Cameron Iverson

Occidental Football provides a unique pairing of championship football with extraordinary academic achievement, which is exemplified by Cameron Iverson '04. Not only was Cameron an important part of Occidental's 2001 SCIAC Championship and won the 2002 and 2003 Occidental Football Strength and Conditioning Award, he was also named to the 2003 SCIAC All-Academic Team.

Cameron balanced his accomplishments on the field with amazing work in the Chemistry Department at Occidental. His work in the Occidental College Undergraduate Research Program between 2002-2004, earned him a published work that helped gain him entrance into the prestigious University of Chicago. Cameron received his Master of Science in 2005 and has been a Teaching Assistant for General Chemistry at University of Chicago and is currently a University of Chicago Chemistry Department Candidate for PhD.

Now consider what Cameron himself has to say about playing football at Occidental:

-How did playing football at Occidental affect your life post-Occidental?

"Playing football at Occidental taught me many things that have had a profound effect on my post-Oxy life. Among these, I consider accountability, time management, and work ethic to be the most important. The coaching staff and fellow players demand perfection from each other on the field, in the weight room, and in the classroom. Participating in athletics while working through the highly demanding academic program that one finds at Oxy is great for building character. Juggling coursework with in-season practices and off-season training can be a difficult task, but the support and enthusiasm from coaches, faculty, and fellow students went a long way to making it possible."

-Did playing football and attending college at Occidental help you get into the school/program of your choice?

"Occidental has a very good reputation in academic circles, and the combination of that with playing football for Oxy definitely helped me get into a number of graduate programs, including the one I'm in now, at the University of Chicago."

-Did playing football at Occidental help you prepare better for Grad school better then your classmates?

"In the first months of graduate school, it was considerably easier for me to stay organized and to budget my time than it was for a number of my fellow graduate students. I attribute this to my experience juggling the time demands of playing football while still thriving in the highly demanding academic atmosphere that one finds at Oxy."

-How special was playing football at Occidental for you? "I value my experience as part of the Occidental football team very highly. My fellow players were like an extended family, and the bonds that were formed over the course of long hours working, studying, and hanging out together are very strong. The relationships that were made will last a lifetime."