by Jeremy Fuchs '14

Coming off one of the best individual seasons in one of the best team seasons in school history, Ryan Curtiss '20 was hoping to parlay the fantastic fall of Muhlenberg football into a gig playing professional football.
 
Sound crazy? It's not. Last year, there were 11 players from Division III in the NFL. And that doesn't take into account various other professional leagues like the CFL.
 
And after the season that Curtiss had, playing professional football was a reasonable and attainable idea.
 
The 6-1 Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, native and business administration major became the first Muhlenberg player to make the D3football.com All-America team three times. In 2019, he led the Mules in receptions (61) and receiving yards (856) and set a school record with 15 receiving touchdowns, which also led all Division III tight ends.
 
In helping Muhlenberg reach Division III's "Final Four," Curtiss became the all-time Centennial Conference leader in receptions (148), receiving yards (2,024) and receiving touchdowns (29) among tight ends.
 
Though Curtiss faced an uphill battle to make it to the pros, nothing was going to stop him, no matter what it took.

"I'm all in," Curtiss said in late February. "If I need to keep grinding, I'll keep grinding. I don't care where I'm playing. I've looked at teams abroad. I know that for the next X amount of years, I'm going to put in the effort to play football. I have the opportunity that not many people in Division III have, which is playing post college, and I'd like to take advantage of that opportunity."
 
 
Added Curtiss: "In an ideal world, I see myself on a football team. I don't know where, but I see myself on some team, in some country and having a great time."
 
Then the world changed.
 
Because of Covid-19, the workouts and tryouts that Curtiss had planned were suddenly scrapped. An appearance at Rutgers' pro day was cancelled; so was a CFL tryout in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Another potential pro day at Temple was also cancelled.
 
Instead of working out in front of scouts, Curtiss was left to work out at home. "It's really frustrating," Curtiss said in mid- March. "I have a couple of kettlebells, I have a football. I just kind of make it up as I go."
 
That inability to gain exposure is tough for all prospects, but especially for Division II and III players. And for Curtiss, it meant not being able to work out for scouts from other leagues like the CFL.
 
The virus has upended all of sports, and it's still unclear when football will be played. But though discouraged, Curtiss hasn't given up on his dream.
 
"I've been able to stay strong," Curtiss said recently. "I now need to wait for things to open up again."
 
Curtiss will continue to work out and train to stay sharp for when it's safe to return to football. But his dream delayed is not a dream defeated.
 
"I'm not giving up on playing," he said.

Pictured above is Curtiss working out at the National Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, in late February. Photos by James Brosher.