In a familiar scene, one that has played out countless times over the past four years, senior Nick Deprizio stands on the sidelines during football practice on a raw Tuesday afternoon.
Unlike the rest of the players, he wears no pads, no cleats, and no helmet. Instead, he is covered from head to toe in makeshift thermal gear. A towel is wrapped around his head underneath the hood of his sweatshirt, a trick he picked up to protect his ears from the New England wind.
Deprizio is in charge of filming the Tufts football team, and on this day, like every other day during their season, Deprizio will be above the playing field, capturing the shots that players and coaches will pore over in video sessions.
Deprizio never thought his college football career would transform into a career as a cameraman. He was the captain of his team for the final two years of his career at Pope John High School in Everett, Mass. As a right guard, he was selected to the All-Eastern Massachusetts football team.
Deprizio arrived on the Tufts campus in August 2003 ready to make an impact as a lineman for the Jumbos.
"Coming into freshman year, I was excited to take it to the next level," Deprizio said. "I heard the game was faster, and it was. I got through [training] camp fine, but then the pain started."
That pain was bad news: three herniated discs in his back, and sciatica that went all the way down the backs of his legs. The pain wasn't limited to football; he hurt when he simply had to take off his socks or bend over to tie his shoes.
Deprizio sat out his freshman year and was assigned to film practices by his coaches, the traditional duty of any athlete on the injured list. For many, it was a chore, but Deprezio viewed it as a chance to participate.
"I felt like I was helping out the team somehow," Deprizio said. "I hated just standing on the sidelines. I wanted to do something productive."
Deprizio quickly learned the best angles to capture the right shots, and coaches and teammates took notice.
"Nick is by far the best 'tight view' video-taper in the league, bar none," said senior quad-captain Brian Schurko, Deprizio's roommate and best friend at Tufts. "I have watched plenty of film from the other NESCAC schools, and let me tell you, he puts all those other cameramen to shame."
"He has been an invaluable member of this program," coach Bill Samko added. "The effort and the commitment he has given to this team is incredible."
Not only does Deprizio film the practices, but he is also in charge of training the football team in pre-practice workouts.
During games, Deprizio is easily the coldest person on Zimman field. While he is only perched 50 feet above the ground for practices, game days call for him to film at closer to 300 feet above the field. The weather, as miserable as it can get in late October and November, has never been bad enough to keep Deprizio off the scaffold.
"I know how much it does mean to the team, how important the breakdown of practice and game films is to the college game," he said. "Without film we don't have a chance. Knowing ourselves and our opponents is a huge advantage."
Through all the long and frigid late-night practices, all the snowy nights and driving rain, all the handoffs and play-action passes, Deprizio's four-year stint is a byproduct of his loyalty and dedication to his friends, teammates, and coaches.
That is not to say that Deprizio never considered lacing up his cleats and putting on his helmet after his freshman year. Despite training during the offseason, his back was still finicky and, every fall, prevented him from taking the field once again.
At the end of his junior season, Deprizio contemplated walking away from his duties as cameraman, but his father persuaded him to stick around.
"I made a commitment, and my father told me, 'Finish what you start,'" he said. "I don't walk away from things, and with football, it felt like I was a failure or I wasn't good enough or I was quitting because I was injured.
"It would have been the easy thing to do to just walk away," he continued. "But the easy thing to do isn't always the right thing to do. I put in the preseason hours and the rainy home games and weekday nights because I've seen the amount of sacrifice the players make during the season."
The sacrifice Deprizio has made hasn't gone unnoticed by his teammates. They understand the lousy conditions he has fought against, and they recognize that it takes a special person to withstand the challenges.
"It speaks volumes about his character that he can show that he cares enough about the sport and his friends to film and prepare cut-ups for our team," senior Bryan McDavitt said. "Everyone appreciates what he brings to our team."
This past Tuesday afternoon, the scene played out again on the football team's practice field. The Jumbos are preparing for their upcoming showdown with Williams. The players are wet and cold, and their sacrifice is evident from the grunts coming from the muddy practice field.
Above them is Deprizio, capturing it all, his raw hands following the action with his video camera. On this day, he is just like any other senior in the program: giving all that he can during his final year.
