St. Bonaventure Manages to Make Northwestern Connection

None of the senior players on St. Bonaventure High’s Southern Section Division X championship football team have been scooped up by Division I college programs, but Steve Brucker, the team manager, has committed to Northwestern.

The Northwestern equipment staff.

Brucker, a jack-of-all-trades for the Seraphs the past two seasons, last month made a three-day, two-night visit to Northwestern along with St. Bonaventure Coach Jon Mack.

Mack had put Brucker in touch with Bill Jarvis, Northwestern’s equipment manager, after meeting him last year while on a recruiting visit with former Seraph player Sam Benner.

Brucker’s parents paid for Mack to accompany their son, who was treated royally.

“I felt like I was a [football] recruit because everyone made sure I was taken care of, all the time,” Brucker said.

Brucker, who carries a 3.4 grade-point average and is St. Bonaventure’s student body president, was given a tour of campus and the football facilities.

Jarvis, who oversees 12 student football managers each season, said he relishes the prospect of having an experienced student manager for four seasons. He said he notified the admissions office that Brucker would be an asset to Northwestern’s program.

Brucker expects to be accepted to Northwestern in April. And he’s anticipating the Wildcat practices in August.

“I’m going to get a schedule soon on when to report,” he said. “I can’t wait.”