In a new weekly feature, The Crimson will be tracking the successes (and potential failures) of some of Harvard’s most successful graduates not to use their Harvard degrees. While a tour through professional sports is not exactly a who’s who of Harvard alumni, a few athletes have taken their game to the next level. From Jeremy Lin to Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Crimson maintains a presence outside of the labs and law offices of the world.

With the Olympic games and Senior World Rowing Championships taking place this summer, it may have been easy to lose sight of Harvard’s presence in major American professional sports leagues. In case you missed the thrilling reality show that is the NFL preseason and the MLB’s dog days of summer, we’ve got you covered. 

In football action, Ryan Fitzpatrick ’05 will be under center in his fourth consecutive year with the Buffalo Bills. He has been named the starter for week one as his squad travels face Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets.

But Fitzpatrick was not the only Crimson alum with the opportunity to toss the ball this summer. Third-year recalled reliever Frank Herrmann ’06 saw his first significant time in the majors. In five appearances since August 7, the righty put up a 4.70 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

The four medals in London paled in comparison to bling awarded to Jeremy Lin ’10 this summer. After an explosive breakout sophomore year, the point guard was signed by the Houston Rockets. Lin’s former Knicks, who were granted early-Bird rights in June failed to match the back-loaded 3-year deal valued at just over 25 million dollars.