Seamus Kelly -
 2009 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship Grant Recipient

San Diego, CA (October 20, 2009) - Sports have played a major role in the life of Cal Berkeley freshman, Seamus Kelly. To call Seamus a “star athlete” while at Xavier High School, one of New York City’s most challenging high schools, might be an understatement. In football, he scored 44 touchdowns while rushing for over 2,500 yards and was named MVP of his team. Having been a starter all four years on the Xavier rugby team, Seamus was also named captain his senior year. He scored 27 tries to go along with stone-wall defense and took home MVP honors for rugby as well. Anyone in the know will tell you that Seamus was one of the best high school rugby players in the country.

But despite all of his athletic achievements, Seamus is “a regular guy who everyone in the community is proud of,” said Xavier Guidance Counselor Thomas Gibbons. “His accomplishments are unparalleled in the history of our program and no student from Xavier has received the same level of press coverage. When our students walk by him in the halls, Seamus gives them the same nod and smile he gives everyone. He’s a standout, but always one of the guys.”

For all the success he’s had in football (he once scored seven touchdowns in a game), Seamus credits rugby for making him the man he is today.

“While sports such as football have had a tremendous impact on my life, no sport has provided me with the experiences and the opportunities that rugby has. In the four years I have been playing rugby I have learned more about myself, as well as the world I live in, than any other aspect of my life. From immersing myself in the class and sportsmanship of rugby’s true culture, to trips to France, Ireland and England, rugby has taken me places in my athletic career I never thought possible.”

Mike Tolkin, Seamus’ coach at Xavier, had only praise for his former captain. “Seamus is among the most talented, hard-working and respectful young men that I have coached in 22 years. He did not miss a day of training and he worked out three days a week before school. Seamus is a throw-back player and student who has worked hard for everything he has accomplished.”

Another coach impressed with Seamus as a player and as an individual is Cal head coach Jack Clark. “Seamus is a fantastic young man with unlimited rugby potential. We have just completed our freshman evaluations and physical testing, which includes: diagnostic evaluations, aerobic, strength and speed testing. Seamus is at the head of the class in every criterion.”

With just four years of rugby under his belt, Seamus has set his sights high in rugby. “There is still so much room for improvement in both my knowledge of the game and the physical aspect of it. Starting with the next stage of my rugby life at Cal, where I hope to be a part of a national championship victory and make the Collegiate All-American team. My main goal in rugby, however, is to represent the United States in the World Cup. Representing the USA for the U17s was an amazing experience. I can only imagine the feeling one has putting on the USA jersey on rugby’s grand stage. I am fully aware of the sacrifice, hard work and determination it will take to achieve these goals but I look forward to working towards them, and eventually achieving them.”

Seamus also starred in the classroom where he was an honors student during the course of his four years at Xavier. He intends on studying business at Cal with the eventual hope of a career in finance where he “can make a positive impact on the tumultuous economic climate.”

Congratulations Seamus on being named a 2009 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship recipient.