Kelly Lyell

kellylyell@coloradoan.com

Crockett Gillmore made good on his promise to his mother that he would complete his college degree.

The tight end for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens will receive his bachelor’s degree in sociology from CSU at 7 p.m. Saturday at Moby Arena.

“It’s going to be really exciting,” Gillmore said Friday afternoon, while boarding a plane to Denver.

Gillmore, selected in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft, had three classes remaining to earn his degree when he left Colorado State University following the 2013 football season. He was able to complete all three online, he said, while also playing in the NFL for the past two seasons.

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“I knew I wanted to do it, and after my second year (in the NFL) I just had a plan to do it,” he said. “It was a little harder than I thought it would be, with injuries and rehabilitation and all, but I did it.”

Gillmore, 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, played in 15 games for the Ravens as a rookie in 2014, catching 10 passes for 121 yards and one touchdown. He played in 10 games last season, catching 33 passes for 412 yards and four touchdowns, missing four games with injuries before being placed on injured reserve Dec. 21 for the remainder of the season with shoulder issues.

The timing of his graduation, Gillmore said, couldn’t be better. Ann Gill is retiring as the dean of CSU’s College of Liberal Arts, and this is the last graduation ceremony she’s expected to take part in. Gill, he said, has become a close friend of Gillmore and his family through her work with the football player during his four years at CSU.

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“She had a big hand in my returning and staying in school when the transition happened from (former coach Steve) Fairchild to (Jim) McElwain,” Gillmore said. “It’s been really good to have her helping me.”

Gillmore is engaged to former CSU women’s basketball player Hayley Thompson. The two are planning a July wedding, he said.

Gillmore, who grew up in Bushland, Texas, was a first-team All-Mountain West performer for the Rams as a senior in 2013 and finished his CSU career with 111 catches for 1,308 yards and eight touchdowns. He played defensive end for the Rams as a freshman in 2010 and recorded 11 tackles, including a quarterback sack, and also recovered one fumble and broke up one pass.

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