and cannot do it’s been hard to plan things. The best thing I can do right now is keep training and make sure that others are as well. Also, I try to reach out and talk to as many people as I can to make sure that everyone is doing good and is staying safe.
Stentor: What are your plans for after graduation?
Colasacco: After graduating, right now, my plan is to try and stay in the Chicago area and get a job with a construction company. It would be nice to get one here in Chicago, because I will still be able to be by the College and stay close with my teammates that are younger than I am.
Stentor: What has been your best memory at Lake Forest College?
Colasacco: It’s hard to narrow it down to just one. For football, I would say the best memory was doing the Navy Seals training my sophomore year training camp. The second day was full of competitions that still make you work very hard and I loved it but sitting down in the water watching the sunrise (while holding yourself above water) was a great experience. For being at the school in general it was probably one of the post-game tailgates my junior year when I had 25 family members come out for a game. That was fun not only because I got to see most of my family members, but it was my two families being able to meet each other.
Stentor: What does it mean to be named a William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist?
Colasacco: Honestly, it feels great. Offensive linemen never really get their name called out on the speaker, we play just to be gritty, not to have stats, so when our names do get called out for some reason it feels great. It’s also amazing because looking down the past winners and the current list of others playing—and seeing my name on a list with guys like Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow, and John Urschel—is something I thought I would never see. It was also nice because I started to talk to former Forester football players about their experience in this process, like Jagan Cleary ’19 and Tom Steen ’18, and they talk very highly of the event that takes place. The best part for me, though, is being able to know that I have been doing something right to better the team and help where I can.
