You really have to wonder when Joe Andruzzi found time to put in the blood, sweat and tears for those final credit hours at Southern Connecticut State University, cause as far as I can tell, he’s spent his last several years putting actual blood, sweat and tears into things like this:
And this....
....oh, and also this:
Greatness never sleeps, though, and now the three-time world champ can add “college graduate” to his resume of kicking ass and chewing bubblegum, when he presumably ran out of bubblegum roughly 20 years ago.
Thank you to my family for being with me on this special day. BIG Thanks to ALL who took part in helping me achieve this AWESOME GOAL!!! https://t.co/NBIOKgjtS0
— Joe Andruzzi (@Andruzzi63) July 23, 2019
Big congrats to Andruzzi, because as anyone who’s put in the work to graduate with 120-whatever credits knows, that stuff isn’t exactly a cakewalk when you get to the end.
His major before signing with the Packers (not a typo — Andruzzi played with the Pack from 1997-2000, then got released and signed with the Patriots in 2000, and the rest is history) was special education, and 23 years after leaving college to go pro, Joe now earned his undergraduate degree.
Side note: get you a life partner who tweets about you like this:
The Andruzzi family could not be prouder of our recent graduate, @Andruzzi63! #scsu #owl #football #collegegraduate #proud #jaf #cofounder #chairman #bigthingsahead #loveyoubabe pic.twitter.com/82tJIvjfuR
— Jen Andruzzi (@JenAndruzzi) July 22, 2019
We’ve had what seems like a beer bong of negative, infuriating, demoralizing, what-are-we-even-doing-here-anymore stories about the NFL lately, so hopefully this can put some pep in your step and serve as a well-deserved reminder that the vast majority of these guys are out there making a positive impact in their communities and setting the bar high for the kids (and grown adults, like your author) that look up to them, sometimes on their own dime.
And finally, you may be wondering, are we going to watch that one clip that everybody thinks about when they hear about the Andruzzi brothers?
You’re freaking right we are.
Congratulations Joe, like Bill said at the 2003 Super Bowl ring ceremony, you have earned this reward.