Bucknell University Athletics
Doctorate in the Future for Bison Football Player Demetrius Baldwin-Youngblood
11/3/2014 1:33:00 PM | Football
Bucknell prides itself on the scholar-athlete model where its student-athletes are just as much students as athletes. This is easily exhibited by the nearly 100 Patriot League championship trophies Bison teams have hoisted in the last 24 years as well as by the 125 names on the beautiful Academic All-America Wall just outside Kinney Natatorium. It is also observed every day when talking to any of the more than 700 student-athletes gracing Bucknell Athletics rosters in 2014-15.
The latest example of the balance between athletics and academics came recently from Demetrius Baldwin-Youngblood, a senior defensive lineman on the Bison football team. When asked what his plans following graduation next May were, he replied, “continue to play football.” He immediately followed that with, “I also plan to go to grad school to get a doctorate.” Wow. What a combination.
Let's begin away from the football field, where Baldwin-Youngblood is a psychology major coming off one of the best semesters of his college career in terms of grade-point average. After his playing days are over, Baldwin-Youngblood plans on attending grad school to earn his doctorate. He is interested in intimate relationship therapy.
“I was watching Dr. Phil one day and observing him interact with people and try to help them — or what he calls helping people — and he does not use psychological ideas or theories,” comments a soft-spoken and thoughtful Baldwin-Youngblood. “He uses mainly common sense and I think there should be a show where people actually use psychological theory to help people better their relationships, rather than just putting people on TV to make a spectacle of them. I think that is something people would enjoy and would be awesome to be part of.”
If his success on the football field is any indication, Baldwin-Youngblood could very well have his own television show a la Dr. Phil, or his own practice helping others. His patience and nurturing attitude is easily seen as he carefully answers questions.
On the gridiron, however, Baldwin-Youngblood is not quite as sensitive. He is a hulking 6'1”, 285 pounds and he spends as much time in the opposing team's offensive backfield as he does on the Bucknell side of the line of scrimmage. A Second Team All-Patriot League selection in 2013 and a Preseason All-Patriot League choice entering this year, Baldwin-Youngblood tied for the lead in the conference a year ago with eight sacks. He ranked 26th nationally in that category and 86th in the country in tackles for loss (11.5).
After playing the interior part of the defensive line early in his career, Baldwin-Youngblood has been positioned both inside and at end this year and is one of the most potent linemen in the Patriot League. He ranks fifth on the team with 36 tackles and is first in both sacks (6) and tackles for loss (8). Baldwin-Youngblood is just two tackles shy of 100 for his career and is two sacks shy of moving into the top 10 in program history in that category.
“I like playing on the end a lot more,” says Baldwin-Youngblood. “There is a lot more activity, but there are a lot more mistakes to be made, too.”
A member of the starting lineup each of the last two years and a four-year member of the deep Bison defensive line rotation, Baldwin-Youngblood grew up near Pittsburgh rooting for the Steelers. He played football, baseball and basketball growing up, proclaiming baseball as likely his best sport up until the age of 17 or 18. An interesting fact, given the way he appeared on the Bucknell radar during the recruiting process.
When it came time for high school, Baldwin-Youngblood was leaning toward going to either Pittsburgh Central Catholic or Woodland Hills High School, but late in the process he received a call from B.J. Depew, a mathematics teacher and the head football coach at The Linsly School in Wheeling, West Virginia, located about an hour from Baldwin-Youngblood's hometown of Rankin, Pennsylvania. Depew convinced Baldwin-Youngblood to take a visit to the private boarding school and the youngster fell in love and spent his next four years there.
“It was not a far distance to travel,” recalls Baldwin-Youngblood about the school that has produced NFL players Eddie Drummond (Lions, Chiefs, Steelers) and Willie Clay (Lions, Patriots, Saints), among others, including Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame basketball player J.R. Holden . “It was nice because my family was able to see me play every week. My freshman year I would play in the freshman game during the week and then the varsity game on the weekend, so I would see my parents often.”
Toward the end of his time at Linsly, Baldwin-Youngblood had still not decided on a college. B.J. Depew's uncle, Gene, attended a late-season game and saw a big, talented defensive lineman on the field. Gene was then the head baseball coach at Bucknell, but had also spent more than 20 years as a Bison football assistant. When he returned to Lewisburg he shared information about Baldwin-Youngblood with the current football staff. Assistant coach Mike O'Connor was responsible for recruiting Western Pennsylvania and he immediately got in touch with Baldwin-Youngblood and convinced him to decide on Bucknell.
At Bucknell, Baldwin-Youngblood is a member of a strong 23-person senior class that has already been part of two above-.500 seasons and clinched another with last week's victory at Georgetown. No Bison group has experienced this kind of winning since the Class of 2003.
“I think our class believes we are the group to turn around the program,” proclaims Baldwin-Youngblood, who has had an outstanding season despite missing spring practice while recovering from shoulder surgery. “We have thought that since our freshman year. We have taken it upon ourselves as a challenge.”
This year's squad has sprinted to a 6-1 record and is 2-0 in Patriot League play for the first time since 2003. However, Baldwin-Youngblood is not letting it go to his head.
“We want to win the rest of the games we play,” comments Baldwin-Youngblood, who comes from an athletic family that includes a pair of uncles that played Division I college sports. “We want to go as far as we can. Hopefully we are playing games all the way through December.
“Personally, I want to try and break some records, since I know that will have a positive impact on our team. I'm on pace for a better season than last year, but I want to knock it out of the park so it isn't even close.”
Note: This story appeared in a recent edition of the Bucknell Football Gameday Program and was written by Todd Merriett of the Bucknell Athletic Communications Office.
