Former NFL quarterback and current mental health advocate to speak at commencement

Former NFL player and Utah State University alumnus, Eric Hipple, will be speaking at Utah State University’s 132 commencement ceremony.

“We are honored that Eric has accepted our invitation to address our graduating students this year,” said USU President Noelle Cockett in a press release. “Commencement is the culmination of a lot of hard work and Eric’s outstanding career as an NFL football player as well as his continued work with mental health awareness and treatment makes him a fitting speaker.”

Hipple graduated from USU with a degree in business administration, and at graduation, the university will honor Hipple by presenting him with an honorary doctorate degree.

“It’s truly an honor,” Hipple said. “Utah State had a huge impact on my life.”

Born in Texas, Hipple grew up in Southern California and attended a 3A public high school in the Los Angeles area. According to Hipple, many of the prominent high school quarterbacks were recruited to play for the larger 4A Catholic high schools.

“I was kind of a late developer in high school and growing up, so I never was this big stud type guy it took me until my junior year until I caught up with myself, so it was a lot of personal development that I was looking for,” Hipple said.

Hipple attended USU on an athletic scholarship and said he quickly fell in love with the university.

“When they came and offered me the scholarship, I already knew I was going,” Hipple said.

Hipple played for USU as a quarterback between the 1976 and 1979 seasons, and quickly became a star quarterback. Hipple had a total of 6073 passing yards, with an average completion percentage of 54% during his time at USU. In 2012, USU inducted Hipple into the university athletic hall of fame.

Hipple said USU taught him lessons both in and outside of the classroom that he has carried with him after graduating college, including lessons from coaches, teachers and fellow athletes.

“When [Coach] Bruce Snyder came in, the first thing he taught was the ‘do right method’ and he says ‘I only have one rule and that’s to do right. You know the difference between right and wrong, so do what’s right,’” Hipple said.

The Detroit Lions chose Hipple in a fourth-round draft pick in 1980. Hipple would go on to play for 10 years as a quarterback for the Detroit Lions from 1980 to 1989.

Although recognized for his achievements in both collegiate and professional football, USU is also honoring Hipple for his work in Mental Health Awareness, according to Sydney Peterson, the head of the Commencement Committee and the university’s Chief of Staff.

“Eric had an outstanding career as an NFL football player but his continued work with mental health awareness and treatment makes him a fitting speaker to inspire students as they leave the university,” Peterson said. “Utah State University is also focusing on the mental health of our students and his remarks will have a great influence on them.”

To be recognized for his contributions to mental health awareness is particularly meaningful for Hipple, especially due to personal experiences with depression.

“It wears on you,” Hipple said. “For me [working with] the high school population is difficult because my son was fifteen when he died.”

Following the suicide of his son in 2000, Hipple became heavily involved in mental health awareness programs.

Hipple has worked as the Outreach Coordinator of the Depression Center of the University of Michigan and now works with a school-based education program sponsored by the Mental Illness Research Association. Hipple’s work focuses primarily on removing the stigma from mental health treatment.

“Resilience, healing, understanding of trauma, stress, and brain illnesses and how they affect someone, that’s kind of the track that I talk on,” Hipple said. “When the unexpected happens or a bad decision happens or something goes sideways – some of them you can control some you can’t, but it’s what you do next that’s important.”

According to Hipple, his son is buried in the cemetery across the street from the USU Maverik football stadium.

Along with the death of his son, Hipple also has had his own encounters with severe depression, including a bout during his days at USU. Thanks to a strong support structure provided by USU, the athletic department, and friends, Hipple was able to make it through his depression.

“You kind of get caught up in it sometimes, and it’s like scratching a wound,” Hipple said. “But I think the mission outweighs the risk. I don’t want people to go through what I went through.”

According to Peterson, selections for commencement speakers usually take place about a year in advance. When Hipple got the call from the university, he immediately thought back to his football career.

“They said ‘No, no, no. We want you here because of what you do with mental health,’” Hipple said. “And I actually kind of got a tear in my eye, because that is so much more important than my football career.”

Hipple is scheduled to speak at commencement on May 2 and May 3.