Jacob Ruby, FUMA '10, commits to U of R Spiders

Jacob Ruby, a senior on Fork Union Military Academy's prep football team, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Richmond Spiders next year.

Ruby, the towering 6-foot-8, 289-pound football player came to FUMA from Canada two years ago to pursue the opportunity to play football for a Division I college program.

He had traveled to Fork Union the previous year with an all-star Canadian high school football team to play against FUMA's vaunted postgraduate program. Following that game, several Canadian players enrolled at FUMA to better their chances for recruitment by US college programs. Austin Pasztor, now a lineman with the University of Virginia, was on that team with Ruby. On Ruby's prep football team this year at FUMA were two other Canadians hoping to follow the same path.

Although he was successful on both sides of the line this past season, and was named to the All-State team for his work on defense, Ruby expects to play offensive tackle for Coach Scott and the Spiders. Ruby was also selected earlier this year as one of 90 high school players to participate in the nationally-broadcast USA vs. The World all-star game.

The University of Richmond has had long historical ties to FUMA, dating back to the fact that FUMA's founder, Dr. William Hatcher, was an alumnus of Richmond and many FUMA cadets went on to college at that institution through the years. In recent years, the Spiders' football program was under the leadership of Coach Mike London, now the head coach at the University of Virginia, and Coach London's son Brandon spent a postgraduate year at FUMA. Current UofR head coach, Latrell Scott, is himself a FUMA alumnus and began his coaching career under John Shuman at Fork Union.