Defensive Lineman Blends Two Passions into Biomechanics Project

by Chris Mahr '06

For some people, being a key member of arguably the best defensive line in the Ivy League would qualify as a more than satisfactory college experience. Yet Brown defensive lineman Pat Curran '06 relishes being more than just a football player.

As a freshman, Curran started out as a biomedical engineering concentrator. He's stuck with it, even with the constraints football places on his time.

"To go to a place like Brown, with all the demands on your body and academically, takes a lot of special qualities," said head football coach Phil Estes. "What intrigues me about Pat is that he thrives on the classroom atmosphere. I love the way he plays the game and excels in the classroom."

Curran recently combined his two passions into one project, working closely with head athletic trainer Russ Fiore and Associate Professor of Orthopedics Joseph "Trey" Crisco.

For the past three years, Fiore has conducted research on myofascial rollers, therapeutic rollers that mobilize tissue and make it more flexible and functional. Fiore has developed a roller, harder and more rigid than one currently on the market, that he thinks puts more pressure on the tissue and, thus, works more effectively. This past summer Curran was Fiore's technical advisor, helping out with the software used to conduct the research.

"Pat is great with all the fundamentals of engineering," Fiore said. "He knows how to use, fix, manipulate, and calibrate the software. He has all the answers on anything technical. Pat is a very mature individual who takes his research very seriously and pays tremendous attention to detail."

Before starting his work with Fiore, Curran had done research with Crisco during the summers. When Fiore and Crisco teamed up to study myofascial release, Curran jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the project.

"It gave me an opportunity to take what I've learned in my three years at Brown and combine it with football," Curran said. "I thought this was something I want to be a part of."

Curran's work with Fiore and Crisco comes as Curran ponders his postgraduate plans.

"I'm very much torn between getting a job in biomedical engineering and going to med school," he said. "My work with Trey has made me more sure that I want to stick with biomechanics, and I think it's offered me very valuable insight into biomedicine and the sports medicine industries."

Curran was recently rewarded for the physical and mental toughness he displays on the field. He received the first Lawrence Rubida '05 Iron Man Award, given in honor of the late Brown offensive lineman. The award recognizes the player who has displayed the most self-discipline and, according to the plaque sitting in the football office, "has made the greatest improvement in physical strength, speed, and endurance throughout the off-season."