“Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, your new pledge name is….” “Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell, it is tim.”
That’s right both the Pack 1st and 3rd string signal callers have joined a fraternity, the same exact one actually. As of January 5th, 2012 6pm CT, both men became members of Tau Kappa Epsilon.
They joined the Sigma-Xi chapter at St. Norbert College. More than 60 TKE members gathered at Old St. Josephs Church on the college campus, including members and alumni from all over the Midwest, as well as representatives from Tau Kappa Epsilon’s national organization; in welcoming the two new fraters at the formal ceremony. Rodgers and Harrell became the 245th and 246th members of this chapter of TKE.
You may be wondering how all this came about. Apparently, Rodgers really wanted to join the University of California chapter of TKE back during his college football days but Coach Jeff Tedford wouldn’t let him.
The chapter was starting up again at Cal and in order for him to join it would have required a lot more time commitment than usual, because he would he would have been a part of the charter class.
And that would have been hard to balance given all that’s required of a starting Pac-12 quarterback. The opportunity arose when a TKE in the Packer organization talked to Rodgers about joining. The superstar quarterback and Tau Kappa Epsilon also share the same charity interest: St. Jude Children’s hospital.
From TKE news:
Aside from all of the accolades, these Fraters are men of exceptional character, leadership and purpose. Between their volunteer and philanthropic endeavors with the NFL, Rodgers also works with the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Harrell is involved in his hometown of Lubbock, Texas with the Covenant Children’s Hospital and St. Jude’s.
So clearly, public service will be a big part of Rodgers and Harrell’s involvement with the fraternity. Community service is something many houses excel in and take very seriously, and that fact often goes overlooked.
For more information on St. Norbert College’s TKE chapter.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
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