Logan Young, a master’s student in mechanical engineering and this week’s Tartan athlete of the week, always knew that he was going to be an athlete. His father’s college athletics, as well as growing up watching the Steelers on TV, sparked a lifelong love of football.
“From a young age,” Young said, “I always loved football … My parents let me start playing in seventh grade, and then, you know, I just kind of knew that was always something I wanted to keep on pursuing.”
When choosing colleges, however, Young didn’t let football overshadow other important facets for him, such as the academic environment or physical location: “Being able to stay close to home has been amazing. My parents haven’t missed a game since I’ve been here, which has been really cool. And then on top of that, just the balance of academics and athletics, you truly get the best of both worlds here … it kind of seemed like it was always the perfect choice for me.”
The balancing act between academic and athletics is not an easy one. Between a rigorous course load in his mechanical engineering program and “juggling practices, games, and lifts,” there’s a definite challenge in being able to navigate the time crunches, but Young “wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said. “I love always being busy. It’s really helped me with my work ethic.” He also expressed appreciation for the type of teammates the rigorous Carnegie Mellon environment breeds: “People are both super competitive on the football field, but they’re also super competitive academically. They really just push themselves to be the best version of themselves in the classroom and on the football field, which I feel like you can’t say for most other football teams.”
One of Young’s favorite memories from his time with the Tartans came in his sophomore year. “It was our Coach Lackner’s last game, last home game, his last season after 30 plus seasons being head coach. And we went into that last game against Case Western, big rivalry game, with a chance to become PAC champions. Just, all the alumni coming back, being able to win that last game, win the conference, for Coach Lackner’s last season, it really did mean a lot … That’s a really special moment here.”
In his fifth and final year at Carnegie Mellon, Young has found a different perspective and newfound appreciation for the game he’s loved since childhood: “Coming back for a fifth year, I get to see football from a different lens now, which has been really cool, you know, just really taking it all in, embracing that this gonna be my last time ever playing football. I feel like I’m able to appreciate it a little bit more, and kind of take in all the little moments.”
For anyone on the fence about going to see the Tartans play, Young encourages you to come out and support the team, even if it’s just to get a short reprieve from your work: “The atmosphere, it’s not the same that you’re going to get from a big D1 school, but it’s still a lot of fun. There’s still a lot of players, families, parents, friends, that all go to the games … And you know, I just feel like it’s a fun time … It’s a nice little thing that you can just go to and enjoy just watching and not having to worry about school for a couple hours.”
As a final piece of advice for any high school student athletes who may be looking to continue with football in their college career, Young says: “Just make sure that you’re not choosing the schools solely on football. Do what’s best for you, academically, geographically, just taking in all considerations. And you truly will find your home, and you’ll find your happy place, and you’ll be able to succeed very well if you find that place.”
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