BOULDER — Offensive linemen spend a lot of time looking down, and usually the view isn’t very appealing. Colorado Buffaloes center Alex Kelley got a much wider perspective in July when he took a three-week course in vegetation ecology while living at CU’s Mountain Research Station, located at 9,500 feet in the mountains near Nederland.
“We would hike to different areas, sometimes to 12,000-plus feet,” said Kelley, a junior who started all 12 games last season. “We would take a bunch of samples of plants using different techniques, learning plants and seeing cool sights.”
It was a welcome respite from the pressures of college football, not to mention a program in rebuilding mode. And, the high-country panoramas were therapeutic for him.
“It was just amazing, getting to go out and see the glory of God and all that he’s done,” Kelley said. “My coach was super generous; he gave me three weeks off from football. It was amazing to go out and slow down and enjoy the beautiful scenery around here. It really helps me refocus to see that, ‘Yeah, I’m out here playing college football, but at the same time I’m just a little speck of God’s creation and God’s timeline.’ “
Kelley was born in Spain when his parents were missionaries there. When he was 7 they moved to San Diego, where he played at Vista High School and became one of California’s top recruits at center.
CU had an edge in recruiting him, though. His father, Karry, lettered three times for the Buffs at offensive tackle from 1976-79.
“It’s my dream school,” Kelley said. “I grew up a CU Buffs fan, watching the games every Saturday with my dad. To have the opportunity to come here is amazing. I have a picture in my room of me, my dad and my two brothers all in football stances in (Folsom) stadium. I was like 8 years old.”
Kelley’s father taught them the CU fight song as soon as they could talk.
“It was a great formative experience that really changed my life, being there in Boulder,” Karry Kelley said from the small town of San Andres in the Philippines, where he is on a mission. “I’m really glad that Alex gets to have a similar opportunity. He is way better than I ever was — bigger, stronger, faster, in every way. It’s really been fun to see him excel.”
Kelley lost 14 pounds during his three-week course in the mountains, not always a good thing for a player at his position.
“It was a good thing for him,” said CU offensive line coach Gary Bernardi. “He has a tendency to be heavier than I’d like him to be. At 305 to 307 pounds, with his strength, he has a chance to be real good. If he’s more than that, he’s taking away from being a quicker athlete.”
Kelley had to improvise to find training options while in the mountains.
“The hiking helped a lot,” Kelley said. “There was about a 2½- to 3-mile loop around the station. I would run that every day, and I would try to beat my time every day.”
Kelley is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. He hopes to make it in the NFL, of course, but he has plans for using his CU education after that. He wants to teach high school biology and be an offensive line coach.
The Buffs, 2-10 last year and winless in the Pac-12, open coach Mike Mac- Intyre’s third season Thursday at Hawaii. The goal this season, the players say, is a bowl game.
“This camp has been insane,” Kelley said. “I’ve never been a part of a camp where it’s that intense and that focused. We never had such a big sense of urgency. We were OK last year, but we’re going to take it up another notch.”
John Meyer: jmeyer@denverpost.com or
