HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. -- Robert Clarke '26 was a standout football and baseball player at Westminster in Atlanta, Georgia, a coeducational and Christian independent day school. He was most likely headed to the University of Georgia (UGA) to earn a degree in business and possibly pursue a football walk-on opportunity with the Bulldogs. Robert was not familiar with Hampden-Sydney until one day in December 2021 when Tigers' assistant coach Zach Zullinger '07 visited Westminster. The gregarious and highly effusive Zullinger had seen film on Robert and felt that he would be a great addition to the program. Zullinger made his pitch for the College and encouraged Robert to make a visit to campus, which he did, and he was sold. Fast-forward two-plus years and Robert Clarke, now a Hampden-Sydney Football junior linebacker and team captain, is well on his way to fulfilling the College's mission of becoming a good man and a good citizen, if he is not already.

"My team host on the visit showed me how great this place is," explained Clarke. "He really sold the brotherhood aspect here. I could feel it when he was talking and that it wasn't just talk, it was a real thing, there is a brotherhood here. I decided to commit."

Sports and UGA are the ties that bind the Clarke family together. Clarke's parents, Jill and Tom, and his older sister, Emily, are graduates of UGA. Tom is an avid golfer; Jill was a member of the UGA track team as a freshman and later became a successful marathon runner; Emily played soccer and softball growing up; and Robert's older brother, Tom, also played football and baseball. The Clarkes were regulars at home football games in Athens, where Robert first developed his love for the game of football.

Robert arrived on the Hill confident in his abilities but quickly realized that it would not be that easy. He played in seven games as a freshman, making two tackles, including one solo, before seeing his time on the field increase as a sophomore while playing in eight games with eight tackles, including three solo. The turning point came this past spring under the direction of first-year Tigers head coach Vince Luvara when Robert earned a starting role and became a leader of the defense.

"Robert has everything we want guys in our program to develop into," stated Luvara. "He is an exceptional leader with a drive to be a champion both on and off the field. I am not surprised by how Robert has played so far this season because he prepares as well as anyone in the country and is dedicated to the process each day. Robert's rise to being a leader on this football team is a credit to his discipline, effort, toughness and commitment to Hampden-Sydney and Hampden-Sydney Football."

"I had a really good spring, worked hard in the summer, had a great fall, and was also lucky enough to be named a captain," said Robert. "I've been very pleased with my development here, though at times it was difficult. I had to be patient and wait to get my opportunity.

"Coach Luvara has done a great job at just bringing a new culture right away. It's felt like an entirely different team since his arrival. It's been a totally different environment with the new locker room, a new offense, a new defense. I think we have a way more efficient practice, and I really believe in what he's saying on defense. If you look at his track record, he's had some pretty good defenses, and I think we can be right there."

Robert has found it helpful to have a fellow Atlantan around, too, as classmate, roommate, offensive lineman and fellow team captain William Stimmel also hails from the capital of Georgia. The two attended different high schools, but ironically, Robert and William were little league baseball teammates in third grade and recreation league football teammates in sixth grade before playing against each other in high school football. Robert had no idea that Stimmel was also planning to attend H-SC until Zullinger mentioned it. The two quickly reconnected and have been roommates since their arrival on campus while becoming best friends, as well.

"We were former teammates and friends, but not super close," explained Robert. When Coach Zullinger said he was coming here, I gave him a call because I still had his number from sixth-grade football. Now we're best friends and team captains together."

Off the field, Robert is a well-rounded business and economics major with a minor in rhetoric. A successful student in the classroom with a 3.59 GPA, he earned Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) All-Academic Team honors during each of his first two years. Robert, along with a few of his football teammates, studied abroad this past summer during a three-week program at the London School of Economics during which time he had the opportunity to visit Dublin, Ireland and Portugal, and experience The Wimbledon Championships. Robert also serves as president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and has recently applied to the National Football League (NFL) Summer Internship Program.

"One of the best things that Hampden-Sydney offers is the Rhetoric Program," said Robert. "I've gotten a lot better at talking to people, writing emails and networking. I think that's such an important skill to have outside of college. I really like rhetoric and English; those are my favorite classes here. I like reading books and writing papers. I've got my friends from my fraternity and my friends at football, and that's the beauty of this place, that you can be involved in everything and know everybody.

"I've considered law school or pursuing an MBA, but recently, I've thought I might go into something more sports-related," said Robert. "I just applied for an internship with the NFL, which I think would be really cool. I think being able to network here is such an advantage with one of the best alumni networks in the country. Hopefully, I can utilize that to its fullest."

For now, though, Robert still has nearly two years to go as an undergraduate, and he intends on making the most of his remaining time as a Tiger both on and off the field.

"You can't just wait your turn and think that you're going to, all of a sudden, get playing time, or you can't think that you can just turn in assignments and get good grades," declared Robert. "You have to put in the work. It takes a lot of hard work to really achieve anything, and that applies anywhere, not just Hampden-Sydney.

"I want to be the quarterback of the defense. I don't think the stats really matter, but more so having the other 10 guys on defense look to me for the call, and if they don't know what they're doing or if they're getting down because they had a bad play, I want to be the guy who can pick them up and really help them. I think I've done a pretty good job of it so far, but there's always room for improvement.

"A team goal is to have a dominant defense, and with Coach Luvara, we can do it. He's got the framework. It's about putting in the work, and we could become something really special. When you have a great defense, it just makes things so much easier for the offense and special teams, and when you have a good defense, you win games. Defense wins championships."

Through two non-conference games this season as a starting linebacker, Robert is third on the team with 13 tackles, including six solo, with one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery. The Tigers are 1-1 overall following a 51-30 road win at Brevard College on September 14 in North Carolina. Asked if he wanted to add anything, Robert responds as one might imagine.

"We're a young team and just look for improvement week-to-week," said Robert. "I think you're going to see, as guys get more experience and more reps, that we're just going to keep getting better and better. I'm really looking forward to this season and seeing how good that we can become."

The next opportunity for improvement will be at home against Centre (KY) College on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. on Fulton Field at Lewis C. Everett Stadium during Hall of Fame Weekend.

Special Thanks to Hampden-Sydney Editorial Content Manager Alexandra Evans