Over the last weeks, while many graduating seniors packed their belongings and split one last pitcher at The Tombs with friends, Alex Buzbee (COL ’07) was already gone.

Buzbee, a four-year standout at defensive end for the Hoyas, was one of eight players signed by the Washington Redskins last week following their rookie tryouts. Since then, Buzbee has moved into an apartment in Ashburn, Va., near the Redskins practice facility, where he lines up daily against Pro Bowl offensive lineman Chris Samuels and works out with Pro Bowl linebacker Marcus Washington.

“From the beginning, I was confident in myself,” Buzbee said. “My goal is to make the 53-man active roster. Even if that doesn’t happen, I could make the practice squad and hopefully they would bump me up either during the season or next year.”

Buzbee, who was a three-time second-team all-Patriot League selection for Georgetown, was selected from a pool of 64 rookies who tried out. Following a senior season in which he served as the Hoyas’ co-captain, donned the prestigious No. 35 Joe Eacobacci jersey, and finished as the school’s third all-time sack leader, it didn’t seem as if there was anywhere to go but down. But Buzbee, known by his teammates during his time on the Hilltop for his ferocious work ethic, set his sights even higher. Soon after the Hoyas’ season-ending loss to Fordham on Nov. 18, 2006, Buzbee rededicated himself in the weight room and began sending out game tapes to prospective employers.

“I had a big decision to make,” he said. “I asked myself if this was something I really thought I could do, and I didn’t want to look at any other job opportunities outside of football, because if I did that, I couldn’t give football my all.”

All through the winter and spring months, while many of his buddies partied their way through their final semester of college, Buzbee worked tirelessly with Georgetown Strength and Conditioning Coach Augie Maurelli in preparation for his tryout.

“We increased a lot of the strength, added a lot of volume to the [weight] program, and made sure he put on pure body weight.” Maurelli said, adding that Buzbee is one of the hardest working athletes he has ever worked with. “We worked a lot on his running mechanics and his explosion so he could maximize his ability to pass rush.”

During the winter months, Buzbee talked to numerous scouts about getting an opportunity to play, and a handful of teams, including the Cleveland Browns, expressed interest in him as an outside linebacker. Buzbee, who spent NFL draft day writing a paper in Lauinger Library, said he was fairly discouraged that he didn’t get any offers to sign as a free agent as he’d originally hoped. But his fire was rekindled when the Redskins rang a few days later with an invitation to rookie camp.

Thanks to his work with Maurelli, Buzbee showed up for mini-camp in May well prepared, knowing he would have to perform to his utmost potential to stand out for Redskins Head Coach Joe Gibbs.

“I just have to make plays, do something to let the coaches know that I belong, whether that’s beating a guy on a pass rush or making a play in the run game or just hustling,” Buzbee said before the start of camp. “They love hustle. They film everything and really scrutinize it.”

The 6-foot-3, 246 pound defensive end left a lasting impression on the Redskins staff, and his efforts have earned him a spot on the team’s roster. Buzbee was the lone defensive lineman out of the eight rookies that signed last week, and is the first Hoya to sign with an NFL team since Bill Ward, who signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 1997 but was cut during pre-season drills. Should Buzbee make it through August two-a-days, he will be the first Georgetown grad to play in the NFL since Jim Ricca (COL ’49) joined the Redskins in 1951. Ricca, who stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 270 pounds, was a behemoth on the defensive and offensive lines during a five-year career with the Redskins, Detroit Lions, and Philadelphia Eagles. Ricca died this past February in Fairfax, Va., at the age of 79.

“That is great for Alex,” Ricca’s son John Ricca, who coaches running backs at Catholic University, said. “I would love to see Alex do well with the Redskins.”

Also among the eight rookies chosen is defensive back Byron Westbrook, the younger brother of Philadelphia Eagles star running back Brian Westbrook. Buzbee should be encouraged by the career progress of the older Westbrook, who, like Buzbee, signed on with with an NFL club (the Eagles) as an unheralded rookie out of another tiny Catholic university known more for its prowess on the hardwood than on the gridiron, Villanova. Yet Westbrook has become the Eagles’ go-to-guy, making the Pro Bowl in 2004 and recently inking a five-year deal that ensures a lucrative career in the City of Brotherly Love.

“It’s happened before, that’s encouraging,” Buzbee said of the similarities between himself and the Eagles’ back. “Coach [Gibbs] said the first day of rookie camp, `I don’t care what school you are from or where you played, the bottom line is that you are here now, and everyone here can play. You just got to earn it.'”

Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Kelly believes that Buzbee’s career could follow a similar trajectory as that of Westbrook.

“He has a great situation in front of him. The Redskins are looking for defensive lineman and he has a great motor,” Kelly said. “Just knowing Alex, he is going to take full advantage of it.”

When Alex Buzbee walks across the stage on Healy Lawn tomorrow, it will be the final step of an epic career on the Hilltop, one in which he served as a dominating force on the football field and as an inspirational leader off of it.

“Fortunately, things have worked out well for him so far.” Maurelli said. “He still has a long way to go, though. He’s not there yet, but the fact that he’s in camp right now is great.”