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Dolphins Center Karras a Real Student of the Game

New Miami Dolphins center Ted Karras earned a second master's degree this offseason with maybe more to come, but his focus remains on the football field
Alain Poupart|
Dolphins Center Karras a Real Student of the Game
Dolphins Center Karras a Real Student of the Game

That Ted Karras has a thirst for knowledge is pretty obvious, given that he recently completed his second master's degree this offseason.

The new Miami Dolphins center isn't done by any stretch, though, because he's already applied to different colleges to pursue yet another master's next offseason.

But Karras also is clear that his first priority is football. His pursuit of academics is a result of his athletic career.

“It’s definitely second to anything I do in my (football) career," Karras said last week during his Zoom media session. "It’s just a perk that I’ve taken advantage of. I encourage a lot of guys to do it as well. It can be any accredited school. You can go get your degree paid for by the NFL. It’s very important to me. I graduated from Indiana this May with an MBA and going to see what I do next. I don’t do anything ever during the season, so it’s always about February to June, but it’s really exciting. I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I’ve got a couple options. I’ve applied some places, but we’ll see.”

Karras' first master's degree came from the University of Illinois, where he played his college football, and was for Recreation, Sports and Tourism.

He told longtime NFL writer Peter King in April — before he finished his MBA — that his goal was to get to six master's degrees.

"When I finish this, I’ve got my next one planned at American Military University online," Karras said. "Astronomy. One of the great perks about being a player is you get $20,000 a year in education benefits, then more after you retire. ... I got into Harvard to study literature, but that’s a pretty serious one. I’m going to save that for when I am done playing."

The nephew of former NFL player and actor Alex Karras, Ted is quite the character, it turns out.

Former Patriots teammate Patrick Chung referred to him as a "genius clown," in a story in The Athletic last year, while Matthew Slater called him "the most interesting man in the locker room."

Karras is with a new team now, though, and he's got to find a way to prove the Dolphins were right in signing him as an unrestricted free agent after he started only the last of his four years with the Patriots.

Karras played right guard for his four years at Illinois before the Patriots converted him to center.

He explained why he thinks that position is a good fit for him.

“I’m (a) good leader, making calls, I’m a pretty decent size for a center," Karras said. "I like being in the mix. I like the fact that we’re kind of in there fighting in the A gaps. I’m just working hard every day. I learned center my rookie year in New England and then played it for four (seasons) and now get a chance to get another season under my belt. I’m very excited. I love anything on the O-line. Any opportunity and job in this league is precious and I’m very excited to continue to work with the guys and be the best player I can be so we can win as many ballgames as we can.”

And once the season is done and next offseason arrives, it'll be time to hit the books again instead of opposing defensive linemen.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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