Ross remains model of consistency, compassion and hard work for Holy Cross football

If there’s something to know about Christian Ross: He doesn’t give anything less than 110 percent. 

That may come across as a standard cliché for some. But for Ross, it’s perhaps an understatement. As he approaches every single aspect of his life — his friendships, his family, his teammates, his own craft, his goals — he cares deeply, remains disciplined, and will always stay committed. 

If Ross cares about something, he’s going to see it all the way through. Take his start in football, for example. He grew up playing basketball — the sport that his father, Marc, also played — and a number of other sports, but later in elementary school, football piqued his interest. 

From the Ross family’s house in Teaneck, New Jersey, a young Christian could hear the local Pop Warner team practicing, and was consistently fascinated. His parents, skeptical at the time about letting him play, tried to guide his interests back to basketball solely, but Christian remained intrigued, and intent on signing up to play.

His parents countered: If you really want to do this, then you need to show us you’re serious. 

True to Christian Ross fashion, he did all of the work to see that goal through. Despite being hardly 11 years old, and having a number of other obligations with other sports, he still found the time to research every single part of the process — the website, the registration, the practice times — and presented a fair and balanced case to his parents. 

“He brought us the flyer, and we signed him up,” Marc said. “And next thing you know, he fell in love.”

Christian Ross embodies everything that a Holy Cross football player is. He’s a well-rounded leader, whose loyalty to the sport mirrors his loyalty to those around him. His story is one of resilience, toughness, hard work — the notion that nothing comes easy. 

As a team captain entering his senior season with the Crusaders, Ross is a shining example for his teammates, and will always do things the right way. 

“He's just a hard worker,” said junior defensive tackle Brice Stevenson. “He’s a quieter dude, and he leads by example. He’s always talking to the other guys on the side, giving them tips.” 

“He's a lovable guy,” said senior defensive end Colin Reynolds, also Ross’s roommate. “He brings a smile to your face, right? When you meet him, that's always how he's been with his persona. He’s always going to bring a smile to your face and give you a ton of respect at the end of the day.”

He’s a generally mellow, laid-back person — his favorite non-football pastimes include bass fishing and golfing. He deflects praise, and instead refocuses the spotlight on his teammates. He doesn’t do any of this for personal credit. 

And he’s always been that way. In his everyday life, he wouldn’t hurt a fly or say a single bad word about anybody. Even when he was a kindergartener, he would never rush to be the first one in line, and would instead hold the door to let everyone else go ahead of him to recess. He’s always been respectful, go-with-the-flow — and trusting that he’ll end up where he needs to be. 

Anyway, that’s a little bit about Christian off the field. 

“You see this kid who's caring, and loving, and has a great heart,” Marc said. “But then on the football field, you don't want any part of him.”

On-field Christian Ross is a different story altogether. He embraces an old-school, smash-mouth mentality — gritty, physical and blue-collar. He’s aggressive, has a non-stop motor, and is dependable in the run game while also making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. 

He’s started every game since the beginning of his sophomore season, and is again projected to start this Saturday when the Crusaders open their 2025 campaign against FBS foe Northern Illinois. 

“If you turn on the film, I’m going to be someone that's just flying around every play, trying to get in the mix, trying to be around the ball every single snap,” Christian said. 

He’s willing to go to war for his brothers — a punishing, bruising presence who is ultracompetitive and won’t back down from any challenge. 

“His demeanor just changes from the meeting room,” said defensive line coach Bo Alexander. “In the meeting room, he’s all smiles, taking his notes, everything is good. On the field, his angry face is on, and he's ready to go. He’s all about ball when he's on the field.”

“It's almost like he puts that helmet on, and he’s a different person, right?” said his mother, Pam. “Christian is a dedicated, kind person, but on the field, it’s his alter ego.”

“He’s always had it in him,” Marc added. “Since he was a young guy, I would see him out there and somebody would push him, and he’d push him back. He’s never been afraid — it doesn't matter how big the other guy is, he's going to stand up to him. Off the field, he's a nice kid, but when he's out there playing, you better watch out.”

He loves being coached hard, and loves being a student of the game. He pores over film and scouting reports, and works consistently to perfect his technique. 

“He was someone that you immediately know was a coachable player,” said Mike Pucko, a defensive line assistant with the Crusaders. “He was very astute in knowing the game from what he was taught in high school. But you could tell he'd be coachable by just his demeanor, on answering questions, receptive to things we would talk about still to this day, as a senior captain, you can bring any conversation to him, and he stays with you on it.”

“He’s very dependable,” said defensive coordinator Brian Vaganek, who also recruited Christian out of Bergen Catholic High School. “He knows his playbook. He knows where he's supposed to be, the weaknesses he has. He's able to accept the coaching and get better at those things.”

Since arriving at Holy Cross, the coaches have known that they had a reliable and talented player in Christian, who has only matured and elevated his game over the last few years — and is universally respected as a result. 

“In our D-line room, a culture has been set that guys know it’s a rite of passage to go through the gruesome,” Alexander said. “They know what C-Ross has been through since he's been here, and as he tells his stories, the guys just really pay homage to it.”

Just days before Holy Cross’ 2022 season opener at Merrimack, Christian called his family — he’d impressed the coaches in camp as a freshman, and there was a good chance he would play in the first game of the year. Overjoyed, the Ross family made plans to travel north from New Jersey, eager for the chance to see his first collegiate action. 

