“My parents instilled in [my brothers and me] that in everything you’re going to do, be the best at it,” Balestracci says. “If you’re going to do something you’re going to do it all the way. You’re not going to take shortcuts or anything like that.”

And while he’d never admit it—he’s far too humble—Balestracci has done just that in joining the canon of elite Crimson defenders. He’s gone from being good to the best in three years flat.

“Isaiah Kacyvenski [’00] is the best linebacker that ever played here,” Balestracci says. “He plays for the Seahawks now—there’s no doubt about that. To be mentioned with him, to be mentioned with the other guys like Aron Natale [‘00] and those guys that are up on the tackle list and when you see yourself and where you stand as compared to all the other guys that have come and played here and gone on—I feel honored to be a part of the tradition. I feel honored to be able to do what I’ve done for this program for this team.”

Paradiso

With his three years of solid starting experience and a firmly established role in the starting lineup, Balestracci was a fairly obvious choice as the 130th captain of the Harvard football team. Generally accepted as a defensive leader after three years, the award was less of a promotion and more an official recognition of responsibilities the New Bedford native already had placed upon him by his teammates.

“When I was a junior, I had still played more than some of the seniors, so I had a default leadership position,” Balestracci says.

One which clearly didn’t escape the eyes of both his teammates and his coaches.

“It is so obvious [a choice],” Murphy says. “It was probably the most lopsided vote we’ve had for captain because you get some really outstanding seniors on this football team. But it was just so obvious.”

And while the latest honor to be presented to an already well-decorated individual may have seemed like something of a foregone conclusion, Balestracci holds the position and the obligations it entails in the highest regard, particularly appreciative of the respect his teammates demonstrated in selecting him as their lone representative.

“Being one captain makes it that much more special, makes it that much more significant,” Balestracci says. “If you’re a quad-captain or a tri-captain, what does that mean? I think being the sole captain, being elected to be captain by your teammates and being that one guy is that much more special.”

Though not particularly vocal, especially once the team heads out onto the field, the presence Balestracci has both on the field and in the locker room ensures that though he may not always have the first word, he will generally have the last one.

“I’m not a really vocal, rah-rah type of guy,” Balestracci says. “But at the same time, if I need to get vocal and get people going it makes it that much more effective in that I don’t say a lot, I just play, so that when I am saying something everyone knows that something needs to be done, that I’m upset about something or that its something really important because I’m not always yelling for the sake of yelling.”

For the most part, though, Balestracci has always led by example—making the crucial tackle, forcing the critical fumble—and carrying himself with a quiet dignity and humility.

“I think the best example of what kind of leader he is is by example and performance,” Murphy says. “In terms of holding himself to the highest standard of anybody on the team, whether it’s off-season training, whether it’s watching the video, whether it’s having good character off the field. The combination of those things is what he considers and I consider the most appropriate form of leadership. And that is, ‘How do you lead?’ Not just what do you say, but how do you lead? And he does that extremely well.”

And while he possesses an intensity and level of focus on the field that few can claim to share, Balestracci makes a conscious effort not to be aloof from his teammates but to be as easy to talk to as he was prior to being selected as captain.