“I won’t go out there. They don’t even really have a football team.”

At first listen, one may assume that this statement originated from a person facing exile to the Death Valley, the glaciers of Alaska, or perhaps some foreign country.

But Harvard University? You better believe it.

Those very words were uttered by senior defensive end Mike Armstrong when he was an 18-year-old enjoying high school, sports and the sun in San Diego, Calif., and had visions of joining past classmates on the Southern Cal track team.

Despite playing football at a young age, track was Armstrong’s athletic forte. He captained his high school track team for three years and set a San Diego record in the discus.

But Armstrong’s performance on the gridiron was equally dominating. He was league and division defensive player of the year his senior year, recording 11 sacks.

Prowess in both sports—in addition to natural athletic ability he acquired from a gifted family, which included an uncle who was a former Olympian—made him an appealing recruit for the Crimson football team.

“We recruited Mike Armstrong on potential,” says Harvard coach Tim Murphy. “He was very raw. One thing that caught our eye was that he had genetics on his side and a 180-foot throw in the discus.”

At first, Murphy’s chances of bringing Armstrong to Harvard were bleak. Armstrong was looking to continue in the discus closer to home.

“Football was big to me, but track was kind of like my own thing,” Armstrong says. “I really wanted to go to UCLA or USC.”

It took a lot for the Crimson to convert him—including an unexpected visit from Harvard assistant coach Jay Mills, a lot of convincing from family members and, finally, a visit to Cambridge.

“[Mills] called my house at like 5:30 a.m. one morning before school and I was basically trapped,” Armstrong says. “He came over and right away my grandmother, my grandfather and my mom were sold. It was an uphill battle from then on.”

Armstrong eventually agreed to travel to Harvard, where he was pleasantly surprised with the team and overall environment.

“It was great,” Armstrong says. “It was the complete opposite of what I had expected—just meeting the guys, the other recruits, and seeing the way things worked. My interest was piqued.”

The heightened interest eventually transformed into a true desire to be a part of the Crimson program, and Armstrong committed to Harvard later that spring.