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| Jimmy is a two-year starter for the Golden Tornadoes |
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| Jimmy posted a team-high 99 tackles and 12.0 tackles for loss in 2015 |
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Jimmy Quinlan
Junior, Geneva College
Football
Chemical engineering major
Brookfield, Ohio / Brookfield
Jimmy is a two-time All-PAC selection and earned All-PAC First Team honors following the 2015 season. He finished fourth among PAC counterparts in total tackles (99) and tied for ninth in tackles for loss (12.0) last season.
Personally, I cannot give just one reason when someone asks the question, "Why Division III?" There is a multitude of reasons why I have chosen to attend a NCAA Division III school, but one specific reason would have to be the atmosphere. I come from a small town called Brookfield, Ohio. Have you heard of it? No, probably not, and not many people have. However, it is the place I call home. I love the feel of the small-town atmosphere. I loved growing up knowing everyone and their families, and everyone and their families knowing me and mine. To this day I can walk around Brookfield and get asked questions everywhere I go. "How is college? How is the family? Are you still playing football?" These are questions I can guarantee will be asked when I come home. At Geneva College, and many other Division III schools, the campuses are relatively small and I relate to and feel comfortable with that. I know a vast majority of students on campus and I enjoy being able to walk around and see familiar faces. It reminds me of home and allows me to be comfortable with where I am at.
Academics was another big part of my decision to choose a Division III school. One of the reasons I chose Geneva was for its engineering program. My parents are both chemical engineers, and oddly enough, work at the same company together side-by-side. Not many households are accustomed to their parents working together, but to me, it was nothing out of the ordinary. A lot of nights my father would come home stressed and a tad bit irritable, and although I knew what his answer would be, I asked the same question time after time, "How was your day at work?", and the exact response every time was, "Sucked." Now, after hearing that and seeing my mom and dad struggle with different things occurring at work night after night, makes you wonder why I chose to become a chemical engineer. I have always been interested in breaking down different chemicals and the math behind it, so I thought Geneva was the way to go. Along with having the program I was forever interested in, Geneva has very small classroom sizes, which allows for more one-on-one attention. This attention has really helped me get through some tough classes while maintaining good grades.
Finally, athletics was a final factor the led to the decision of attending a Division III school. I wanted the chance to play football at the next level, as well as, continue my education. I know everyone's dream as a small child is to be in the NFL when they get older, but I realized through high school I probably would not make it that far. In my opinion, the student-athlete balance is best observed at Division III schools because academics come first and athletics second. This has been a great reason to choose a Division III school: because I am having fun playing the sport I love and getting a great education as I work towards the future. Geneva also gave me a great opportunity to make an impact early in my football career. I played some my freshman year and started as a sophomore and junior at linebacker. Attending a Division III school has allowed me to get a great education, as well as, excel in the sport I love-while having a lot of fun doing both.