Despite being behind stars Gino Gordon and Treavor Scales on the Harvard depth chart, sophomore running back Rich Zajeski has taken advantage of his limited touches. Zajeski had 11 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown in a 35-10 win at Lafayette last weekend, after carrying the ball nine times for 26 yards in the team’s season opener against Holy Cross.

Some football players know their future early on. It’s the game they grow up with, a path they must follow as soon as they can fit into shoulder pads.

But for sophomore running back Rich Zajeski, there was no pressure while starting young—in the beginning, football was just about fun.

“I actually played soccer growing up, [but] a bunch of my friends…all played football, so naturally I just wanted to play with my friends,” Zajeski said. “I think I was like 10...and I’ve been with it since.”

But after a seemingly carefree start to the game, the 5’11” tailback gradually developed his skills, and it soon became clear that football ought to be his focus.

The multi-sport athlete dropped baseball as well, making room to devote himself year-round to a game that would largely dictate his future.

“It was just a big commitment to try to do both [sports] at the same time,” Zajeski said. “And to really achieve the things I wanted to achieve in football, I decided that’s what I had to do. It was a hard decision, but I’m glad that I made it.”

The accomplishments rolled in for the standout runner, who quickly ascended to become team captain and lead his Hinsdale Central High School team to the Illinois state championship.

“[Zajeski] was one of the finest players we’ve had in pretty much every measurable way,” said Hinsdale head coach Mike Dimatteo. “He had a ridiculously dedicated work ethic to his studies and football.”

Soon enough, the college offers started rolling in, and when the Ivies came calling, Zajeski was ecstatic.

“Harvard, when I looked at it—they’re perennially a powerhouse in football, and academically obviously there are very few schools in the world, if any, that could say that they are on par with Harvard,” he said. “I knew that I wanted to play football, but I also knew that I wanted to get a good education, and also I had realistic expectations for myself. I knew that I wasn’t a big-time D-I athlete that was going to go play at Florida or something like that.”

At first his coach disagreed, but after the decision was final, Dimatteo knew his star player was right at home.

“This is not a knock on Harvard, but I thought [Zajeski] could have played somewhere in MAC, played a bigger level of football,” the coach said, “but Rich is also a student, and he understands the value of that. That’s why it was the perfect choice.”

Indeed, the running back jumped at the chance to join one of the winningest FCS programs of the decade.

But the former captain soon realized that he would have to spend time following before he could lead. Zajeski arrived last season to find a talented pair of running backs ahead of him—classmate Treavor Scales and then-junior feature back Gino Gordon.

Rather than feel discouraged in a crowded backfield, though, Zajeski took the opportunity to learn.