Location, Location for Former Parkville Football Player

Thomas Ruley is studying industrial engineering at Lehigh University, a member of the prestigious and academic-centered Patriot League.

But he may want to consider a career in real estate or tourism after his recent string of good fortune.

The School graduate is a junior offensive lineman for the football team at Lehigh, which beat Towson University 40-38 in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs on Saturday.

Ruley said he had 12 family members at the game and several of his high school friends, including some that attend Towson. One of his football coaches at Parkville was Andrew Goldbeck, a former quarterback at Towson.

“It was really exciting knowing that my whole family was there,” said Ruley, a backup lineman who saw action on special teams against Towson. “My uncle and aunt come to games up here (at Lehigh). I have never had my whole family see what I do, all the hard work I put in.

“It was amazing,” he said of playing just a few miles from Parkville High. “I am still speechless to this moment.”

With the win by Lehigh (11-1), the Mountain Hawks advance to play this Saturday (Dec. 10) indoors at North Dakota State in Fargo. North Dakota State won at home last Saturday against James Madison, which like Towson is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Ruley also has a personal connection to the site of Lehigh’s next road game. Ruley used to live in Aberdeen, SD with his family. He was 12 when they moved to Maryland. Fargo is about 190 miles northeast of Aberdeen.

“I have been to Fargo a few times,” said Ruley, probably one of the few players on the Lehigh roster that can make that claim. “This is crazy (luck). It has been an interesting few weeks to say the least."

Ruley was an all-county player on offense and defense at Parkville and was a two-time captain. The son of Mark and Dawn Ruley, he was a member of the National Honor Society and the all-state all-academic football team and was the scholar-athlete of the year at Parkville.

Ruley played in one game last year as a sophomore. He did not make the trip to Northern Iowa for last year’s playoff game. But he worked hard in the off-season and this year has played in eight games, with two starts.

Brett Sawyer, the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for Lehigh, said of Ruley: “A year ago he had so far to go from a strength and conditioning standpoint. At the time he was a nervous kid when he got to the line of scrimmage. He was prone to mental mistakes because of that. He worked tirelessly to get better. He made strides through the spring. He did a great job for us in four starts. He has had back trouble, but he is a tough kid. He plays through pain. He does not complain about the pain.”

“I spent a lot of time watching film and lifting weights,” Ruley said.

He gives a lot of credit to Eric Markovcy, a strength and conditioning coach at Lehigh. “He is such a good trainer. I have gotten so much better,” said Ruley, who has played offensive guard and is part of the Lehigh punt shield unit. He has one tackle this season.

Off the field, Ruley said he has a grade-point average better than 3.0 at the school, where the combination of athletics and academics can be a challenge.

“Our coach always says we are student-athletes. The student comes first, the football comes second. You are going to have to sacrifice. We have a lot of academic support from the professors. We have our dean if we need a tutor. Everyone is willing to help,” he said.

That is the same approach on the field as Lehigh aims to advance to the FCS national title game on Jan. 7 in Texas if they can get two more wins.