Oct. 7, 2002

By Bob Houchin
MU Athletic Media Relations

Brian Heits is the epitome of a scholar-athlete.

In a day and age when only 60 percent of college athletes graduate (although Mizzou leads the Big 12 Conference with a 72-percent total), the senior offensive lineman is getting full use of his athletic scholarship.

While you may never hear Heits' name mentioned on NFL Sundays, one day you may pick up a newspaper and read about a new medical product he helped develop to try and improve the quality of some individual's life.

Because when Heits is not spending hours upon hours sweating it out on the practice field, sitting in team meetings, lifting in the weight room, or memorizing his play book, this biological engineering major hones his craft in the lab or at the library studying.

"Being a student athlete has been really tough," Heits said. "I've been juggling classes and talking to my teachers a lot because many of the classes that I need to take in order to graduate build upon one another. So, I can't afford to take certain classes whenever I want. Many times I just have to talk to the teachers and schedule something with them."

Unlike many people, Heits has worked hard to get to this point of his scholastic career. The trek has not always been easy, but after keeping up with assignments and many hours of studying, he has accumulated an impressive GPA of 3.28 in an extremely challenging field.

"I want to make sure I keep my grades up. I've got one more year, and I want to make sure I finish strong. I've been doing a lot of outside class work. It's really been a lot of busy work. I'm constantly making sure everything goes smoothly," Heits said.

It's his love for biology and engineering that has motivated this young man to continue to invest the extra hours to be successful.

"I really enjoy the biological-material field. That includes working with implants, hip replacements, and things of that matter. Actually, I'm taking a class right now that entails dealing with designing those types of things. We have also looked at creating pace makers. I suppose you could say that I am interested in creating the bionic man," Heits said jokingly.

"I've always been the type of guy who always like to mess and tinker with things. I've always enjoyed designing things. In class, when we learn about all these types of new technology, I'm always thinking about how I can make them better. So, engineering provided the perfect outlet for that."

Much of Heits' success off the field can be credited to his work and experiences on the field.

"I've taken a lot from the field to my life outside of football," Heits said. "I've learned to be disciplined. We work hard on the field to be able to reach our goals, and I've taken that motivation off the field as well. Just as I study my plays, I've learned to really study for my classes. Because just in real life, it's that extra bit of studying that you have to do that makes you successful."

While the polite, soft-spoken native of Tarkio, Mo., is not the most physically gifted athletes on the Tigers' squad this year, the 6-foot-1, 280-pound Heits will never be accused of not giving his best effort when on the field.

"It's tough mainly playing only on the practice squad. I've been the kind of guy who tries as hard as possible at everything I do. Even if I don't succeed, I can always say I tried my hardest, and really, that's the main thing. I'd like to think I always gave my best," Heits said.

Even though he may not start, Heits realizes the importance of this role with the team. At the same time, he appreciates and enjoys the time he has spent on the practice field with his teammates and friends.

"I've loved my time here. I've really got to know a lot of people. I have got to build a lot of relationships and meet a lot of friends. Going out there and knowing everyone your going against is a lot of fun. I just enjoy going out there with them and having a good time. It's just like hanging out with your friends," Heits said.

Football has not always been fun for Heits. In his first year at MU, Heits found it difficult to relax in his new surroundings. Constantly battling his nervousness, it was a challenge by a coach that inspired him to stick with football.

"When I first got here, we had a strength coach who always said he was going to make me quit, and I hated hearing that every day," Heits said. "Every time we went out for summer conditioning, he really kept me motivated to stay on the team and keep working harder and harder. Once I made it through that first year, I felt like there was no way I could quit."

The only problem that faces Heits now is making sure he is able to keep up with both his studies and football as everything continues to grow more difficult. No matter how much time and effort he must expend to balance the two, it is worth it.

"Now that I have been here longer, football has become more of a fun thing. I have enjoyed every second of just going out and smashing heads," Heits said.

"I love football, and I will miss it dearly when I leave," Heits said. "It's hard to describe that feeling without it, but at the same time, I've met a lot of people. I really like to say that I've had the pleasure of meeting a lot different kind of people from different backgrounds and areas."

Hopefully, before another season of Mizzou football passes, Heits will be able to add a couple other great memories while wearing the black and gold.