Make Mansfield Yours Homepage

Make Mansfield Yours is a weekly feature on GoMounties.com that highlights a current Mansfield University student-athlete or alumni on why they chose Mansfield and what makes the university special to them. The feature aligns with NCAA Division II's brand of Make It Yours that allows student-athletes to shape their athletic and academic experience to be exactly what they want it to be.

Eddie VanBuren
Class of 2005
Sociology & Anthropology
Football

Why did you choose Mansfield University?
I was from a small blue collar town in upstate New York. When I started to apply to colleges I did not really know what I was doing. Thankfully I played football and was recruited by the Head Football Coach at the time Joe Gilbert who went on to coach in the NFL for many years. Although he was not my coach when I entered football camp in the summer of 2001, he did help me fill out the application in the guidance counselors office.

I was recruited by numerous local schools in upstate NY. My GPA was mediocre and my SAT scores were not competitive. I started to receive rejection letter after rejection letter. After finding out I was not accepted into my top 3 local school choices I became very depressed. Then, like something truly meant to be, I received an acceptance letter from Mansfield University.

I had not even visited MU before I accepted my position with the school. I reconnected with the football staff and attended orientation that spring. Now, I was not only accepted and going to a wonderful school.. I was going to get to play D2 college football. It was amazing.

What makes Mansfield University special to you?
Having grown up in humble beginnings I never thought I would even get to college. My grades weren't perfect and I did not dedicate a ton of my time in high school in getting into a college. Mansfield gave me an opportunity that no one else did. They believed in me and that made me believe in myself.

Going to MU was the best choice I have ever made. The school was made for someone like me. I knew all of my Professors and they knew me. I was not just a number at MU, I was Eddie, and people actually cared about me and my success.

Mansfield gave me a chance to get out of my town and learn about the world. Mansfield believed in me.

How did your experiences at Mansfield University benefit your career/personal life following graduation?
My story may be unique in that during my Psychology 101 class at 8am on a normal September morning changes my life forever. I walked out of my class and watched in horror as smoke streamed from one of the World Trade Center towers. I was confused, scared, and concerned. As I walked from my class back to dorms I had no idea that a second plane had hit the towers. By the time I got back to my room, all of my friends were surrounding the tvs.

I cant explain what surged through my mind during those times, but I can tell you that on that day I decided that I would join the military after graduation to support my country.

I played all 4 years of football and was a three year starter. I closed my career as "one of the most productive Tight Ends in school history".

Following graduation I immediately joined the Army and earned a Commission as an Infantry Officer. I then graduated from OCS, Infantry School, Airborne and U.S. Army Ranger School before becoming a Platoon Leader in the 10th Mountain Division. I served a 14-month tour in Northern Iraq from 2007-2008 earning a Bronze Star Medal.

I finished my military career as an Assistant Professor of Military Science & Leadership for the University of Georgia. Also during this time I received a Masters degree in Public Administration from Villanova University.

I would not have accomplished ANY of these had Mansfield University not believed in me and gave me a chance. Looking back now I can imagine taking a chance on someone like me may not have been a great idea. But it worked. I graduated and moved on to accomplish wonderful things. MU humbles me and is always in my heart. It is a piece in defining who I am.

Favorite memory at Mansfield
Homecoming game against Kutztown in 2003. We were ranked in the NCAA D2 Top 25 and undefeated at 5-0. It was electric. The crowd, the game, Van Norman Field, were perfect. We destroyed them and moved to 6-0 for the first time in decades. I will never forget the feeling of playing in that game and how it felt. We were young.. we believed in each other...and we believed in MU.

Advice you would give to a current Mansfield student-athlete
Learn what good leadership looks like. Learn how to inspire people to achieve more than they believe they are capable of. Don't take a second for granted and enjoy every fleeting moment. Be an athlete of character who builds up others around them. It is so easy to lose your way in college, so many temptations and distractions. Don't forget why you are there... to learn... and compete. Do it with class, respect, and character... always.


If you are a current or former Mansfield University student-athlete and would like to be featured on Make Mansfield Yours, please fill out the submission form