Andrew Hawkins is goals beyond goals.
The NFL wide receiver, who played six seasons with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, just walked the stage to receive a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies in sport’s management.
As reported by the New York Daily News, every Monday this spring Hawkins would leave his wife and three young children and hop on a flight from Los Angeles to New York at 6 a.m. He would go to Columbia, load up on a week’s worth of classes and then turn around and get on the 11 p.m. flight back to L.A. for his week of training, parenting and homework.
“I want to be a general manager,” Hawkins told the publication on Monday.
“I didn’t necessarily go to Columbia to be a general manager — I think it helps that, and I think it helps in the attractiveness of me going to the front office, but I think I could have done that without going to Columbia — if anything I came here to learn the other sides of the business.”
The 31-year-old who says this probably won’t be his last degree, insists he did this to secure a solid future for his wife and kids.
“I’m not just a fan. This feeds my kids,” Hawkins said of his football career so far. “It put me through college. It put my four brothers through college. It’s changed the trajectory of my family’s life and economic situation.”
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, he graduated with a 4.0.