Marc and Pam, along with Christian’s sister, Gabrielle, stood in the stands for the first half of the game in North Andover, patiently yet excitedly waiting for him to get his shot to play. Early in the third quarter, Christian stepped onto the field, to the elation of his family. 

Moments later, that joy quickly pivoted to shock.

Not even a couple of plays into Christian’s debut, as the attention of the rest of the crowd was turned elsewhere — Marc was staring at his son, who was lying on the turf. He tapped his wife’s shoulder rapidly. 

“Pam,” he said, “He’s not getting up. He’s not getting up.” 

As would be diagnosed shortly thereafter, Christian had torn his ACL, MCL and meniscus all at the same time — but all that his family could see at that moment was the team medical staff running toward him. Unsure of what else they could do, the three of them simply walked down the steps — no tears, just shock, overwhelmed by silence — the longest, worst walk of their lives. 

At that moment, they didn't know what would endure over the next year — a nine-month rehab process, a hard reset for Christian on his goals and aspirations, and an opportunity to transform his body and his mind to that of a high-level college football player. The next year wouldn’t be easy, but it kicked off a journey that reaffirmed his commitment to the sport. 

“It just showed me,” he reflected nearly three years later, “the type of work that you need to put in to get where you want to go.”

But at that moment, as they headed toward the field, they saw Christian get up — and breathed a sigh of relief. 

“This is how we roll,” Pam said. “We'll figure it out. If my child can get up, we'll figure out the rest. 

“And that's exactly what we did.”

The Ross family is one that’s warm, genuine, close-knit, compassionate, faith-driven and filled with gratitude. Marc and Pam raised their children to be appreciative and thankful for everything, whether that’s a simple birthday gift or the opportunity to play a sport or attend an elite university. And more than anything, they affirmed that through hard work and simply being a good person, you could achieve anything you wanted. 

Christian points to his parents as his foremost example of hard work and unconditional support. Whether in school, sports, performances or career preparation, the Rosses always ensured that Christian and Gabrielle had the foundation they needed to succeed, with the love of a supportive extended family and a positive persistence. 

As Christian’s basketball career continued in conjunction with his blossoming football career, his family always traveled with him to AAU games, and his father even helped him find a personal trainer when he wanted to continue improving. 

The Ross family finds joy in everything they do together, especially in their time spent together, during their quiet family movie nights, or their trips to Alabama, Puerto Rico, Disney World or the Jersey Shore. 

Even when life gets busy, Christian is often the voice of reason, a calm and comforting presence. When Gabrielle was applying for colleges, he called her one day to reassure her that she would end up where she was meant to be. 

Gabrielle is entering her freshman year at Boston University, with plans to become a surgeon — and recently shadowed the doctors at the Hospital for Special Surgery, where Christian underwent his own knee procedure. 

When Christian first toured Holy Cross, it immediately felt like an extension of his family and his values. His tour guides during his official visit, former Crusader stars Liam Anderson and Dan Kuznetsov, made him feel like he was already part of the team, even though he hadn’t yet committed. (He committed as soon as he got home from his official visit that night.) 

Nearly four years later, things have come full circle, and that culture is still intact. Christian affirms that he could hang out with any other member of the team, from any class year, one-on-one, and it would feel completely normal. He doesn’t point to any particular teammates as his “best” friends — all 93 of his teammates are his brothers. 

“They know that I have their back,” Christian said, “and they have mine.”

“I see him as a protector,” Pam said. “He is his brother's keeper.”

When on the field, Christian isn’t afraid to defend his teammates and play with an extra edge. Off the field, he cares just as fiercely. 

“He's always been by my side through the ups and downs, and is always a super positive guy,” Reynolds said. “He's always going to find a way, to find a great way, to put a positive spin on things, even if it's a rough day on the field, off the field, school, anything — he's always been there for me.”

Entering the 2025 season, the Holy Cross defensive line has excellent depth, with a number of returning starters and others with substantial experience. It’s a group that Christian is excited to guide as the Crusaders look to extend their unprecedented streak of six consecutive Patriot League titles — and hope for a return to the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2022. 

“I'm going in with the expectation that this defense is going to be very good,” he said. “I'm excited about what we have as a unit, and just to see the growth of everybody on the defense, it's really been something to watch.” 

As he reflects on his play since the start of his sophomore year, Christian’s own growth has been remarkable in his eyes. He views his injury now as something that helped him more than it hurt him — he was able to refocus, dive into the playbook, and gain both  strength and understanding of the sport that he didn’t have previously. 

As the man in the trenches, he may not draw the same spotlight as other players on the Crusaders’ defense.  ButRoss’s value to his teammates isn’t hard to glean, — given his standing as  a model of consistency and a standard for others to follow. 

“His experience makes it so that you can trust whatever he's doing, he understands it, and you can trust him to do what we're trying to accomplish,” Pucko said. “He stays calm under crucial situations. He doesn't get frazzled.”

And ultimately — his goal has never been to earn praise. It’s just been to win football games. 

In junior high, Christian always loved acting in his school’s plays. He was never the lead role — he’d perhaps only have a couple lines here or there — but he understood what he meant to the full production. He didn’t need to be in the spotlight then, and he doesn’t need the individual acclaim now. He understands what he needs to do for his team, and will see everything through until the final whistle. 

“You have 90 other guys that are going through the same thing that you're going through,” he said, “and that just pushes me to go even harder.”

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