*OPINION PIECE* No. 8 Greatest Athlete in Duquesne Athletics History

Leigh Bodden, (Football, Men's Outdoor Track & Field) - Though Bodden's contributions to Duquesne Outdoor Track & Field are outstanding -- Atlantic Ten Conference champion in the long jump in 2002 and three school records for men (one as a relay team member) -- it is truly Bodden's football career that makes him one of Duquesne's greatest athletes ever.
  A member of football's four straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship teams from 1999-2002, Bodden holds nearly every Duquesne record for interceptions and was a vital part of Duquesne Football's greatest NCAA Division I-AA team to this point -- the 11-1 2002 Dukes. Consistently, Bodden was also one of the very few I-AA "mid-major" players to garner inclusion on overall I-AA All-American teams, including the Associated Press' First Team for that level.
  As impressive as his college athletics career was, Bodden went undrafted by the NFL, but the Cleveland Browns took a chance on him as a free agent and have been rewarded handsomely. Bodden is currently a starting defensive back for Cleveland and has already accumulated numerous interceptions.
  His debut for the Browns in 2003 marked the first time that a Duquesne Football player competed in the NFL in half of a century.
  He is the gold standard for the modern Duquesne Football player.

(Image: Leigh Bodden, Copyright Duquesne University)