Football scholarships are commonplace at universities across America, but did you know that The University of Oxford also offers a fully funded scholarship for the sport?
The Ryan Millsap Scholarship for American Football has been in place since 2023 and allows scholars to study at Oxford whilst representing the Oxford Lancers – the University American Football team – in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Southern 1A league.
I’ve been working closely with the Lancers to produce a series of images documenting the two current scholars Micaiah Bell and Davis Kline both on and off the field.
Micaiah previously studied at Harvard University and represented The Crimson in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. Davis played his college career at Princeton within the same NCAA Division. Both have come to Oxford to further their academic careers, with Micaiah studying a masters in sociology at Green Templeton College, and Davis reading classics at Somerville College.
The project has included photographs during three BUCS games (home/away vs Brunel and home vs Reading), team training sessions, location photography at Green Templeton College and Central Oxford, as well as studio portraits at Fisher Studios. I also had the pleasure to see the scholars in action when the NFL Academy visited Oxford. From a photography standpoint by far the most challenging aspect was photographing the games, having attended Britbowl in September 2024 I felt fairly confident, but each game is different and the weather is slightly less predictable this time of year!
Having spent a good amount of time with both Davis and Micaiah during this project I can wholeheartedly say that they are both huge assets to not only the Lancers, but Oxford as a whole. The experience, leadership and composure they bring to the field is immediately apparent, whilst off the pitch their broad international perspective and sporting backgrounds lend themselves to enriching their colleges and the wider community in Oxford.
