Andrew Harte: Banking on the East Coast
Nov 22 | Football
Having graduated from Minnesota this past May, Andrew Harte was looking for a place to compete for his fifth and final year of collegiate eligibility. He was immediately drawn to Rutgers for a number of reasons, including the chance to reunite with his former coach.
"This season has been exciting," Harte said after a recent practice. "It was easy for me to make the decision between a couple other schools I was looking at with coach (Jerry) Kill here. If he's going to buy into something, there's no reason I can't. That really helped. I view him almost like a second father, where I can trust him and go to him with anything."
Kill, who was the head coach at Minnesota from 2011-15, went out of his way to recommend Harte to the rest of the Rutgers coaching staff. It paid off as the graduate transfer won the starting place-kicker job and has taken advantage of the opportunities presented by Rutgers and its proximity to New York City. He is currently working on a master's degree in the financial analysis program and hopes to end up on Wall Street in the future.
The transition to New Jersey was a quick one for the native of Downers Grove, Illinois.
"I'm from just outside Chicago, and I was also in a city outside Minneapolis, but I've always wanted to work in Manhattan and be out on the east coast. I think it was a lot easier for me to come out here being a 22-year-old young man, rather than a 17-18-year-old kid. It's been good, and I've enjoyed the food and the people. Sometimes people think there's a stigma about Jersey, but Jersey people are as nice as anyone. People say people in Minnesota are nice, but it's really Jersey that's nice. So it's been great and really easy."
On the field, Harte has taken every kick so far this season, going 7-for-10 on field goals and 26-for-26 on PAT attempts. He recently hit two field goals in the cold conditions at Penn State after drilling a career-long 50-yard kick in the win over Maryland, the longest by a Scarlet Knight since 2012. However, Harte did everything right with that attempt except for the celebration.
"It's funny, I had 11 of my really good buddies from Minnesota come out to watch that game and they were telling me all the celebrations I should do if I hit a big field goal, and of course I wimped out," Harte joked.
Kickers have the spotlight on them when taking the field, but Harte tries to embrace the situation. He is also quick to credit his unit.
"I've done it so many times, and I try to put myself in those situations where everything goes blank and the next thing you know the play's over," Harte explained. "You black out for a second out there. But you go out there and I tell myself, keep my eyes back, keep my shoulders back. Or swing up, something like that. Stay tall.
"But honestly it's so easy to go out there and try to do my job when Billy (Taylor) has been an unbelievably good snapper. And I'm shocked Mike (Cintron) is not Mortell Holder of the Year finalist right now, because he's as good as they come at holding. As good as anyone I've ever had hold for me. But when you have Billy throwing it to Mike to get it set for me, it's not fun to be those guards blocking and taking tackles for me. But they do it, and it is fun to celebrate out there after a big kick."
Harte grew up playing football, but also played soccer. He recorded the nation's second-longest streak ever of made PATs with 112 in a row at Montini Catholic High School, being part of four state championships teams. In 2012, Harte was an all-state, all-area, all-county, all-city and All-Suburban Christian Conference selection after making 54 PATs and 13-of-18 field goals with a long of 54 yards.
"From fifth grade until sophomore year of high school I played a high level of soccer, kind of the highest level you can play, while playing football," Harte said. "Fifth through eighth grade I played running back and safety too. When I got to high school I played varsity soccer as a freshman and sophomore, while playing on the freshman team, sophomore team, or JV or varsity depending on the year. Freshman to sophomore year I was on three teams at once, which was kind of cool but obviously soccer is what groomed me into being a kicker."
Harte attended the University of Minnesota and earned his degree, but was up for a new challenge to end his collegiate career. He has enjoyed the journey with an eye on the future. He had a successful internship with Harris Associates in Chicago and still keeps in touch, as two of the portfolio managers attended a Rutgers game earlier this season. That's a position Harte is working towards.
"Ultimately I think I would like to be a portfolio manager," he said. "But I also think I would be really good at equity sales and being in a sales role for a mutual fund. Or some firm where I'm helping to bring money in. Sales in a financial big-bank type thing."
In the meantime, Harte looks to keep his focus on graduate school and putting the ball through the uprights.
"As a team, I would love for us to go out there and do our best and finish this season strong," Harte said. "As an individual and as my unit, I think just try to focus on one kick at a time and go out there and do our job. I can't really control what other people can do, or what other people around me are doing. Whether it's the other team or the environment. But I can go out there and put my best foot forward, literally. Just go out there and do my job."
