Mike Caprara

Classroom

Mike Caprara graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication and rhetoric from the University of Pittsburgh this past spring and currently is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration from the Katz Graduate School of Business (GPA 3.125). During his undergraduate career he earned Pitt Blue Scholar-Athlete recognition twice (term GPA greater than 3.0).

Character

Caprara completed all levels of the Panther Leadership Academy, developing strong leadership skills. He also has served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the past three years, taking an active role in Pitt student-athletes’ impact on the national issue about concerns that face college athletics. As vice president during the 2014-2015 school year, he represented student-athletes with Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher at the semiannual Student Leadership Dinner on campus.

Community

During each of the past four spring semesters (2013-2016), Caprara has used his semester break to take mission trips to Haiti orphanages through the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO). In addition to bonding with the children, Caprara contributed maintenance, construction and upkeep of the orphanages in the impoverished nation. During the 2015 trip, Caprara became the operations coordinator, preparing the materials necessary to complete the mission and helping fellow student-athletes fundraise and secure the proper requirements to go on the trip.

Caprara’s additional volunteer efforts include time spent with patients in Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, reading at local elementary schools, gathering food for the CCO’s “Blessings in a Backpack” initiative and building Ebola caregiver kits with the humanitarian organization World Vision. Caprara has been a participant in the preparations for the University of Pittsburgh’s Christmas at Pitt initiative for the last two years. Activities have included helping wrap gifts and prepare meal supplies for the event that serves more than 2,000 members of the Pittsburgh community on Christmas Day in conjunction with the United Way. He also has also an active participant with Orange Arrow, a non-profit established by former Pitt Football student-athlete Shawn Robinson, focused on providing a strong example and learning environment for young men ages 10-13 to develop strong life skills, including leadership and decorum. For his work, he was selected to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He has earned the ACC’s Top Six for Service Award and is on the Wuerffel Trophy Watchlist for 2016.

Competition

Caprara is a two-year starter at outside linebacker. He is off to a productive start, leading the ACC and ranking second nationally in fumble recoveries as of nomination time. In the 2015 season, Caprara recorded 54 total tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss, appearing in 13 games while starting in eight. He was also responsible for the lone safety of the 2015 campaign, as well as one interception and one fumble recovery. As of early September he had, in total, appeared in 33 games for the Panthers, notching 61 total tackles, and 77 yards lost on 14 tackles for loss.