This feature originally appeared in the 2025 Fall edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.




After a successful 10-year NFL playing career for the Indianapolis Colts that included three Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl championship in 2007, it might not seem like a likely story that Tarik Glenn returned to Cal to assimilate back into campus for a middle management job.

But Glenn wasn't – and still isn't – your typical former decorated professional athlete.

Glenn, who since coming back home to Cal in 2015 has risen to become the new executive director of the Athletic Study Center, has always sought a purpose beyond protecting Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning or putting a linebacker on his backside to spring a big run.

When he finally retired from football after helping Indianapolis defeat the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl XLI, Glenn knew he wanted to do something to help people – especially young people. He sought guidance from a sports psychologist, who came to a conclusion about Glenn that frankly he already knew - he needed to mentor people.

"So my next questions was, 'What kind of job can I get that would really help me facilitate that?" said Glenn, who has since been inducted into the Colts' Ring of Honor and last year was elected into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame. "My wife and I wanted to move back to California, and I wondered if Cal had an opportunity for me to have that kind of impact. I started exploring what it might look like for me to come back to campus and have an impact on the student experience."

After picking the brains of some Cal administrators, Glenn landed as an assistant director at the Athletic Study Center, working under another Cal Hall of Famer, Derek Van Rheenen.

"We had no idea what he was going to do. I just knew I wanted him to be part of my team," said Van Rheenen, who stepped down from his role as executive director of the ASC in 2024, allowing Glenn the opportunity to move into the position. "I was kind of reserving judgment to see if it was just a passing thing. But I think he found this to be a way that he could give of himself, and he found that fulfilling."

Glenn had always naturally gravitated toward leadership, mentorship and altruism. Shortly after he was drafted in the first round by the Colts in 1997, he started seeking ways to make the locker room a more inclusive and supportive environment. He began hosting bible studies at his house and offering marriage groups and financial literacy support. Glenn also took advantage of NFL professional development opportunities, attending a player development boot camp while also going to the Wharton Business School for an entrepreneur experience.

"To see that I was able to have that type of impact on other people was life-giving," Glenn said. "I just feel as if a lot of that experience comes from when we were players and just making sure when a guy showed up that he felt supported and was in an environment where they could grow and just really learn how to be aware of the things that were going to help them make positive decisions versus making some of the same mistakes I made."

Before putting more focus on "Dream Alive" – the nonprofit he started with his wife, Maya, to mentor impoverished youth and help them discover tangible career paths – Glenn was coached his final six years with the Colts by Hall-of-Famer Tony Dungy, who is now an analyst on network television. Glenn embraced Dungy's leadership style, and the two lived just three houses away from each other.

"It's not a surprise to hear where he's landed," Dungy said. "He's a perfect person for that role. Even though he was a tremendous athlete and a Super Bowl champion, that was never his primary focus. He always realized there was life after football. To be able to pass that on and help academically – and help their athletes understand that they have a future to look to – he's the perfect person to do that."

As years went by, it became increasingly clear to Van Rheenen that Glenn's career path was indeed not just a passing thing, and he elevated him to Deputy Director of Operations and Strategic Initiatives after five years at the ASC. Glenn quickly became more and more of a thought partner to Van Rheenen, and whether he knew it or not, was auditioning to become Van Rheenen's heir apparent.

"He was a big fish in Indianapolis. When he came back home to where he was from, he was like, 'Who am I?'" Van Rheenen said. "He got all these accolades and now had to figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. When I moved him into the role of deputy director, I really saw him blossom. He found his calling in a way. I realized then that I desperately needed him, and that he could definitely take over for me."

Van Rheenen, a former Cal star men's soccer player who was inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008, served as executive director of the Athletic Study Center for 25 years before transitioning into a faculty role at the Berkeley School of Education last year. Glenn was named the interim executive director for a year before earning the permanent role in May after a national search.

"Having someone with his level of experience and credibility in football and academics is huge," said Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Oliver O'Reilly, who also serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative for Cal's athletic department. "He's really a gift to campus. We are really fortunate to have Tarik here at Berkeley."

Glenn possesses the unique combination of being a Cal student-athlete during a different set of circumstances while having the right type of innovative mind to help guide student-athletes during the most turbulent time ever in intercollegiate athletics. It's a position he finds both challenging and rewarding at the same time.

"In an ideal world, I wouldn't want NIL, conference realignment – all of those things to be in flux," Glenn said. "But given that I know life is always going to throw you those curve balls, it brings out the competitor in me. I'm super excited about helping this campus solve problems and helping my staff be encouraged about the work we do in the midst of college athletics being in flux.

"I think it's helping us redefine what it means to be a student-athlete. There are core values that we want to hold on to that I think we should hold on to – but how do we support them through this new landscape? I think it gives us an opportunity to really be excited about new ways that we can approach supporting our athletes. It's a great opportunity to see our student-athletes as great ambassadors of this University."