1. Brad Greenway, you are the senior place kicker on the Cornell football team. What has football meant to you over the course of your career?
Football has been the majority of my college career. I’ve spent a ton of time playing football and I have developed really great friendships because of the football team. It’s been a really good experience and I’ve learned a lot from it. I’ve learned time management, teamwork, how to be a better person. I mean honestly football has been everything in my life. I have some really good memories with all my buddies on the team and football’s pretty much been the most important thing for me on campus.
Who is your favorite teammate?
I would say there is a really core group of us: senior linebacker Dempsey Quinn, senior defensive end Mark Key, senior linebacker Anthony Ambrosi, and senior safety Ben Heller. We either all go out together or we all don’t go out together. Obviously I like all the guys on the team, but that’s pretty much the group that I’ve grown up with.
Is it true that you are also considering playing in the NFL?
Yeah. I could have played this year if I wanted to as a senior, but I chose to take my red shirt year and play one more season at Cornell and then hopefully next year, I’ll go to the NFL.
Ideally, what team would you play for?
I’m a huge Chargers fan, so I’d love to play for them, but when it comes down to it, playing in the NFL is playing in the NFL. And I don’t really care what team gives me the opportunity to do that.
2. Tell us a little bit about the recruiting process. Specifically about your trip to the University of Colorado at Boulder.
It was crazy. Crazy experience. I can’t really say too much about it. There are probably only two people on this campus that could handle it: Mark Key and our special teams coordinator, coach Burkett. It’s a wild place out there. Over the top.
3. Our football team takes a lot of heat for not having the most stellar record. What can you say to those Cornellians out there who haven’t been so supportive over the past couple of years?
Yeah, I mean, winning games brings people into the stadium. But at the same time football’s not an easy sport to win in. Over the past couple years we haven’t been that good, but Cornell is also one of the most winning programs in the history of football. We’re the only team that is undefeated against Michigan and Ohio State. The history is there. We’re in the rebuilding process right now, but that’s how it is with sports. If teams aren’t winning, no matter what sport, people are going to turn away. But we’re on our way back. Our true fans can tell that the team is a lot different than it was a couple years ago and we’re looking to improve even more over the next couple years. We’ll probably be Ivy League Champions in the coming years.
4. A lot of your team thinks you don’t practice nearly as hard as they do because you are the kicker. Is there any validity to that claim?
Absolutely. Honestly, all I do is kick footballs around for a half hour. I’m usually in a beanie and hand-warmers on the sidelines. I snap the ball to the quarterbacks during some of the practices. I mean, I do go out there 40 minutes earlier than everyone else, but they’re right. Kickers really don’t do that much.
And yet apparently you still get massages every week. Is that true?
I did in the first five weeks, yeah. They let me get massages after every game. There was a rumor going around that you could get free massages so I figured I might as well ask and see if I could get one and I ended up getting free massages for five weeks. A lot of the guys were really jealous of me. I don’t know why they didn’t just ask.
5. Do you have any pregame superstitions or rituals?
Not really. I always listen to the same playlist on my iPod, but I’m pretty loose before the game. I like to joke around. I don’t like to be quiet. I hate when it’s quiet in the locker room right before a game. I like when people are jumping around. Especially now that I’ve been playing for the last four years, I don’t really get any butterflies because I know what I’m doing.
What about this rumor that you HAVE to go to Burger King before every game?
No, I do NOT like to go to Burger King. Anthony Ambrosi likes to go to Burger King and he tells everyone that it’s me. On Sunday’s we always go out to eat and one time I suggested we go to Burger King because I hadn’t been there in years. So we went. And then the next week, Ambrosi was like, “let’s go to Burger King.” So I was like, “I guess we can go there.” So we went again and then next thing I know he’s starting a rumor that I HAVE to go to Burger King before every game when it’s really him. I do like Burger King — they have good barbeque sauce, but by no means am I obsessed with it like Ambrosi.
Do you have any nicknames on the team? Teammate Andrew Brown mentioned one.
Well I guess a couple weeks ago, one of our coaches in a meeting made a comment along the lines of, “I don’t ever want to see our chubby little kicker out on the field kicking field goals because that means we didn’t score a touchdown. I only want to see him kick extra points.” So I guess ‘Chubby Little Kicker’ is my nickname. But I don’t know why Andrew said that because I lift a lot more than him.
6. Is it true that you’re a big Skyper?
Yeah, that’s true.
Who do you Skype with primarily?
