Oct. 6, 2006

Washington, D.C. - By Mike "Mex" Carey

Give Georgetown senior linebacker Chris Paulus one thing. He has a sense of history.

Sure, he is the fourth person from his family to attend and play football on the Hilltop. He knows that his brother Dave was a pretty good quarterback for the Hoyas and he was on campus when his brothers Matt and Danny played as well.

But Chris is always sure to remind his younger brother, Greg, a point guard for the men's basketball team at Duke, that Georgetown has a pretty good history on the gridiron.

"There's so much history with it (the program) and I joke around with Greg about it all the time," Chris said as he wrapped up his school work on Monday night. "I remind him that we went to the Orange Bowl [in 1941]. There's a lot of history.

"I'm not foolish to think that we could reach that level again, but it's nice to be part of the transition to a competitive team at the Division I-AA level."

History is also what led the fourth-oldest of seven Paulus children to Georgetown. Dave and Denise, the parents of the seven kids, are natives of the Cleveland area, where their father played Division III basketball at John Carroll.

The athleticism in the family runs deep, of course, and the run to the Hilltop started with David, 26, who was a standout at quarterback from 1999-2001.

Matt, 24, and Danny, 23, soon followed. Matt was a linebacker for the Hoyas for two years before an injury ended his career, and Danny played wide receiver from 2000-03, including two years with their younger brother.

But if you asked Chris when he was in high school if he figured he'd be playing football at Georgetown, the answer probably would have been no.

Chris, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., was a soccer player until his sophomore year in high school. He was a standout on the Christian Brothers Academy team, the school where all of his brothers were exceptional in football and basketball.

"I was playing travel soccer year round," Chris explained. "I did that for a long time, but around my sophomore year, it wasn't as satisfying."

His family, however, was pressing him to keep with soccer. "Everyone was telling me not to do it," Chris said. "They weren't sure how it would pan out. I wasn't worried about not succeeding, though. I was ready to try something new. I made the decision to try it and I loved it."

And as soon as he tried it, he started to succeed.

"I didn't question myself or my physical ability," said the now 6-2, 220-pound linebacker. "I didn't know what was going to happen, but it just happened a lot faster than I expected."

Chris started getting notice from colleges as well, but knowing his history, he had made up his mind. While he had the opportunity to play in the Ivy League, Chris knew that his heart was leading him to the nation's capital.

His final two choices were Georgetown and Harvard, and his family recommended the latter so he could forge his own identity, but Chris had seen life on the Hilltop through his brothers and that led him to Georgetown.

"It ended up coming down to those two," he said, "but I saw the great friends that they had while they were here and how much fun Georgetown was and I wanted to be part of it."

As soon as he arrived on campus, he began making an impact. Paulus played in five games as a freshman in 2003, mainly appearing on special teams, and getting the opportunity to play with Danny, who was wrapping up his career on the offensive side.

"That really helped me out," Chris said of playing with his brother. "Obviously, I knew a lot about the school beforehand, but having Danny out on the field really put things at ease for me."

Chris began to emerge as a standout on the defensive side during his sophomore year. He played in every game and was second on the team with 77 tackles, ranking 12th in the Patriot League in tackles per game.

Last year, he started every game and ranked ninth on the team with 40 tackles, while registered 3.5 tackles for loss, a half sack and three pass deflections.

"I've been able to play and get involved the last three years," Chris said. "I've had a lot of experience and I've developed. The coaches I've had - from Coach (Dave) Holm to Aaron Brady and now to Coach (Luke) Thompson - have each been able to make me a better player."

He has shown that this year, starting every game at an inside linebacker spot, while leading the team with 50 total tackles. His 50 stops are the most in the Patriot League, while his 10.0 tackles per game rank second in the league.

Chris has also shown the competitive fire that is evident in each member of his family. He doesn't care so much about his own statistics as he does about winning games, which is why he hasn't really been pleased this season.

The 2006 Georgetown squad is under the direction of a new head coach, Kevin Kelly, and the young Hoyas - there are 34 freshmen on the roster and only eight seniors on the depth chart - have gotten off to a slow start, posting a 1-4 overall record and an 0-2 mark in the Patriot League.

"I don't recognize it," Chris said of his outstanding play. "After a loss, I take things pretty hard. I don't focus on my numbers or anything like that. I look at what more I could have done or what I could have done differently on certain plays."

Sure, he's aware of the numbers he's put up, but more than anything else, Chris wants to help turn Georgetown football around.

"I think it's been a longer transition than we had hoped (with the move to the Patriot League)," Chris said. "But what we have to remember is that 15 years ago, we were a club team.

"This program was once a powerhouse and I'm not saying we'll get back to that level, but we've made strides and we're competing a lot better. Georgetown football has a lot to offer and I really think this is the start of something great."

A finance and accounting major, Chris will start looking at job opportunities as the season winds down. For now, he is concentrating on making his last year at Georgetown one that everyone will remember.

"I'm at the point where I'm ready to continue playing as hard as I can for the next few games, whether that's the end or not," Chris said. "I know that I'm not going to play professionally and I'm looking forward to starting a new life with work, but I want my career here to end on a positive."

It may not be with the Rose Bowl, but he hopes it will be something that people will remember.