For the next installment of “Where Are They Now?” we head to San Francisco to hear from Rubio Long Snapper Cary Kriegsman who went to high school in Southern California, went to Cal Berkeley and is dominating the adult life….

1.  What is your current occupation?

I work for the investment management firm BlackRock, where I am responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with public and private pensions in the US and Canada Institutional sales team.

2. Where do you live?

San Francisco

3. Married/ Kids?

No

4. What is your fondest memory of your time playing college football? 

On the field, my fondest memory was when I joined the team mid-Fall camp (as I was supposed to grey shirt my first Fall, but the backup snapper went down, so I was called up) and a few weeks later I was running through the LA Coliseum tunnel to play USC in the stadium I used to watch games at with my family.

Off the field, my fondest memories are the times spent in the locker room with my best friends (some of the funniest and most entertaining by far) as well as pushing through the toughest off-season workouts (especially 6ams…).  

5. If you could give ONE bit of advice to the current Rubio Long Snappers, what would it be?

I’ll give you two: 

1) Focus on your mental game just as hard as you do on your physical game. This can be through visualizations, breathing exercises, sports psychology, or film (all of which helped me). People overlook the mental game, which really sets one snapper apart from another.

2)  Your two main priorities should be school and long snapping. A commitment to both will get you to where you want to be, both during and post college. I worked my tail off in high school to get the opportunity to play for Cal. If I didn’t fully commit myself to snapping on a daily basis, I wouldn’t have been able to play college football. If I didn’t fully commit myself to academics on a daily basis, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten accepted into Berkeley. Making a commitment to both allowed me to have the amazing experiences and opportunities I had at Cal.

6. If you could give ONE bit of advice to the current Rubio Long Snapping PARENTS, what would it be? 

Support your son, and don’t be overbearing. My parents helped guide my focus in the right direction, but it was ultimately my own choice on whether I wanted to fully commit myself to snapping or not.

I will forever be indebted to my Mom who was the only mother at our time to warm up their son and catch his snaps at Rubio camps. If that doesn’t scream support, here’s another example: I (accidently) broke her finger during a snapping drill in High School, but she continued to catch my snaps a few weeks after this happened. Thanks again Mom! 

7. When was the last time you snapped a ball and for what reason? 

My coworkers had me snap a football down our office hallway a few months ago. Requests like these come around more than you can imagine.

8.   If you could go back and play football in college again, would you go to the same school or a different one? Why? 

I would 100% go to the same school. Cal Berkeley had everything that I wanted: academics and Pac-12 Football. It’s hard to get the opportunity to be recruited to a Division 1 school, but once you do get this opportunity, you realize it’s even harder to get the opportunity to start and play. If things don’t go your way on the field for various reasons, you still have your academics to lean on. 

Side Note: I cannot echo Rubio’s advice enough: Never Pick A School Based Off Of Coaches. In my time at Cal, I had 2 Head Coaches, 3 Head Strength coaches, 2 Special Teams Coordinators, and 2 Athletic Directors. There was not one single staff member that was there from when I began my college career to when I ended it. 

9. Any regrets during college? Something you wish you had done or maybe hadn’t?

No regrets

10.   What tremendous thing have you been a part of or experienced since you graduated? 

After graduating, I went on a two-month solo European backpacking trip, where I went to 16 different countries and stayed in hostels. It was completely out of my comfort zone, but turned out being the best decision and experience of my life.

Cary in Santorini, Greece.

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