He wasn’t a starter in his freshman football team in high school. The only reason he started playing in his junior varsity team as a sophomore was because a starter got hurt. Six years later, Robert Seer ’12 is Grinnell’s Career Touchdown Reception leader. Not the best way to start a football career, but it sure is an impressive way to end it.
Seer caught two touchdown passes against Lawrence on Oct. 15 to pass Richard Wemer ’98’s record of 41 touchdown receptions. After catching three more touchdown passes against St. Nobert on Oct. 22, Seer currently has 45 touchdown receptions in his career.
“Having that record means I’ve been here for a long time,” Seer said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to get to play for four years and not miss a game yet. I’ve always had good quarterbacks, whether it be Mike Bogard ’12 or Mike McCabe ‘13. What’s more rewarding is knowing that our team’s gotten better each year. Even though the record might not necessarily say that, I know for a fact that our team’s been better the next year, and that’s not just because of me.”
His first touchdown against Lawrence came on a fake field goal play. Seer ran a wrong route, but holder Kelsey Davis ’12 made a great throw to score the game’s first touchdown. Seer’s second touchdown came in a wildcat formation, in which Trent Baker ’15 threw a seven-yard touchdown to Seer.
“Rob has a combination of size and speed that you don’t see often at the Division III level, and when the ball is in the air he’s going to go get it,” said Head Coach Jeff Pederson. “The team knows they can count on Rob to make a big play in a clutch situation.”
Hailing from Wisconsin, Seer grew up watching Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. He began playing football in sixth grade. He seriously considered playing football in college during his junior year in high school. At Grinnell, he has received playing time since his first-year.
Seer is also a member of the G-Tones singing group and he hopes to enter law school after graduation.
He has already surpassed his previous season’s numbers with 64 catches, 921 yards, and 17 TDs. Seers other career numbers are just as impressive, with 212 catches and 3031 yards. With two games still left in the regular season, Seer is only seven catches shy of tying the school record for most career receptions and 102 yards short of the school record for most career receiving yards.
“Robert is a truly relentless player,” said teammate Chris Jarmon ’12. “He always wants the ball, which is a trait you like to see in a receiver. His route-running is flawless, and he has the physical assets to dominate other players in this conference.”
Seer leads by example off the field as well. He has been a great role model for underclassmen players.
“As a player and as a leader, Robert can be a game-changer,” Jarmon said. “Whether it’s scoring an amazing touchdown or giving us a pregame speech, he really does a lot for this team. Plus, he’s always able to keep a level head no matter the situation. Robert has done an amazing job of nurturing the younglings at wide receiver. In the time he’s been here, he’s turned the receiving corps into the nest egg of this team.”
Seer has two more games to prove to his coach that he can do better against Illinois College and Carroll, though his competitiveness says he’s more concerned about beating both teams and ending his career in Grinnell on a positive note.
“Team goal is to win both games and finish the season 7-3, but there’s still work ahead of us left,” Seer said. “I was very fortunate to play right away, to play in a team that likes to throw, and to play with great teammates. I’m really happy that I chose Grinnell and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else, even if we haven’t won the Midwest Conference while I was here. It feels like a family here and I have no regrets. Hopefully, we’ll do our best to finish the season well.”
While players praise Seer’s all-around character as a whole, Coach Pederson finds one flaw in Seer.
“My favorite memory of Rob will be all of his terrible touchdown celebrations,” Pederson said. “He has gotten much better over the years but he’s still clearly one of the worst dancers on campus.”
