Whether it was on the football field or on the track, current assistant coach and retired FBI agent Kirby Scott '77 used his lightning-fast speed to set new standards for greatness at Gettysburg College. His journey as a student-athlete and into the professional field is one of humility, determination, and drive.
 
The Neptune, N.J., native had been involved with sports from a young age, starting in Pop Warner for football and running track at Neptune High School as a freshman. His parents didn't compete in athletics, but his great uncle Norvel Lee was an Olympic gold medalist boxer and both his brothers played sports. Scott credits his older brother, Charles, or as he called him "C.H.," as the spark for wanting to compete and to be just like him.
 
"My older brother was a tremendous athlete and my rock in school," said Scott. "Every day when school let out, I would run from the entrance of the school to my home. That's how I got fast."
 
When it came time to decide where to attend college and which sport to play, Scott wanted the opportunity to compete in both, but most colleges and larger universities didn't want him to participate in multiple sports. Gettysburg wasn't even on the list until a school district member from Wall Township, N.J., brought it to his attention. The two ended up taking the trip to visit Gettysburg where Scott met with then track and field coach Bob Lehr and football coach Eugene Haas '43. When Lehr showed Scott the new field house, it peaked his interest as not many colleges had indoor track facilities.
 
"The colleges where I was recruited wanted me to be a one-sport athlete," said Scott. "They didn't want me running track. Track had been my background and a great part of my life as was football. There was something about Gettysburg being historic and the feeling, and just the name held a different meaning."
 
During his time of wearing the orange and blue, Scott received the nickname "The Great Scott" from long-time Sports Information Director Bob Kenworthy '59. It was an accurate description of his time at Gettysburg as he ended up being a two-sport All-American, a feat very few student-athletes have achieved.
 
Having played offense and defense on his high school football team, Scott came to Gettysburg as a defensive back, but was switched to play halfback. He used his quick speed on the football field to set five school records in three years on the varsity team, including most rushing attempts in a game (34), season (197), and career (439), most rushing yards in a season (932), and most career rushing yards (1,890). During his senior campaign, he helped the team collect their finest rushing season in history. The Bullets ran the ball 567 times for 2,030 yards, which was then a school record. Scott was honored as a two-time Lutheran All-American, an honorable mention AP Small College All-American, and the ECAC Division III First-Team recipient.
 
While his time on the track was limited due to injuries, including his junior year due to a pulled hamstring, he certainly made his mark on the program. He helped the Bullets to a second-straight Middle Atlantic Conference title in 1977 with head coach Barry Streeter, who was also the defensive coordinator on the football team, leading the way. The 1977 team was loaded with unbelievable talent as they featured seven MAC champions, earned All-American accolades in six events, and placed 11th as a team at the NCAA Division III Championships, which is the highest finish in school history. Scott ended his outstanding track career as an All-American in 1977 alongside Tom Gorecki '78, James Martino '78, and James Sims '79 in the 4x100-meter relay. The quartet placed fourth at the national meet with a school-record time of 41.93, a record that still stands today.
 
His outstanding contributions to both sports landed him an induction into the Hall of Athletic Honors in 1991, becoming the first African-American student-athlete to be recognized. 
 
Scott, who graduated from Gettysburg with a degree in health and physical education, continued his gridiron career as he signed a contract with the Toronto Argonauts, a professional Canadian football team, as a senior. He made it through preseason with the confidence that he had locked his spot as a starter, but a dislocated shoulder put him on injured reserve. Scott came back to the United States and played with the Chambersburg Cardinals, a semi-professional team, and was later on the practice taxi squad of some NFL teams. Ultimately, Scott decided to go in a different direction in his career, one he had envisioned from a young age.     
 
While sports played a big part in his decision to attend Gettysburg, there was another reason – serving in the military. Gettysburg had, at the time, an Air Force and Army ROTC program, and flying jets was what he wanted to do. Scott's interest in serving our country came from his father who was in the Army Air Corps.
 
"I remember as a kid looking at his picture and just thinking that there was something about the uniform and that discipline that made me feel like that's what I really wanted," noted Scott.
 
Scott was able to delay his ROTC commitment until his junior year, which allowed him the opportunity to still play football. After that, he went through the program and started as a Group Commander before working his way up to get his Commission. He scored high enough on the exam to get into flight school, but at the time the Air Force was cutting back on the flight slots. Since he wasn't able to fly jets as he had always wanted to do, the military gave his group an exception called the Palace Option where they weren't committed to serving four years. With that option, Scott served six months active duty and then went on reserve status. He served in the United States Air Force Reserve until 2008, rising as high as captain.  
 
With football in the rearview mirror and his military aspirations not quite turning out exactly as he intended, Scott instead focused his attention on another notable career in the FBI.
 
"It's the regime, the structure that I went through for 16 weeks of basic training for the academy that inspired me," said Scott. "Personally, it gave me a sense of purpose. At the time, there were only three African-Americans in my New Ages Class. In my first field office assignment in Houston, there were only two."   
 
Scott was the second youngest in his FBI class at the age of 27 and served for 30 years in the Bureau before retiring in 2012. In the New York office he watched as some of the biggest cases in the country rolled through, everything from Ted Kaczynski to the range of suspects depicted on weekly episodes of American's Most Wanted. He helped plan security for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and provided support during the American Embassy Bombings in Nairobi, Kenya in 1998. In 1997, Scott was awarded the FBI Medal of Valor.
 
"I had 30 great years," noted Scott. "I did a lot of things and was really blessed to be working in New York as an agent."
 
For the majority of his FBI career, he worked in New York and became the first African-American SWAT team leader. He was also in the city on 9/11.
 
"On 9/11 I had a second life," mentioned Scott. "I was supposed to meet another emergency service unit police officer at the World Trade Center and have my physical there too, but because of traffic, I went back to the range in Fort Dix as I was in charge of tactical training at the time. I would have been in the World Trade Center at the time it happened."  
 
In the aftermath of 9/11, Scott did his part in the search for people lost in the rubble of the towers and attended funeral services for lost colleagues. It was a trying moment in the history of the country, but the former Gettysburg All-American is quick to point to the instances of heroics scattered across the country during that particular time of need.
 
"I tell you so many people did such tremendous things that it reaffirmed my faith in American society," recalled Scott. "Whenever remains were found all searching stopped and there was a respectful silence. What brought me to tears was when any law enforcement officer was leaving, the people were cheering and giving out water to us. It fills that part of humanity that I believe is seen in the goodness of people."
 
Scott and his family moved to Gettysburg after retiring from the FBI in 2012. When he came back to the area, he didn't have coaching in mind, but his former mentor, Barry Streeter, asked if he would help the team with speed, drills, and agility. He agreed, and shortly after, started helping with the track and field programs.
 
Scott has coached a number of top performers, including Ty Abdul-Karim '18, who became the first Gettysburg runner to win both the 100-meter and 200-meter races at the Centennial Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2018. He has also coached the sons of some of his former teammates in cousins Jimmy Barnes '20 and Ken Barnes '20.
 
Whether it's been the all-conference "burner" or the relatives of his former teammates, Scott treats his student-athletes the same way he was treated on the way to a record-breaking career at Gettysburg and a remarkable post-graduate experience.
 
"Sometimes you need to have somebody know you're looking out for them as a mentor," said the assistant coach. "I've been blessed with having people along my journey who really mentored me.
 
"It is the little things that people did that helped shaped me and made me grateful for who I am and where I've been."