Whether in pads at the defensive end position or sporting a batting helmet and high socks in the spring, junior Chris Decembrele is always hitting something.
Decembrele, who hit .269 with 25 RBI as an outfielder and catcher for the baseball team last year, also earned All-NESCAC and ECAC All-Northeast honors in 2004 as a member of the football team. The 230-pounder - who spends most of his time on the field grappling with offensive linemen, crashing into running backs, and waiting in pass coverage - compiled 73 tackles, 40 solo tackles and 35 sacks.
The soft-spoken Decembrele, however, is not boastful about his numbers.
"It's hard to see how you're doing when the team's not doing so hot," Decembrele said. "We kind of got unlucky last year. That's behind us."
Whether luck had anything to do with it or not, the Jumbos lost three close games by a total of seven points on the way to a 2-6 overall record. Tufts was 2-3 in games decided by less than a touchdown beating Bates 14-12 and Amherst
10-3, but dropping equally close decisions to Bowdoin, Williams and Middlebury.
It's hard to fault Decembrele for the losses, as the defensive end only played better during crunch time. In the five games decided by four points or fewer, Decembrele deflected six passes, was credited with 3.5 tackles for losses, and collected 52 tackles, averaging over ten tackles per game.
Football has always been a family affair for Decembrele. During the close loss in 2004 to Middlebury, Decembrele's older brother Richard played middle linebacker for the Panthers. And on game days, Decembrele's mother Ann, who works at the Fletcher School, and his family drive the 30 minutes from Walpole, Mass. to see the younger footballer play.
They were watching last year as Decembrele tallied the third-most solo tackles and sixth-most tackles overall in the NESCAC, leading the Jumbos in both tackles and sacks in the process. Decembrele prefers to deflect the attention to his teammates, who he feels will be better with another year of experience.
"We have [nine] returning [defensive] starters coming back," Decembrele said. "Last year, we had five games that were decided by less than a touchdown. This year, we've been together an extra year and that experience makes us better."
The coaching staff expects Decembrele to be a leader of that defense.
"He's just a regular, down-to-earth guy," Coach Bill Samko said. "He's tremendously well respected by everyone, but he's not just well respected because of his play. He's a great player, but an even better kid."
The coach's relationship with his starting defensive end started long before Decembrele donned the Brown and Blue.
Samko actually knew the Decembreles well before Chris was born, when he played high school football with Chris' father at Worcester Academy in 1968.
"It's amazing that Chris' father would actually turn him over to me," Samko said.
Decembrele's decision to attend Tufts occurred long before the traditional junior-year college search. Although his older brother chose Middlebury, the younger Decembrele remembers frequent visits to the Hill to see his mother (who has worked on campus since 1973) and never wanting to go anywhere else. When it was time to pick a college, Decembrele filled out only one application, and was accepted to Tufts early-decision.
"Chris made a conscious decision to come to Tufts," his mother Ann Decembrele said. "There's a Tufts tradition in this family."
The family ties to Tufts go back further than the younger Decembrele and his mother. Ann's father, William Baldwin, was a Jumbo as well, graduating in 1937. According to Mrs. Decembrele, Mr. Baldwin still attends Chris' games, along with Chris' grandparents on his father's side. The Decembreles' commitment extends past Zimman Field, as the family attends both games at home and on the road.
Football has long been a part of Decembrele's life. Since he was nine, Decembrele remembers playing in the local Pop Warner football league near his home in Walpole. After middle school, Decembrele went on to play for Walpole High School, where the team was crowned Bay State League champions once during his four years there.
The junior will have similar winning goals in mind as he takes the field this Saturday in the team's match-up against Wesleyan in Middletown, Conn.
"Wesleyan handed it to us last year," Decembrele said of last season's 37-7 loss. "So we want to give it back to them this year. We're tired of hitting each other. We want to go out and hit other teams."
