What’s in a nickname? An awful lot – often times it can tell you about a person’s character or a trait others think stand out. Even more importantly in Erik’s case, HOW he earned his nickname at Gonzaga tells so much about him.

Erik transferred into Gonzaga as a junior. He had learned much of the school through his cousin who had just graduated and two cousins who would become alumnae of Gonzaga’s sister school, Georgetown Visitation. Growing up as the son of a Naval officer, Erik was used to going to new places and making friends. He hit the ground running on Eye Street. Erik was not small teenager. His height was as obvious from far away as it was close up. The first group of students he met were the players trying out with him for the football team. Under the blaring Washington, DC, August sun and in terrible humidity (that made temperatures feel well over 100 degrees), there he was, smiling and making friends.

High school boys can be a tough crowd. Bravado and ego cut a large swath, especially in football. Competition was fierce for roster spots that summer, and here came the new kid, gunning for a piece of the pie. But Erik was what everyone would come to know as his jovial self, never lording over smaller players, always helping guys off the ground, and just taking in his new environment.

While Erik was very tall, he still had some filling out to do. He had not yet added all the mass to his body that would make him one of the nation’s elite Navy SEALs. As a result, getting into low stances was at times challenging, and you could see him getting as low as he could. As he sank down, his knees and elbows would protrude into the air, and you could tell if Erik was the one in a drill as his great limbs clearly identified him. At one point, one of the toughest seniors sauntered up to Erik and asked, “Say, you don’t mind if I call you ’spider’ do you?”

Indeed, he looked very much like a spider with his arms and legs supporting his core, especially in that low stance. And so, he became Spider. Erik loved his nickname – it was evidence how, extremely quickly, he was one of the guys, an accepted member of the Gonzaga family, especially among his fellow football players. More importantly, it evidenced how Erik, in all his friendliness, brought out the best in everyone. Even an older student who did not know him wanted to talk to him, be his friend, give him a nickname. Erik truly was everyone’s friend – studying in the classroom, playing in the orchestra, or playing on the football and lacrosse fields. He was true to himself in each arena. But at the end of the day, to his Gonzaga classmates, he was simply Spider.