Providence Football Player is Ivy League Bound

Next fall, Frankfort resident and Providence Catholic High School senior Brian Fordon will join the Ivy League as a linebacker for the Dartmouth College football team.

Meeting the athletic and academic demands necessary to be accepted by an Ivy League school isn’t exactly an easy task. During the football season, Fordon typically worked nearly nonstop from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, balancing school, football practice and the significant amount of homework required for his many advanced placement classes.

Fordon began playing football in fifth grade on the Frankfort Falcons youth team. By the time he reached the end of his first season at Providence, he was on the field at the 2009 Illinois state championships.

“I love being part of a team,” said Fordon.

During his senior season, Fordon was named team captain, All-Conference Catholic League, Herald News All-Area, All-State Academic, Chicago Tribune All-State and team MVP. He had more than 200 tackles in his varsity career as a linebacker at Providence and was recruited by Illinois State University, Indiana State University and Northwestern University in his junior year.

Fordon attended several collegiate recruiting camps last summer and was in talks with Princeton and Harvard, among other schools, before eventually deciding on Dartmouth.

“He’s a tough kid,” said John Pergi, the varsity linebacker coach and assistant dean at Providence. “He led by examples.”

Fordon said that the key to making it to the Ivy League is hard work on the field and in the classroom.

“He set a goal to do something extraordinary,” said Fordon’s father, who is also named Brian. “And he achieved it.” 

Fordon's current grade point average is 4.33.

He is also a representative on the Providence Student Council. He participates in the Augustinian Youth Ministry, a school service organization, serves as a Eucharistic minister at Providence and volunteered to raise funds for the school’s Habitat for Humanity build trips.

When he attends Dartmouth in the fall, Fordon will do so with a substantial academic scholarship, meaning that, for Fordon, college will cost less than one year of Providence tuition.

Fordon hopes to study economics or finance once he arrives at Dartmouth. Eventually, he wants to fulfill his dream of working on Wall Street.

Ever since Fordon saw a family friend who works in finance on the trading room floor, he has aspired to a similar career. He was only a seventh grader at the time, but the memory stayed with him through high school.

Fordon considers football part of a bigger, long-term plan for his future. He knew football could set him apart and make him a contender in the Ivy League, which he considers to be the first step toward a job on Wall Street.

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