In football, you always hear about the three "glory positions." Even at its most basic level, football needs a quarterback--someone to throw it--a running back--someone to run it--and a receiver--someone to catch it.

Someone who's been catching it quite a bit recently for the Harvard football team is junior wideout Colby Skelton.

Two weeks ago, in the win over Holy Cross, Skelton caught the game-winning touchdown pass, a 46-yard bomb from freshman quarterback Rich Linden. Last week, Skelton caught four passes for 65 yards.

It seems everywhere you look these days, the pigskin is landing in Skelton's palms in key situations.

"I like to be a guy that you can throw the ball to on third down when you need a first down," he says. "I'd like the ball in crucial situations. If you want to call it a go-to guy you can call it that, but I'd like to have the ball in those situations."

This, of course, is no new phenomenon. It is not as if coach Tim Murphy just discovered Colby Skelton a few weeks ago wandering around open on a third-and-eight.

Skelton has been rather quietly catching key passes for Harvard for each of the last three years. From a freshman campaign in which he played in all but one game to a season where he is the "go-to" guy, Skelton has remained one of the best and most consistent receivers in the Ivy League.

And if you look at where he comes from, that should come as no surprise.

Skelton grew up in the small town of Chelsea, Michigan, where everyone knows your name, everyone takes part in the pick-up football games, and everyone loves the Michigan Wolverines.

"We moved out to Michigan when I was three, and we lived ten minutes away from the University of Michigan," Skelton says. "My dad knows a lot of people in the Michigan organization, so for 17 years we've had season tickets. I grew up going to those games every Saturday, and it was unbelievable."

His father, Charles Skelton, was a starting quarterback at Muskingum College in Ohio, and is friendly with, among others, Michigan football guru Bo Schembechler. Charles Skelton had a major impact on young Colby's days in Chelsea, and remains so today.

"My dad has always has a tremendous influence on my life and on the decisions I've made, and I look up to him very much," he says. "He's the one who instilled the football mentality. He was a competitive guy, and he's always instilled that in us."

It is perhaps because of his father taking him and his brothers out to throw the football around that Colby is a receiver today. Playing catch with a former college quarterback is a pretty good way to develop good hand-eye coordination.

After a successful high school career at Chelsea High School in Michigan, Skelton had some tough decisions to make during the recruiting process. He was scouted by several Big Ten schools, including Michigan, Michigan State, and Northwestern.

The prospect of being a Wolverine was very attractive to Skelton, who not only grew up going to games, but went to Michigan's training camp every summer until high school.