“I honestly ask myself that a lot. What is worth all the work? I have been blessed to play football. There are a lot of people that love the game of football and can’t play as long as they’d want to.” These are the words of Kevin Anderson, Fordham’s senior quarterback. Anderson has been a student-athlete at Fordham for the past three years, after having transferred from Marshall University. While Anderson is academically a senior, athletically he’s a redshirt junior. Therefore, he has one more season of NCAA eligibility. This is just the start of good news for Fordham football fans.

In 2015, Anderson replaced All-American quarterback Michael Nebrich. To say that he had a successful season is an understatement. He started all 12 games and was named the Fordham 2015 Offensive Player of the Year. Anderson led the Patriot League in passing touchdowns and passing efficiency. Moreover, he threw 32 touchdown passes, which cemented his performance as the second best single season total in school history. He also rushed for a career-high 115 yards against Holy Cross University last season, which is the most yardage carried by a Fordham quarterback in a single game.

“He only started playing competitive football in seventh grade.”

Anderson’s season statistics are remarkable. However, what’s most fascinating is how he reached his current status. Many assume that individuals such as Anderson have been playing football since they were six or seven. In reality, he only started playing competitive football in seventh grade with a team in southern Florida. The largest obstacle for Anderson was meeting the weekly weight requirement imposed by the league. He described this, saying, “It taught me at a young age how dedicated I had to be to my diet and the preparation of my body. There were times I wasn’t making weight. I had to spend all the day at a sauna trying to sweat out water just so I can make weight and play in the game.” This experience and participation in football from middle school followed with him through high school and now to the collegiate level.

Anderson hails from Boca Raton, Florida. Graduating early from Boca Raton High School, he accepted an athletic scholarship at Marshall University. After his freshman season, he transferred to Fordham.

Through all the ups and downs, Anderson’s confidence level may have diminished, but his faith in God didn’t dwindle in the slightest. For Anderson, this story began as an upperclassmen in high school. He suffered a season-ending injury which detrimentally affected his college recruiting process. “That was a tough time for me. The recruiting process is very difficult for football. Everyone growing up where I was from was receiving many Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference  (ACC) offers. Those teams were looking at me and wanted to see film.” Because he shattered his collarbone and the reconstructive surgery which followed, Anderson was overlooked by many Division I schools. Anderson added, “The injury was a low point for me. That senior year was supposed to be the year I led our team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, when I went down, we weren’t able to have the same success as predicted we would have.”

Anderson expressed gratitude to the staff at Marshall University for honoring his scholarship despite his injury. At Marshall, Anderson’s playing time was restricted and his rehabilitative process was not completed thoroughly. On top of this, half of the personnel who recruited him had left the organization. He noted a “lack of love” from the new personnel.

He subsequently requested his release from Marshall University and sought recruitment from Ivy League and Patriot League schools. “After I got my release from Marshall, it was a very low point in my athletic career. Something I had almost a natural ability to do my whole life became my pitfall. I simply lost my confidence,” said Anderson. His interest in Ivy League and Patriot League schools magnifies the level of importance acadmemics plays in his life. “I knew they all had great academic programs. If I was going to leave, I knew I wanted to go somewhere where I could receive a valued education,” Anderson said.

“Just a week after having gone through arguably the lowest point of his athletic career, another opportunity presented itself.”

A week after reaching out to schools, Anderson contacted the Operations Coach at Fordham. Anderson described this moment saying, “I was curious and asked regarding the team’s quarterback situation, and asked if they were looking for a transfer.” Luckily for Anderson, later that day, he received a call from Andrew Breiner, the current Head Coach and then Offensive Coordinator. “We talked on the phone for about two hours. He was on the road recruiting. We spoke about my values and beliefs about football.”

Just a week after having gone through arguably the lowest point of his athletic career, another opportunity presented itself. “They wanted to bring me in and build the future around me. Hearing that and knowing that there was a staff that was committed to helping [me] grow was the perfect thing to hear. I immediately committed that day,” Anderson stated.

Through it all, Anderson’s faith prevailed. He articulated, “It was interesting going through all the trials and the low points in my life at the time. Putting trust in God and ending up at a Catholic school was a symbol to me that everything was going to work out as God’s plan.” Anderson’s connection to his faith is not just a statement, but an action. During his spare time, he is active in Campus Ministry and participates in community service projects.

From a young age, Anderson was taught discipline and to never lose faith. This same discipline has followed him to this day. When asked of his offseason summer routine, he stated, “We’d have workouts every morning  at 6 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. Then, I headed to shower, put on a suit and headed to work in a law firm in Manhattan for eight hours. Afterwards, I would head back to the field and throw routes to my receivers. Once that was done, we’d have dinner. I’d repeat the same the next day.”

Anderson’s story is not just one of success—it’s one of perseverance. He went from a season-ending injury in high school to the starting quarterback on Fordham’s football team, expected to win the Patriot League. This, for Anderson, is what makes football—and all that came with it—worth it.