My Cali girls from back home. My friends here kind of get on me for not talking to girls here — like not talking to East Coast girls.
Do you have something against East Coast girls?
Not really. I think East Coast girls have something against me. I guess they don’t like the way I dress maybe. I dress kind of like a bum. I don’t know. But my roommate, Alex Johnson, he’s from the East Coast but he’s kind of like a Cali guy — blue eyes, blonde hair, walks with a Cali swagger — and he’s been looking for a girlfriend for a while. So I’m hoping this article will help him out. If anyone’s interested he’s a great guy and he’s very economical. The best you’ll get out of him is a guest swipe at RPCC or maybe a PB&J, but I think that’s very practical and an admirable quality. His number is (734) 395-3112 if anyone wants to give him a call.
7. You are known as the Gossip Girl of your team. What’s that about?
I like to talk to everyone. I like to know what’s going on in everyone’s lives. I like to know all about the new equipment we’re getting and what’s going on with football. I talk to the operations officers and find out what kind of food we’re getting before the game. If something’s going on, I want to know about it. … If it’s something cool, I’ll tell everyone about it.
Do you watch Gossip girl?
No.
What shows do you watch?
Well, I like to be in bed by 9:30 p.m., so I have this routine. I get out of practice and I don’t do much work, so we go to dinner and then me and a couple of my buddies always watch Glee; Wednesdays, Modern Family. Thursdays, football or something like that. Mondays, Monday Night Football, obviously.
Glee — that’s interesting. Do you sing?
No, I do not sing. I think Marcus Hendren does though. He’s supposed to be our big tough running back but his favorite movie is like The Notebook. And I think he cried during The Last Song. He’s the one that got me into Glee.
8. You are apparently known for not always having your way when it comes to girls. Is that true?
Well I certainly have no comment on that. I don’t know that many girls here so that can’t possibly be true.
What about that brunette bartender at a certain Collegetown establishment?
Well, last year one time Anthony Ambrosi and I were out and Anthony thinks he can get any girl he wants. So we started looking around — at girls and stuff — and there was some bartender there who was pretty cute. So I thought, “let’s just try to see what we can do.” So I asked her, “How many drinks does it take to get your number?” and that was the last time I ever saw her.
Maybe she was a little frightened.
She might have been, yeah. Who knows?
What about your relationship with a certain lacrosse player — namely Chris Livadas?
Yeah. We kind of have this thing going on between the lacrosse team and our team. Chris and I have this little bromance going on. People always say we’re dating. And then Dempsey Quinn and senior lacrosse player Max Feely also have this kind of thing. So senior lacrosse player Jack Dudley is kind of hurt. He wants to get in on it. Now that he’s the senior captain we’re thinking he and senior football lineman Paul Ostick could get together.
And how did this whole thing start between you and Chris?
We’ve been best friends since freshmen year. We met in accounting class and it was love at first sight. Chris actually thought I was the quarterback for a while, so he was kind of a jersey chaser at first. Then he found out I was the kicker and he doesn’t like to bring that up in front of people but it’s OK. Max and Dempsey started becoming attracted to each other around the end of freshman year. Jack’s kind of been an outsider, which sucks. We’re hoping that now that he’s the captain he’ll have some pull. Paul just got a nice haircut so I think he’s trying to make some moves with Jack. And Jack’s really been asking about Paul lately since he cut his hair so we’ll see what happens with that.
9. I hear some crazy post-game stories. Tell us about your night after the Penn game last year.
Well, after the Penn game every year, we get pretty crazy — especially last year. We were 2-8 and I remember standing on the sidelines thinking, “I can’t wait to go out tonight.” One of my roommates didn’t travel so when we were 30 minutes away, we called him and told him to get the …“stuff”… ready to go. So he did and the next morning I woke up in my fraternity, not in my bed, not in my clothes, the Hills was on TV, I had … strange marks … all over my neck, as did Anthony Ambrosi — it was just a crazy night. And I never found my clothes, either. It was just one of those mornings where you wake up and you’re like, “Wow, that was really out of control.”
Well at least you woke up.
That is true.
10. What other Cornell team do you like to hang out with the most?
I would probably say just from locker room chat and from what I’ve seen, that right now it’s definitely the women’s lacrosse team. Especially from junior football player Tom Randall’s opinion; he can tell you everything about every player. Where they are from, what position they play, everything.
That’s a little creepy.
Yeah it is creepy, but the guys seem to really like that team and I agree. Women’s track isn’t too bad either, running around campus and in the stadium.
Original Author: Katie Schubauer