Opponent Spotlight | Curley offers a shoulder to lean on

In many ways, Lafayette senior quarterback Rob Curley is the perfect big brother. He is supportive and protective and always manages to tease his younger siblings in just the right manner.

On the first day of his senior year of high school, he gave his younger sister Lauren an appropriate introduction to the school. As the first guy approached Lauren to engage her in conversation, two of Curley's offensive linemen teammates - Phil Costa and Dennis Landolt, now starters at Maryland and Penn State, respectively - picked the suitor up and threw him up against a locker.

While Rob and his teammates got a big laugh out of this, Lauren was not so appreciative.

"The kid got all scared," Rob said. "And my sister came home crying telling my mom that I beat up the first guy that tried to talk to her."

Now, however, the razzing has subsided, and the two are stars of the Lafayette Athletic Department. Rob is in his second season as the starting signal caller for the Leopards football team, while Lauren started every game for the women's lacrosse team as a freshman.

Though their paths never crossed in football or lacrosse - Lauren did not even pick up the sport until after Rob had graduated high school - they competed recreationally on the basketball and tennis courts.

And while Rob was normally victorious in these matchups thanks in large part to his three-year age advantage, he thinks that the physical nature of the games benefited them both.

"I always beat her up a little bit on the court, but I think that's helped her too," he said. "She's definitely a tough competitor, and I hope I was a part of that growing up."

Rob has had to be tough too, overcoming his fair share of obstacles to get to the position he's in today. After graduating from Holy Cross High School in Delran Township, N.J., he spent a semester at the Kent School in Connecticut. After looking at a number of schools and programs following that experience, he settled on Lafayette. He decided to head to Easton, Pa., - without even visiting the campus.

After a freshman season on the junior varsity squad, Curley lost a preseason battle for the starting job to then-senior Michael DiPaola, but took over the job with four games remaining. He led the Leopards to a 3-1 record his sophomore year, including a comeback victory over rival Lehigh in which he won the game's MVP award.

His junior year began just as successfully, as the team got off to a 6-1 start. But a concussion he suffered in Lafayette's eighth game caused Curley to miss most of the Leopards' remaining four games, and they struggled without him, going 1-3 in that span.

"The concussion was tough," Curley said. "We were riding along pretty good there before I got hurt, and then we ended up losing three out of the last four. … That concussion made me realize how important the game is to me."

Now fully recovered, Curley looks to lead the Leopards into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 2006. But whether or not he gets there, he's sure to have at least one supporter in the stands.

"[Lauren's] been to all my games since forever," he said. "It just wouldn't be right if she wasn't around. I definitely try to make as many of her games as possible too."

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