Athlete of the Week: Jeff MacArthur

Senior Jeff MacArthur, formerly known as “Big Ritz,” has established an impressive résumé of athletic accomplishments at Phillips Exeter Academy. Not only did MacArthur win the Class A heavyweight wrestling championship last year, get selected for All New England while captaining Big Red’s football team and start for the varsity football team as a freshman, he was also an absolute monster as a junior varsity lacrosse captain. But the list doesn’t end there. MacArthur largely contributed to Big Red’s undefeated regular season in 2012, along with wrestling’s New England championship last year, and placed 1st in the 2015 Tom Hassan pancake eating competition.Football has always been a big presence in MacArthur’s life. His first words were “get the ball” while his family watched a Patriots’ game. Being a big kid his entire life, MacArthur found comfort in playing football as it was an activity he loved and fit into well. Growing up, Vince Wilfork was always an idol for MacArthur because “no one rocked being a big dude better than Vince.”In the third grade, MacArthur was finally able to make his football debut. However, his love for the game in Pop Warner was short lived when he was characterized as a safety hazard. “It was the first week of practice and I was considerably bigger than everyone else on the field at the time. I hit a kid so hard his helmet flew off and was concussed. The coaches said that if I wanted to keep playing I would have to practice with the eighth graders, which wasn’t going to happen. I mean, I was in third grade.” MacArthur stated.Not long after, MacArthur applied to the Fay School and started for their varsity team in fifth grade, playing among athletes in high school (9th grade). Continuing on the prep school path to Exeter, MacArthur went on to play in the NEPSAC championships his prep year.Wrestler and lower Kevin Lyskawa recollected a memorable moment saying, “After two really tough losses this past weekend, MacArthur noticed how pissed I was on the bench. When he came over to talk he gave some advice that really struck home for me. He put his arm around me and said, ‘Hey man, don’t worry about it, it’s your first week back. Don’t let one lousy day define who you are as an athlete.’”Upper AJ Pedro also said, “MacArthur brings a really important energy to practice everyday. When we run laps MacArthur will be clapping and slapping people on the backs to get them fired up.”  MacArthur is well known among the wrestling team for his humorous pump up speeches before games. “MacArthur really helps bring the team together when we share a lot of laughs. But he also knows when to get serious. MacArthur has always been hardworking and disciplined in season and is a major role model to the underclassmen,” Lyskawa said.Looking back on the teams he has been a part of, MacArthur has really focused on cherishing these last few seasons as a part of Big Red. “When I think about my mentality as a freshman, I realize that my perspective of the game has completely changed. I’ve really tried to make the most out of these last two seasons while competing at Exeter. As a freshman all I thought about was how we would get the next win. Now, along with the team’s success, it’s really been about appreciating every practice and spending time with my teammates for me.”MacArthur was the only lineman to ever start as a freshman for the 22 years that head coach Bill Glennon served the varsity football team. Coach Glennon commented, “My favorite story of MacArthur was in the Championship Game against Salisbury School when he was matched up against a 6’4”, 300 pound lineman that was headed to the University of Virginia on a football scholarship and played unintimidated and great. Blessed with speed and quickness, as well as size, MacArthur had the footwork of a running back and the ability to make him a terrific lineman.”As a lineman MacArthur has never been in a truly flashy position throughout his football career. Similarly, MacArthur believes that wrestling is somewhat of an under-recognized sport at the school, even though they placed 10th at nationals last season. Football and wrestling alike have certainly developed a humble persona for MacArthur. Considering the amount of athletic accolades he has received, it is a rare sight to find him bragging about his many accomplishments.The rigorous grind that wrestlers receive every day has also helped develop MacArthur and his discipline. Having to cut weight and eat right the entire season, it takes a slightly insane mindset to remain so dedicated to a sport. “Cutting weight doesn’t get any easier. Having to hang with the intensity of wrestling for four years, it really has affected my maturity on and off the mat.”Looking to the future, MacArthur has plans on playing Division III football, but has not committed to any school yet. He stated, “For most of my high school experience I had a D1 or bust mindset because I felt like I needed to prove to people that I was good enough.”“Although several division one coaches have contacted me, I’ve been told that it ruined the game for a lot of my friends and decided not to take that route,” he continued. “I love the game and taking a step back realized that I would hate to see myself lose that passion for football.”Having played both ways at Exeter, MacArthur is excited to focus on just one position in college and hone in on skills to become the most complete player possible.“Always a hard worker, the older boys on the team saw that he was talented and mentored him along,” Glennon said. “MacArthur is a wonderful young man and a leader not only on the football field but the wrestling mat and dorm.”