A MEMBER OF THE CRIMSON

Playing time for most Harvard football players is hard to come by during their first few seasons on the team, but it is even harder for walk-ons to see action, let alone for more than just a few plays.

“Obviously pride-wise, I thought I was capable of playing here, but I also grasped the notion that there were guys who were recruited ahead of me,” Riegel said. “I knew I had that much more work to do. So I really always took that mentality of, I needed to do that much work to get to where those guys were, and if I wanted to play, be above them.”

Indeed, since Riegel started near the bottom of the depth chart, he knew he needed to grasp the details of the playbook, work hard in the weight room, and contribute positively during practice to see significant time on the field.

When Riegel received the opportunity to play in the fifth game of the 2011-12 season against Bucknell, the then-junior took advantage. He made perhaps his play of the year against the Bison, deflecting a pass from Bucknell quarterback Brandon Wesley that resulted in an interception in the Crimson’s emphatic 42-3 win.

Following that victory, Riegel played in each of the team’s remaining five games.

“I’d been ready, and I was able to perform up to expectations and really help the team out,” Riegel said. “I think that’s my biggest role, is always being ready and helping the guys around me when I am in. Some of the younger guys have worlds of talent but might not always understand the intricacies, [so I make] sure they’re doing everything right so they can go make plays.”

But even in their senior years, most walk-ons still do not see significant time on the field. Although he did appear in every game, Riegel was credited with only six tackles on the season.

LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD

In his four years at Harvard, the defensive tackle—who, following graduation, plans to pursue a job in finance—has been part of a football program that captured one Ivy League Championship and emerged victorious from the Harvard-Yale matchup all four times.

Even though Riegel never played as large of a role on the field as some of his recruited teammates, he has contributed to the team in a unique way and remains an integral part of the program.

“You just can’t say enough good things about [Riegel], how highly respected he is by our football team,” Murphy said. “He’d probably be the first guy we’d hire if we were hiring somebody…. He’s as humble as they come, and he’s just so important to the fabric and dynamic of our team in almost an unexplainable way.”

If Riegel had gravitated toward some of the smaller, Division III schools that recruited him in high school, there is no doubt that his college football experience would have been filled with much more time on the gridiron.

But Riegel harbors no regrets about his decision to come to Harvard and play football for a large program under the direction of Murphy.

“I think [this experience has] just been really formative for me,” Riegel said. “It’s really taught me a lot about myself. I think coming to Harvard as opposed to going to some of my other options was really choosing to be a small fish in a big pond, as opposed to a big fish in a small pond, and I think that’s really helped me develop a lot of my skills to make me the person that I am today.”