Day 79: Drew Quinn

Drew Quinn last season (CREDIT: Columbia Athletics)

I swear, swear, swear that I was going to recognize Drew Quin '09 today even before his dad commented on my previous post just a few hours ago.

But it was nice to see that Drew's father Ed is still a reader even though his son played his last game in a Lion uniform more than seven months ago.

Drew came to Columbia in 2005 after serving as a captain on the perennial high school football powerhouse, St. Xavier in Cincinnati. Quinn made an impact right away, playing in all 10 games as a freshman and even making an interception in the Homecoming game against Penn.

But Drew really made everyone sit up and take notice in his sophomore year when he made the weekly Ivy Honor Roll after forcing a fumble and returning an INT for a game-icing TD in the season opener win against Fordham.

Even more impressive, Quinn became the defensive field general even at his young age. He was a key cog in Columbia's surprising 5-5 2006 campaign. He finished the season with 82 tackles and two interceptions (his second pick also iced a win, this time against Cornell).

Then came "the great injury epidemic of 2007."

Like Rory Wilfork, Drew became one of those rare juniors to be named a team captain. But an injury sustained in training camp slowed Quinn's ability to make as much of an impact as he did in 2006. He still finished with 62 tackles and an interception, but the Lions' ability to plug up the middle on defense was noticeably weaker without Quinn at 100 percent.

Drew was much healthier throughout 2008 and it showed. Once again, he started the season with an interception returned for a TD against Fordham, and finished the season with 88 tackles and a spot on the All-Ivy Second Team.

While Columbia's defense looks very strong coming into this season, my number one concern about the 2009 defense is how it will respond to Quinn's graduation. The Lions need to replace, not only Quinn's athletic abilities, but also his leadership skills.

No matter how well Quinn's replacement does this season and beyond, we'll miss him.

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