"This season has been exciting," Harte said after a recent practice. "It was easy for me to make the decision between a couple other schools I was looking at with coach (Jerry) Kill here. If he's going to buy into something, there's no reason I can't. That really helped. I view him almost like a second father, where I can trust him and go to him with anything."
Kill, who was the head coach at Minnesota from 2011-15, went out of his way to recommend Harte to the rest of the Rutgers coaching staff. It paid off as the graduate transfer won the starting place-kicker job and has taken advantage of the opportunities presented by Rutgers and its proximity to New York City. He is currently working on a master's degree in the financial analysis program and hopes to end up on Wall Street in the future.
The transition to New Jersey was a quick one for the native of Downers Grove, Illinois.
"I'm from just outside Chicago, and I was also in a city outside Minneapolis, but I've always wanted to work in Manhattan and be out on the east coast. I think it was a lot easier for me to come out here being a 22-year-old young man, rather than a 17-18-year-old kid. It's been good, and I've enjoyed the food and the people. Sometimes people think there's a stigma about Jersey, but Jersey people are as nice as anyone. People say people in Minnesota are nice, but it's really Jersey that's nice. So it's been great and really easy."
On the field, Harte has taken every kick so far this season, going 7-for-10 on field goals and 26-for-26 on PAT attempts. He recently hit two field goals in the cold conditions at Penn State after drilling a career-long 50-yard kick in the win over Maryland, the longest by a Scarlet Knight since 2012. However, Harte did everything right with that attempt except for the celebration.
"It's funny, I had 11 of my really good buddies from Minnesota come out to watch that game and they were telling me all the celebrations I should do if I hit a big field goal, and of course I wimped out," Harte joked.
Kickers have the spotlight on them when taking the field, but Harte tries to embrace the situation. He is also quick to credit his unit.
"I've done it so many times, and I try to put myself in those situations where everything goes blank and the next thing you know the play's over," Harte explained. "You black out for a second out there. But you go out there and I tell myself, keep my eyes back, keep my shoulders back. Or swing up, something like that. Stay tall.
"But honestly it's so easy to go out there and try to do my job when Billy (Taylor) has been an unbelievably good snapper. And I'm shocked Mike (Cintron) is not Mortell Holder of the Year finalist right now, because he's as good as they come at holding. As good as anyone I've ever had hold for me. But when you have Billy throwing it to Mike to get it set for me, it's not fun to be those guards blocking and taking tackles for me. But they do it, and it is fun to celebrate out there after a big kick."
Harte grew up playing football, but also played soccer. He recorded the nation's second-longest streak ever of made PATs with 112 in a row at Montini Catholic High School, being part of four state championships teams. In 2012, Harte was an all-state, all-area, all-county, all-city and All-Suburban Christian Conference selection after making 54 PATs and 13-of-18 field goals with a long of 54 yards.
"From fifth grade until sophomore year of high school I played a high level of soccer, kind of the highest level you can play, while playing football," Harte said. "Fifth through eighth grade I played running back and safety too. When I got to high school I played varsity soccer as a freshman and sophomore, while playing on the freshman team, sophomore team, or JV or varsity depending on the year. Freshman to sophomore year I was on three teams at once, which was kind of cool but obviously soccer is what groomed me into being a kicker."
Harte attended the University of Minnesota and earned his degree, but was up for a new challenge to end his collegiate career. He has enjoyed the journey with an eye on the future. He had a successful internship with Harris Associates in Chicago and still keeps in touch, as two of the portfolio managers attended a Rutgers game earlier this season. That's a position Harte is working towards.
"Ultimately I think I would like to be a portfolio manager," he said. "But I also think I would be really good at equity sales and being in a sales role for a mutual fund. Or some firm where I'm helping to bring money in. Sales in a financial big-bank type thing."
In the meantime, Harte looks to keep his focus on graduate school and putting the ball through the uprights.
"As a team, I would love for us to go out there and do our best and finish this season strong," Harte said. "As an individual and as my unit, I think just try to focus on one kick at a time and go out there and do our job. I can't really control what other people can do, or what other people around me are doing. Whether it's the other team or the environment. But I can go out there and put my best foot forward, literally. Just go out there and do my job."
Players Mentioned
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