The Gabelli School of Business (GSB) has been a top-rated business program for many years now. The Executive MBA program at Gabelli’s Lincoln Center campus has recently attracted three former NFL players. Francis Petit, who has been the director of Fordham’s Executive MBA program for the past 22 years, provided some insight on how participation in the program works.
Petit explained that none of the retired players reside in New York. The program operates on a one weekend per month schedule, allowing them to fly in for only the days that their classes meet. The players fly in on Thursday night, take classes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then return home Sunday night. Two of the retired players, Bryon Chamberlain and Robert Griffith, live in California. The third, John Skelton, resides in Arizona.
Skelton attended Fordham University for his undergraduate education and played for the Fordham Rams before being drafted to the NFL. According to his Fordham Athletics profile, Skelton majored in business administration. He served as a team captain for the Rams football team for two years and was listed as a top 12 senior quarterback prospect by NFL.com in 2009. Skelton had been the starting quarterback since halfway through his first-year season and never missed out on starting for the rest of his college career.
Skelton had impressive stats throughout the entirety of his time as a Ram, but his senior year was especially memorable, with the quarterback setting multiple school records, including completions and passing yards. Following his time at Fordham, he had a five-year NFL career. During this time, he played for the Montreal Alouettes, Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals.
Now, 14 years after his initial graduation from the university, Skelton is a Fordham student again alongside two of his fellow NFL player peers. This time, he is experiencing not only being a graduate student but also attending the opposite campus. Petit explained the three of them are hardworking and great additions to the program: “They are rolling up their sleeves and immersing themselves in the program experience. Their hard work is contagious and makes everyone better.”
When asked, Petit stated that he didn’t notice much of a difference between Skelton, a GSB alum, and his peers from other undergraduate backgrounds. He commented that “John Skelton really has a great experience at Fordham both athletically and academically,” which caused him to come in with an existing fondness of and connection to the university. However, Chamberlain and Griffith have also enjoyed spending time at Fordham and experiencing the “spirit of our great institution.”
Returning to education after having a career as a professional athlete can have unique implications for some people. It is not uncommon that other students may recognize the athletes and therefore focus on discussing their careers rather than the studies at hand. Petit explained that this isn’t the case in the Executive MBA program: “The best part about it is no one talks about or asks them about the Super Bowls, the touchdowns and the interceptions. It is all about the here and now regarding the assignments, papers, presentation and group projects.”
Though Skelton is the only one to have already completed a degree at Fordham, all three former players have been brought into the Ramily through their commitment to their Fordham education. The university community will support them throughout their studies and their following ambitions.
