Kyle Juszczyk belongs to an exclusive club. He’s one of just 41 players who suited up for the Harvard Crimson and made it to the NFL. The numbers get even smaller from there: only 21 players have been drafted from the prestigious university, with just 10 of those actually appearing in an NFL game.
In fact, only three of those players — Roger Caron, 117th overall, Isaiah Kacyvenski, 119th overall, and Pat McInally, 120th overall — were drafted higher than the San Francisco 49ers fullback, who heard his name called by the Baltimore Ravens with the 130th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Juszczyk, who is entering his 13th season in the league, has had a longer career than any Harvard product except for Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Birk, who played 17 and 14 seasons, respectively. His nine Pro Bowl selections are the most of any player from his college.
Recently, the former Crimson fullback took to Instagram to share a congratulatory message to another former Harvard athlete who just called it a career.
How Did Kyle Juszczyk Honor Jillian Dempsey’s Retirement?
While Harvard is far more known for academics than athletics, their ice hockey programs have found much more success than their football team. Jillian Dempsey starred on the women’s hockey team during the same time that Juszczyk was dominating for the football team.
She announced her retirement from the sport on Tuesday, which Harvard’s women’s hockey team’s official Instagram acknowledged, writing:
“𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 on an incredible career! 👏 Wishing you all the best in retirement, Demps! #OneCrimson”
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Juszczyk shared the post to his Instagram story, adding:
“Harvard legend! Congratulations!”
The tribute makes perfect sense when you look at Dempsey’s incredible career. She had a spectacular 12-year professional run, with eight of those years spent with the Boston Pride of the now-defunct National Women’s Hockey League/Premier Hockey Federation. She rewrote the league’s record books, finishing as the all-time leader in goals, assists, points, and games played with 70, 76, 146, and 142, respectively. She was also named co-MVP in 2020.
What’s more, Dempsey is one of just two players to have won the league’s Isobel Cup three times. She began her career with the Boston Blades in the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League, earning Rookie of the Year honors and leading the team to a title in her second season.
She spent the final two years of her career in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, playing for the Boston Pride and PWHL Montreal. Dempsey also thrived on the international stage. She won a gold medal at the 2011 Women’s 4 Nation Cup and a silver medal at the 2012 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
