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It isn t often that college football players spurn the NFL, especially when they re the prohibitive favorite to be selected first overall in the league s annual amateur draft. But that s precisely what Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck did on January 6, 2011, when he announced he would be turning down a $50 million-payday to return to school and complete his degree. A big part of going to a university like Stanford is to get a degree and graduate and have that opportunity to go into the business world or whatever world it is with a Stanford degree, he said at the time. It s a big deal. Luck s bold decision sent shock waves throughout the U.S., as pundits alternate between questioning his sanity and praising his maturity.

Andrew Luck Quote " "I would like to think I'm a good team player, put the team in a position to succeed and don't detract from anybody else on the team while lifting everybody up. It's a team game. The quarterback's gonna get the attention, but maybe it's not so deserving all the time."" 73 Magnetism 71 Success Andrew Luck Biography Football is more than just a sport for Andrew Luck; it s also the family business. The son of former Houston Oilers quarterback Oliver Luck, Andrew grew up in England and Germany, where his father was the general manager of the Frankfurt Galaxy and the Rhein Fire of the World League of American Football before becoming president of NFL Europe. The experience gave me a different appreciation for different cultures," he says. It also introduced him to soccer. "I was a striker. I liked to score goals, but I got in trouble when I tried to pick the ball up and throw it. I think soccer is a great game, but I just like throwing the ball." Andrew Luck becomes a high school superstar Luck s passion for throwing became evident when he moved with his family to Houston, Texas, and became the starting quarterback at Stratford High School. His pinpoint passing turned the Spartans into a national powerhouse, and he went on to throw for 7,139 yards and 53 touchdowns over his final three years. Andrew Luck selects Stanford Luck s high school stats caught the attention of recruiters all across the nation, and after much careful consideration, he chose to attend Stanford University to play for former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh. Stanford was always sort of No. 1, he admits. The moment I met Coach Harbaugh and he went through the whole recruiting spiel, I wanted to play for him. Luck was also impressed with the school s sterling academic reputation. "I talked to a lot of people during the recruiting process, and a tip that seemed to recur was, 'Imagine yourself at a school where you can't play football anymore, and go to that school,' he says. Stanford is definitely the place for that. If you get injured, a Stanford degree is worth its weight in gold." Andrew Luck sits on the sidelines As talented as Luck may have been, there was little chance of him starting in his freshman season, and he elected to redshirt rather than waste an entire year of eligibility. Sitting on the sidelines gave Luck the advantage learning Stanford s playbook, but it didn t necessarily allow him to fully connect with his teammates. "When you haven't played a snap in a game, you're never truly going to be able to get the complete respect of everybody, no matter how hard you work, he says. You have to be in a game with someone to get that bond forged." Andrew Luck receives Freshman All-American honors Luck began developing that bond the following year when he beat out senior Tavita Pritchard to become the team s starting QB. He went on to lead Stanford to the school s first winning season in eight years while throwing for 2,575 yards, 13 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions. Luck s exceptional play earned him Freshman All-American honors from The Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com and Scout.com, as well as a spot on the Pac-10 All-Academic team. Andrew Luck is named Pac-10 Offensive Player Of The Year Big things were expected of Luck in 2010, and he didn t disappoint. Along with his impressive performance in the Pac-10, his uncanny accuracy also propelled Stanford to a 12-1 record and an invitation to the Orange Bowl, where they thoroughly dismantled Virginia Tech in front of a national television audience. "It was a wonderful way to cap off the season," he says. "I couldn't have been happier for the Stanford community." Luck was later rewarded for his efforts when he was named the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and was selected as a finalist for the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Manning Award, and the Heisman Trophy. Andrew Luck announces he will return to school Luck s brilliant performance made him a prohibitive favorite to be selected first in the 2011 NFL Draft. Therefore, it came as a total shock to many observers when he announced he would be returning to Stanford for one more year on January 6, 2011. My family raised us that having a degree is important; it s a must, he says. It s definitely important for me. Unfortunately Luck will have to complete his final season without the guidance of Harbaugh, who accepted a coaching position with the San Francisco 49ers one day later, on January 7, 2011.