[tps_title]Yale’s Tyler Varga Sports International Background[/tps_title]
Canadian/Swedish/Finnish (yep, all three) tailback Tyler Varga has been turning heads and creating excitement as he moves from an outstanding college career at prestigious Yale University to what looks like a promising NFL/CFL career.
Tyler Varga
Born in Stockholm, Sweden (he speaks Swedish) and raised in Kitchener Ontario, Canada, Varga’s talents and tenacity were on display in the 66th annual Senior Bowl college all-star game.
This past weekend, in front of 36,471 fans at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, he did nothing to disappoint. In fact, by the end of the game, his stock had risen considerably in the eyes of the many NFL and CFL general managers, pro scouts and coaches on hand.
As a tailback, Varga ran the ball four times for 31 yards; two of his runs went for touchdowns. As a fullback, Varga made a number of strong lead blocks up the middle, including one on Cobb’s four-yard touchdown. Varga also displayed pass-catching ability, as he did all week in practice, with three receptions for 39 yards Saturday.
A 5’10”, 227-pound Ivy League product, Varga projects only as a late-round draft pick, but he’s likely to emerge as a quality role player who makes the team that drafts him look smart.
For those unfamiliar with the Senior Bowl, it is one of the few annual college all-star games giving top college players an opportunity to show off their skills against their peers and to fans, and professional teams. The game caters to fans as well as scouts and coaches as the two teams are concerned more with divvying up playing time than actually winning the game. The coaches for the game were of the highest caliber as well. The head coach for the North team was Ken Whisenhunt of the Tennessee Titans while their opponents, the South team, was guided by Gus Bradley of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“The success of Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk in the NFL has built something of a pipeline from the Ivy League to the Senior Bowl. Two years ago, Juszczyk boosted his draft stock at the Senior Bowl as a converted lead blocker after primarily operating as an H-back and tight end at Harvard. The Ravens selected him in the fourth round after a strong performance in the annual all-star game.
Now Yale running back Tyler Varga is making his case for a spot in the NFL. He has impressed scouts and coaches this week with his rugged running style and deceptive speed.”
Highlights of Varga’s Senior Bowl performance
Some fan forums are already projecting him to other teams including the Denver Broncos. Read Saydre Bedinger’s column.
It Runs in the Family
Given his pedigree and upbringing, it should come as no surprise that Tyler has achieved the education level and physical attributes he has today. His father John, a Croation/Canadian was a professional bodybuilder as was his mother Hannele Lundberg, a Finnish native who grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. The discipline of these two athletes has obviously carried over to Tyler. In fact, Hannele still skis competitively. John has been responsible for Tyler’s work out regime his entire life which has clearly made a difference, as Tyler has excelled at very level.
John played football in high school, and Hannele played high-level rugby and ran track. They raised a nutrition freak with an astounding chiseled physique – 5’11”, 230 lbs and minimal body fat. He was always a standout on the football field and at one point was playing community football in the spring and high school in the fall. So he would play 24 games a year and keep his grades up to Yale entrance levels.
While playing football he managed to fit in gymnastics, track and field, baseball, ski racing, judo and pretty much anything else he set his mind on doing. And of course excelled at it.
After a spectacular high school career, Varga began his college career at the University of Western Ontario and was named Canadian university football’s top rookie in ’11 before transferring to Yale.
Varga was dominant in his senior season at Yale (8-2) with 1,423 yards rushing and a school-record 26 TDs. Twice he had five touchdowns in a game — including the winning three-yard score in a 49-43 overtime win over Army — and ran for a season-high 204 yards and two TDs in a 45-42 victory over Brown.
That secured Varga the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League’s offensive player of the year and a first-team all-star nod. He also received second- and third-team All-American honours from The Sports Network and Beyond Sports Network, respectively.
Varga is just the second Yale player to be invited to play the Senior Bowl. Offensive lineman Walter Clemens was the first in 1951.
“I’m really excited about it (playing in the Senior Bowl) but I’m trying not to let my emotions get the best of me,” Varga said. “It’s a good opportunity to put Canadian football on display a bit and show we’ve got talented guys north of the border as well.
“I’m also very proud to represent my university because there hasn’t been a Yale player go since 1951. But I think this also shows hard work doesn’t go unnoticed. It’s by no means an end, it’s just the beginning, but it’s nice to kind of get your foot in the door and see that your hard work has paid off.”
That hard work has obviously paid off. CBS Sports said this of Varga as one 10 players who stood out on Saturday:
“Tyler Varga, RB/FB, Yale: Varga ran for 31 yards and two touchdowns on just four carries and delivered a couple of crushing blows when asked to line up as a fullback. Varga’s toughness, physicality and versatility stood out all week , but it was his surprising agility and balance despite his rocked-up frame that scouts may find most intriguing.”
Highlights of Tyler Varga’s record performance against Army.
Not surprising, Varga is also coveted by the Canadian Football League as well. The league’s scouting bureau ranked Varga fourth among the top-15 prospects for this year’s draft and the first skill-position player.
Varga’s top priority is playing in the NFL but he’d have no qualms plying his trade in the CFL. As a youngster, he even attended Toronto Argonauts home games.
“I’d be more than happy to come back and play in Canada,” he said. “That’s a proud accomplishment as well. It’s a great league to play in.”
With excerpts from Canadian Press.