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By Bill Koch
GoBEARCATS.com
CINCINNATI - When Doug Rosfeld walks into the Lindner Center, which didn't exist when he played at the University of Cincinnati from 1997 to 2000, he sees "a trophy case that rises to the sky, a staircase that climbs into the rafters."
To Rosfeld, they're symbols for a promising future. "There's no ceiling on how big and successful they can really be," he said. "We're just getting ready for a really big jump."
The 35-year-old Rosfeld, a Moeller High School graduate, was a first-team all-Conference USA center in 1999 and 2000 playing for Rick Minter. He started his last 34 games at UC and was a two-time winner of the school's John Pease Outstanding Lineman Award. He was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Browns after the 2001 NFL draft and lasted until September before getting cut.
He couldn't have known when he graduated from UC in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in education (he would go on to earn a degree in history in 2002 and a master's degree in secondary education in 2005) what the program would become - a consistent winner with annual bowl appearances that came within a whisker of playing for the national championship after an undefeated 2009 season.
And he had no inkling that he would return someday as the director of player development for the football program. But since he started his new job on March 1, it seems like a perfect fit.
Before taking the job at UC, Rosfeld was a social studies teacher at Moeller, where he also coached the rugby team and was an assistant football coach. He was happy working at his high school alma mater, but when his college alma mater approached him he couldn't say no.
"What I really had been coming back to, what I was most passionate about, was football and player development," Rosfeld said.
He talked it over with his wife, Abbie, and "we really felt this was in line with what my skill set was and what my abilities were. Having the chance to come back and work for the university, let alone the football program, has been my dream."
Rosfeld will work directly with the football players, "providing mentoring and assuring that they are adhering to the program goals and policies regarding intellectual, social, leadership, physical and skill development. He will also help manage many of the program's off-the-field initiatives, including the Bearcats' community service efforts."
That's how Rosfeld's job is described in the news release announcing his hiring. Here's how he sees it:
"What I envision this program to be is helping these guys move forward beyond graduation, beyond just eligibility and minimum standards. I want to see their personal development. I want to see them be great representatives of the University of Cincinnati. A guy that plays football at the University of Cincinnati, I would like to see him be a great husband, a great father, a captain of industry."
There was no such thing as a director of player development when Rosfeld played, but he's the first to acknowledge that playing Division I football today - especially at the highest level - is more demanding than it was in his day.
"The one thing that is striking from my month on the job is how much is expected of my guys," Rosfeld said. "The amount of work, time, and energy that is associated in today's Division I football experience is fundamentally different than when I played in 2000.
"That's compounded by the stress of social media, the stress of constant exposure and high-powered football now at this university. They're constantly under a microcosm. It's a very potent burden that they may have to handle. My job is to help them navigate those complications and utilize those advantages."
Perhaps the most telling symbol of the transformation of the UC football program is the $86-million Nippert Stadium renovation that's on track to be completed in time for the Bearcats' season opener on Sept 5 against Alabama A&M. But the program is really about the players and that's where Rosfeld comes in. He wants the current players to have the same great experience - if not an even better one - than he had when he played at UC.
"The biggest thing for me is that I never stopped being a Bearcat and no one ever stopped treating me like a Bearcat," Rosfeld said. "I speak for a lot of guys. They really have a passionate commitment their university in a way that other people might have for their high school These guys love the University of Cincinnati football team. They stay close to it."
Bill Koch covered UC Athletics for 27 years - 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer - before joining the staff of GoBEARCATS.com in January, 2015 as featured columnist. Follow him on Twitter @bkoch.