Concussions cause NU linebacker to find new line of business

Blake Lawrence's college football career ended abruptly and unexpectedly on Oct. 19, 2009.

The way the former Nebraska linebacker sees it, that day brought the end of an era. The era that's followed it has been less physical and far less painful.

And it's also been far more successful.

Lawrence is making the most of his opportunities and is focused on improving his resume as he dives into his new post-football life.

On Saturday morning, while his teammates were getting ready for another grueling spring practice, Lawrence was finishing up taking the GMAT test, which he needs to pass in order to get into UNL's MBA program.

And this year, instead of spending the summer on campus participating in drills and workouts, he'll be working on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Lawrence will intern for the marketing company BrightLine iTV, thanks to a recommendation from former TD Ameritrade CEO and current NU voluntary football assistant Joe Moglia.

"Because I'm not playing football, I have that opportunity to experience different things," Lawrence said. "I'm really excited about that."

He needed only two and a half years to graduate with a 3.92 GPA and a marketing degree in December. Keith Zimmer, NU's associate athletic director of life skills, said Lawrence is the epitome of the term student-athlete.

"He has a very well-developed resume that'll be extremely competitive in whatever he chooses to pursue," Zimmer said. "He's got the whole package and we're excited to see where his future takes him. We know he'll make the entire University of Nebraska very proud."

Lawrence worked as a sports operations intern for the Special Olympics office in Lincoln this semester, but he had to back out of that role in order to take an internship with FileBound.

The growing local software company specializes in document management solutions, and Lawrence is in charge of building up its image on social media sites. It's a perfect task for him, because he constantly checks sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn in his spare time anyway.

Lawrence is also working to build up his own company right now. He founded mytwitterdiary in November, and though it's "very infant right now," he believes firmly in the idea behind it.

"Not many people write diaries anymore, but they might blog or Facebook or tweet, so helping people preserve their memories in a different format is what I want to do," Lawrence said. "I know what it can be and what I want it to be. We'll see how far it gets."

For Lawrence, all his jobs and accomplishments this spring have served as much-needed distractions. They've helped him avoid dwelling on the sudden ending of his Husker football career.

"I try and keep my focus on other things," he said. "If I focused on football all the time, I'd be pretty heartbroken. It was a huge part of my life for so long."

Lawrence entered his junior season with much promise and was expected to vie for a starting spot at outside linebacker. As a sophomore, he stepped up following the dismissal of starter Cody Glenn late in the 2008 season. He recorded 10 tackles in NU's final three games and picked off a pass against Clemson in the Gator Bowl.

Entering the year, linebackers coach Mike Ekeler said Lawrence knew NU's defensive system better than anyone and played like a coach on the field.

"He was a very cerebral guy," Ekeler said last week. "He delved into the level-two questions of the game. He's just a different guy."

He started Nebraska's first two games last fall and made six tackles in the season-opener against Florida Atlantic. After those first two games, though, his playing time diminished significantly as he battled a handful of minor injuries.