Athlete of the Week: Josh Staph '02

In the mid-1960s, Herman’s Hermits released the hit single, “(Something Tells Me) I’m Into Something Good.” New Athletic Director Robert L. Scalise is probably playing it on continuous loop. Between men’s soccer’s upset of San Diego, football’s opening win and women’s soccer and field hockey each beating Brown, this past weekend was one of the best for the Crimson in recent memory.

Yet in the midst of all of those triumphs, one individual performance stood out. Fifth-year senior Josh Staph erupted for 152 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Harvard football team to a 27-20 victory over Brown. The Harvard Crimson is proud to name Staph its Athlete of the Week.

Staph’s story reads like a script from the minds that brought us “The Mighty Ducks,” “The Replacements” and the more recent “Hardball.” Injured one year and mired in obscurity the next, Staph wasn’t invited to camp his junior year because Harvard Coach Tim Murphy felt he “wasn’t far enough along” in his development. He persevered and eventually stuck on the roster, only to see limited action behind starting fullback Grady Smalling ’01. He stuck around an extra year and looked forward to finally starting—at fullback, far from a glamour position in Harvard Murphy’s offense.

Then junior tailback Matt Leiszler got hurt during the summer and Murphy, left with very few options, called Staph’s number.

The rest was history.

Staph rushed for 47 yards in the first quarter and never looked back. His rumbles through the gaps created by the offensive line were hardly things of beauty, but showed every ounce of the rugged determination that got him through years of waiting, facing rejection and getting hurt. When senior quarterback Neil Rose had difficulty hitting his receivers early on, Staph’s dogged dashes kept Harvard within striking distance.

Staph entered the postgame press conference with ice on his right ankle after spraining it sometime after his third touchdown. A reporter asked him if he’d be able to to play the next week, and as he nodded, the grin Staph had worn throughout the press conference widened even more.

Count on Staph being there against Lafayette Saturday, even if it means playing through pain. He knows he’s into something good.