KUTZTOWN, PA (August 3, 2010) – Being considered one of the elite defensive players in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) never occurred to senior linebacker Joel Irwin when he was dominating the tennis courts with his sizzling serves and vicious volleys as a youngster.
Long before Irwin worked hard to become a key member of the Kutztown University football team, he was winning tennis tournaments and dominating the opposition. Then things changed after he persuaded his father to let him try out for football in his senior at Bishop Shanahan High School.
Fast forward five years later, Irwin is devouring ball carriers, destroying quarterbacks and detonating offenses throughout the PSAC with his special blend of speed, size and power. Irwin was Kutztown's leading tackler in 2009 with 92. That total along with the 10.5 tackles for losses, earned Irwin second team all-PSAC East recognition last season.
“I am a highly competitive person who leads by example,” Irwin said. “We feel we're going to have a good team this year and we believe we have a chance to win the PSAC East Division. That's our first goal. If we can reach that, then other things will follow after that. The teams are so evenly matched that any team can win any week.”
This year, with Irwin and Greg Rotkowski (Macungie, PA/Emmaus) in the middle of the Golden Bear defense, Kutztown will have an excellent chance of winning each time in steps on the field. He will be counted on to provide leadership and experience to the Golden Bears, who were picked sixth in the East Division during Monday's annual Media Day luncheon in the Multi-Purpose Room of the McFarland Student Union building.
Quiet and humble, Irwin has let his play do the talking during an outstanding career that has featured 156 tackles, a fumble return for a touchdown in 2008 against Cheyney and enough hard knocks to have his own personal television series. Not bad for somebody who was a walk-on as a freshman. However, as soon as the coaching staff saw Irwin in action, they knew he could be something special.
“I thought Joel had the opportunity to be an all-conference player the first time I saw him play especially with his size and his mobility,” Kutztown head football coach Raymond Monica said. “I really thought he had a good chance. He's always around the football every single play and he can make plays in the interior of the defense as well as along with sidelines.”
Irwin has gradually evolved into one of the best players in the conference. After red-shirting as a freshman, Irwin saw action on special teams when it was his time to finally get onto the field. Over the last two years, Irwin has made 16 starts at linebacker. In addition to hard work and confidence, Irwin believes his increased attention to detail has helped him reach elite status. Irwin has spent more time watching film than Siskel & Ebert.
During his free time, Irwin spends time watching You-Tube clips of former Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain, who was drafted in the first round by the Oakland Raiders. Maybe one day a young aspiring football player will be watching highlights of Irwin, who is to quarterbacks what Freddy Krueger is to dreams.
Irwin always was attracted to football. However, his first love was tennis. Following in his father's footsteps, Irwin has been playing tennis most of his life. When he was younger, Irwin would catch the train to Fairmont Park in Philadelphia and spend about five hours practicing tennis. He spent this summer, like he has since eleventh grade, working at Penn Oaks in West Chester conducting clinics and private tennis lessons.
Irwin's buddies always knew he'd be good if he gave football a chance. There was just one obstacle that Irwin had to hurdle: Dad.
“I played football when I was really little and I also played tennis because my dad was a tennis pro,” Irwin said. “All my buddies were football guys and we always played in the backyard and I'd always beat up on them. They were like 'why don't you come out for the team'. I was like I was can't because my dad didn't want me to get hurt for tennis. But I decided to try out my senior year and once I got a taste of high school football, I couldn't get enough. My dad didn't like it at first. Now, my dad is happy that I am enjoying football and he loves coming to the games.”
Fans enjoy the sight of Irwin on the field. Last season, he had several big moments for the Golden Bears. He finished with 10 or more tackles four times last year. His career-high 14-tackle performance sparked a 25-6 victory over Clarion. He also had 11 tackles against Bloomsburg and 10 each against Millersville and Indiana, Pa. He had three tackles for losses against West Chester.
Kutztown had its character tested in 2009 as it dropped three games by four points or less and two overtime contests in consecutive weeks. The Golden Bears are stronger and determined to author more happy endings this season.
“We talked about last year at the end of the season and we just said hey guys we can't do anything about it,” Irwin said. “We can't think about we could've won this game or could've won that game. It's behind us and we know it's a new season and we feel like we're going to do better.”
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