He Is a Trojan at Heart but Bound for Harvard

Thomas Hull of Santa Margarita had better be careful what he wishes for when he goes off to Harvard next fall to punt for the Crimson football team.

“I want to experience seasons and snow,” he said. “I think it’s kind of cool having a big storm if you’re dressed right.”

For someone who has lived in sunny Orange County all his life, Hull seems a little too eager to get stuck in his first blizzard. Then again, he comes from a family that has no fears when it comes to seeking challenges.

Hull’s father, Mike, was a first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears in 1968. He was a fullback who played on two Rose Bowl teams at USC and blocked for Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson and Gale Sayers. He played in Super Bowl VII for the Washington Redskins before becoming a lawyer.

Hull’s mother, Connie, ranked No. 1 in her law school class at Creighton, was a clerk at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and once worked for a D.C. law firm that represented the NFL.

Hull’s grandfather, Warren, was a starting tackle at USC from 1932 to ’35.

Hull’s sister, Michelle, was a standout soccer player at Santa Margarita and is a sophomore at Harvard.

That’s right, the Hulls will soon have two children attending Harvard.

“I’m staggered by it,” Mike said. “They got their mom’s brains and their dad’s legs.”

The family still bleeds Cardinal and Gold even though USC was the runner-up college choice for each Hull sibling.

“I’ll still be a Trojan and Laker fan,” Thomas said.

From the day his son was born, Mike dreamed of him being good enough to become a Trojan.

Fortunately, this father refused to impose his own vision and expectations on his 6-foot-2, 195-pound son.

“I think he’s capable of playing for USC and a Division I team, but I had to let him choose,” Mike said.

Said Thomas: “If I asked him, ‘Would USC be a great school?’ He’d say, ‘Yes.’ But my whole life, he never pushed me. It was my choice, what matched my abilities.”

Hall averaged 37.4 yards a punt for Santa Margarita and also played tight end and free safety. He has a 4.57 grade-point average and scored 2,190 on the SAT.

He never thought of attending Harvard until his sister became interested in the school.

“I always saw Harvard as some elite institution,” he said. “It was kind of unreachable. It was some school for presidents. When my sister got recruited for soccer, it kind of hit me, “Maybe I should look into it.’ ”

Credit Hull’s parents for sending the message from the beginning that being a good athlete alone is not enough. One of the family rules was turning off the television during school week.

“It’s not easy,” Mike said of his parental role. “It takes persistence, getting after them every day -- ‘You’re not going anywhere until you get your homework done.’ They resisted at first, then bought into it that they wanted to be more than just an athlete.”

And so brother and sister will be reunited on the East Coast. Mom has already suggested the family move to Boston, but the kids want none of it.

“I love California as a place to live,” Thomas said.

Mike said he will trust his daughter to show her little brother around Harvard, parties and all.

“She can direct him to the appropriate events, and we trust her good judgment that it won’t be to his detriment,” he said.

Thomas Hull understands the opportunity to attend Harvard can’t be wasted. There are some 23,000 applications for 1,600 spots.

“I feel I have an obligation to make a difference, whether it be in medicine or government,” he said.

As for the proud father, Mike said, “We’re going to stand at the nearest freeway off-ramp, with a sign, ‘Two kids in the Ivy League. Please contribute.’ ”