Vandervelde To Be Featured on ESPN College GameDay

Oct. 14, 2010

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Julian Vandervelde isn’t your stereotypical offensive lineman. He looks the part, but Vandervelde has another side that the entire college football world is about to see.

ESPN College GameDay was on campus last week during Iowa’s bye week to film Vandervelde for a piece that will air this Saturday on the hit ESPN show. The “Renaissance Man,” according to ESPN, was filmed singing two opera pieces along with a surprise performance for Hawkeye fans across the country.

Vandervelde said his singing can help unwind during long days of football and class.

“It’s always exciting when you can get out and do something different,” Vandervelde said. “The stress release side of singing is the karaoke stuff. Not caring what you sound like with a bunch of buddies.”

The Davenport, Iowa, native is excited to showcase his non-football talents to a national audience. But he isn’t just excited to hear himself on television; he wants people to know that football players usually have another side.

“I think something like this (the ESPN College GameDay feature) is important for people to see,” Vandervelde said. “People need to see that as college football players, we’re not just big, dumb jocks that get passed along through school. We are guys that have multiple interests and multiple talents. I kind of take it as a responsibility to promote college athletes. There are other guys out there, like Christian Ballard and his art. Guys take a road a little bit different than the ordinary.”

The Hawkeye football team was introduced to Vandervelde’s golden pipes during a pep rally at the 2006 Alamo Bowl. During the pep rally, members of both the Iowa and Texas football teams were asked to participate in a talent show. Vandervelde was a freshman that year and blew everyone away with a number from the Phantom of the Opera.

“I was amazingly nervous for that,” Vandervelde said. “The whole thing went by so fast. I got up on stage in front of both teams (Texas and Iowa) and sang. They all understood and I got a standing ovation. That was pretty exhilarating.”

ESPN College GameDay airs Saturday from 8-9 a.m. (CT) on ESPNU and from 9-11 a.m. (CT) on ESPN. Vandervelde’s feature is scheduled to air at approximately 9:30 a.m., but is subject to change.