NEWPORT, R.I. – At six-foot-nine and 310-pounds, Andreas Knappe, the blond, bearded offensive tackle for UConn was the most imposing player to appear at the American Athletic Conference’s annual football media days here this season.
His teammates call him “Thor” and Huskies' coach Bob Diaco is expecting him to drop the hammer as an Avenger on his team's offensive line as UConn begins to rebuild from a disappointing 2014 season.
Knappe is not your typical football star. He grew up in Silkeborg, Denmark, playing team handball at an elite level and was a world class archer on the Danish national team. ”It started when I was a little kid,” he recalled. ”I told my dad, ‘I like Robin Hood. He's really cool. He shoots with a bow and arrow,’ so I asked my dad if I could do that. It was a lot of fun.
“They were training me to see if I could get to go to the Olympics or the World Championships or something like that. I think that ship has sailed. I knew a couple world champions in archery in Denmark but I chose a little bit different path for myself. I got tired of it. I grew out of it, I guess, because I started to have a lot of growing pains and I was young.”
Knappe discovered American football when he was 18. He had been watching NFL football on television for five or six years when his best friend joined a football team and convinced Knappe to join. Knappe loved the physical aspects of the game. He played for the Triangle Razorbacks of the Danish American Football Federation, along with former UConn players Zach Frazer, Alex Polito and Alex Molina, and helping them to an undefeated season as a high school senior and the 2011 league championship in the Mermaid Bowl.
Football is a minor sport in Denmark, a country known for soccer and team handball. There is no turf and players must buy their own equipment. His team had a limited number of coaches and the championship game was played before a crowd of just 3,000.
Knappe wanted to pursue the sport on a higher level and spent a year trying to get recruited. He signed up for a recruiting website and began contacting coaches on his own. He bought a helmet and a set of shoulder pads and left with a scout to attend various summer exposure camps on the East Coast and take some campus visits, hoping to find a school to take a chance on him.
“It was blind faith,” Mike Cummings, UConn's offensive line coach, said. “Imagine you are 18-years old and someone tells you, ‘Go over to Denmark, get the gear and start playing team handball, because you like the sport.’ It's not happening.”
Eventually, Knappe received interest from Fordham, UConn, Southeastern Louisiana and several junior colleges.
UConn, which was coached by Paul Pasqualoni at the time, liked Knappe’s video enough to offer him a visit to campus, then offered him a scholarship based on his potential. Knappe accepted. He was immediately impressed by the facilities and the campus in Storrs reminded him a lot of his home country with the forests and lakes.
“I grew up around a lot of hunters and fishermen,” he said. “So we used to eat a lot of wild game and fish. I never had fried food until I got here.”
Knappe was still mastering English when he enrolled. He also had to adjust to the American college game, which was a lot faster and more sophisticated. He was big but he was raw and was a work in progress. Knappe was placed on the defensive line and was redshirted his first season. He picked up concepts quickly and worked relentlessly to perfect his technique.
“As my first year went on, I started to understand what was going on,” Knappe said. “I wasn't running around like a chicken with his head cut off. I knew the game. I understood the game. There are still some things I had to work on The game was not as sophisticated when I played in Denmark.”
Knappe got limited time as a freshman, but last year, he developed into a starter after new coach Bob Diaco shifted him to offense.
“I was comfortable playing defensive line, so when they switched to the offensive line, it was an adjustment,” Knappe admitted. “There were a lot of things I had to learn. I learned every day. We've been learning all off season to start fast to get our running game going.”
Knappe started seven games last season. He should be a force this season. ”We like guys who compete in everything they do,” offensive coordinator Frank Verducci told the Associated Press. “We love three-sport athletes. Now, football, archery and team handball are not usually the three sports. But he's unique, that's for sure.”
Knappe is unique in many ways. He is a communications and political science major who is a two-time all-academic selection in The American and is on the watch list for Wuerffel Trophy, which is awarded to the FBS player who combines community service and academic excellence. He is a nominee for the Allstate Good Works team for the work he has done with intercity middle school students in East Hartford, teaching him about ethics and life choices.
Knappe was introduced to UConn's outreach program called “The Goal Line Project” by his former roommate Tim Willman, who has gone on to become a law student at the University of Maryland. “I'm trying to make the most of my opportunity and help the kids I mentor in reading,” Knappe said. “We read a lot of articles about ethical issues, some people who have made bad choices. You can make a tremendous impact on younger kids. Most of the kids I deal with are between 7 to 12. Obviously they want to talk about football, but they are very interested in what you have to say and your opinions and what you are trying to teach them because you're a Husky.”
Both Knappe and Diaco have future goals. Knappe wants to play in the NFL. Diaco wants to reinvent UConn football. He said as much when he laid out his team’s goals for 2015.
“We're going to win every game, and we're going to play as one of the four teams in the playoffs and win a national championship,'' Diaco said.
Dream big.
Andreas Knappe did.