As a receiver on the football team, senior David Goodman has won a lot of all-conference awards and nominations for his skills — including a recent placement on d3football.com’s team. 

Oh, and since coming to Eau Claire, he was a semifinalist for a national football award. 

In addition to being a neat dude on the Astroturf at Carson Park, his stellar work off the field has earned him a new award: Spectator’s AthElite of the Week!

Emily Gresbrink: How long have you been playing football?

David Goodman: Besides UW-Eau Claire, I have been playing since the fourth grade.

EG: What positions did you play before UW-Eau Claire, like in high school and what not?

DG: When you are younger, they throw you into different positions before you grow into yourself later. In high school, I played quarterback and receiver, and I have been a receiver ever since I came to Eau Claire.

EG: What is your favorite part of playing football?

DG: Definitely teamwork and competitiveness — it is something you cannot always find out in the real world once school is over. I like the camaraderie with teammates, and when the game gets
competitive I like that a lot.

EG: So, tell me … what do you think makes an AthElite?

DG: An AthElite?

EG: Yes. An Elite Athlete!

DG: Oh! I think an AthElite is a person who can manage their studies and their athletics both together because D3 you are not getting any money to play here, so it is for the love of the game. Education is definitely the most important thing here.

EG: Do you think you fit that description?

DG: Yes, I do.

EG: Well hey — at least you are not shy about it! Good for you.

DG: Yeah (laughs)!

EG: Last question: Are you going to be dressing up for Halloween this year?

DG: No, we have a game in Platteville this weekend, so we will have to pass on it this year.

EG: That’s a bummer! At least you’ll be doing something you like … Couldn’t you guys dress up as a team or something?

DG: Me and seven others dressed up as the Sandlot characters last year, which was a big hit. So we want to one-up our costumes from last year, but we can’t.

EG: What?! That’s awesome!

DG: Yeah (laughs), but we gotta pass on it
this year.