Athlete of the Week: Rashad Bartholomew

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Rashad Bartholomew

And now, instead of knocking down enemy planes, he is running over opposing defenses as the top tailback for a rejuvenated Bulldog squad.

The choice to transfer to Bulldog country was not an easy one for Bartholo-mew. Not only does Air Force have a quality football team (currently ranked in the national Associated Press top 25), but Bartholomew's father also attended the Academy. However, after finding out he was ineligble to fly, as well as being switched to a defensive position during the course of last season, Bartholomew finally decided to transfer to a school that could use a good back. He matriculated at Yale after being accepted this summer.

Bartholomew has made an immediate impact. In last week's thrilling come-from-behind win over a talented Brown team, he ran the ball for 140 yards. When I came off the field, I told the coach I was tired," Bartholomew said. "It was only after he told me I had run the ball over 30 times that I figured out why."

Yale's balanced passing and running offensive setup is vastly different from the Air Force option attack. Nevertheless, Bartholomew is flourishing in his new environment. Because Yale is in Division I-AA and Air Force plays I-A football, he was able to transfer without having to sit out for a season. This influenced Bartholomew's decision. "I definitely wanted to be able to play right away," he said.

According to Bartholomew, Air Force's attitude toward football is different from Yale's. "People always expected us to win," he said. But if the Bulldog team keeps on winning, Bartholomew predicts football fever will hit campus. "Confidence is building," he said.

For now, however, Bartholo-mew lives in relative anonymity on the fifth floor of Saybrook in a suite he shares with three suitemates. Like most Yalies, he has not yet decided on a major and spends a large number of hours working on problem sets and doing required reading.

However, unlike most Yalies, he has set a high standard for rushing that many feel he will match on the gridiron for countless Saturdays to come.

One of his toughest tests will come against Connecticut in the first home game of the season on Sat., Sept. 26. The Huskies beat Yale 28-0 in the Yale Bowl last year. But Bartholomew is optimistic. "We're going to be intense," he said. "And confidence will build as we win another."

If the Bulldogs win, much of the thanks will go to their transfer running back. Air Force may have lost a pilot, but with the addition of Bartholomew, Yale football has gained respect.

--David Goldenberg

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