Upcoming Event: Football versus New Hampshire on September 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM
1:00 PM
Football
vs New Hampshire
Spotlight on Pat Scorah
10/20/2010 3:16:00 PM | Football
By Bruce Wood
The Dartmouth safety was going to be bunking with the Big Green linebacker and his family deep in the heart of Texas for a few months. As would be the case for anyone raised in cosmopolitan Washington, D.C., there was a threat of serious culture shock living in the land of Longhorns and Ford F50s.
Ah, but maybe not the kind of culture shock you'd expect. “My mom was a little concerned because she cooks a lot of Korean food and she didn't know if Pat would like it,” said linebacker Matt Oh, whose mother hails from South Korea. “But I mean, he loved it. Absolutely loved it. He was all about coming into the house and getting another meal.
“It was pretty funny. He actually had to stop eating so much, that's how much he liked it. I swear he has some Korean blood in him somewhere.”
• • • • •
Pat Scorah of Washington, D.C., calls classmate Matt Oh of Coppell, Texas, his brother, and not in the, “How's it goin', Bro,” sense. More in the, “If you take that last cookie I'm gonna tell Momma on you,” sense.
It's a pretty safe bet no one would think they really were related. Not when the Oh is a 6-foot-2 Korean-American and Scorah a 5-foot-8 African-American.
But that's how Scorah thinks of Oh, of defensive end Charles Bay and the rest of his teammates. To understand why it is helpful to pull back the curtain and see how his life story informed his world view.
• • • • •
Pat Scorah was born in Gadsden, Ala., on March 14, 1989. John and Cecelia Scorah, a white couple, are the only parents he's ever known.
“I was adopted pretty early, in the first three months,” he said. “It's been a different life. I have two brothers who are adopted, too, so I don't have anyone with my same genetics.”
Scorah is someone who speaks deliberately, seemingly thinking his way through a complete sentence before issuing the first word. It is not because he is in any way uncomfortable with his family history because he isn't.
Although it wasn't always easy, Scorah feels his upbringing was a blessing.
“It has really helped me become a person,” he said. “My parents raised me to be my own person and see the world for myself. I have white friends and I have black friends. I don't judge anyone based on stereotypes and things like that.
“I've been able to kind of feel things out and see what I really like rather than just being in an all-black family, or an all-white family where I might see just a small part of society. I feel very fortunate because everything that happened in my life got me to this point.”
• • • • •
It was mom Cecelia, a retired nurse, who Scorah has to thank in some ways for helping him land at Dartmouth.
A talented travel-team soccer player as a young boy, Scorah first played organized football in ninth grade and quickly came to enjoy the sport. A linebacker and fullback, he set his eyes on playing major college football while earning three letters at St. John's College High School.
That dream lost some luster when he attended a player development camp as a high schooler.
“I was a 5-8 linebacker in high school,” he said. “Coaches would see me, and they would say that I was a good player, but that I was just too short. The Maryland defensive coordinator came and said that to my defensive coordinator, Coach (Rashod) Gillespie, 'I love your linebacker, if only he was an inch taller.'
“When I heard that I didn't really give up hope but I started looking more at the I–AA programs. They were recruiting me harder anyway.” He might have ended up at a Holy Cross or a Colgate until Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens arrived unannounced at St. John's one day late in the recruiting season.
“I had sent a questionnaire to Dartmouth because my uncle went here,” Scorah said. “My mom thought it was a good idea. I told her, 'I am never going to go to the Ivy League. I don't want to play Ivy League football.'
“Then Coach Teevens showed up at my school and said they really like me and they wanted me to take an official visit.”
On his recruiting trip with fellow DC linebacker Alex Johns, Scorah immediately felt comfortable with host Rob Mitchelson '10 as well as the rest of the team and Dartmouth community. Still, it took a little extra push for him to commit.
“I went home and called my uncle and other relatives who went to Ivy League schools,” he said. “I also talked to my coach.
“In the end it was my mom who said, 'You don't understand because you're young. But the opportunity you have in front of you right now is something that is very special.' Long story short, I feel like I committed here for my mom. She guides me and she's never let me down.”
• • • • •
Scorah played in six games as a freshman and was a backup safety and special teams player as a soph.
As a linebacker last year he led the Big Green in tackles and was second in takedowns for a loss. In the double-overtime win against Cornell he had nine tackles, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass, both in the red zone.
Through three games this year he is the Big Green's leading tackler with 21 stops.
“His explosiveness and his ability to burst and track people down is probably the best on our team,” said defensive coordinator Don Dobes. “He has tremendous intensity and great enthusiasm. He can play the game.”
As a captain Scorah's contributions aren't limited to what happens between the white lines.
“Some people get mixed up and think the best player should be captain,” he said. “I like to think I'm a pretty good player but I know I'm not the best player on defense. It means a lot to me that people see me as a leader because I'm not that vocal a guy. I hope I've had some influence on work ethic and sacrifice.
“I try to lead by example. I understand the sacrifice that it takes to dominate. I understood it in high school. It's something that my parents have really instilled in me, the importance of getting better, and to keep on getting better.”
• • • • •
Scorah's goal is indeed to keep on getting better and to continue playing football after graduation.
“I'm definitely going to give it a shot,” he said. “I am planning to work out with a personal trainer before I do. I know that I am physically limited so I have got to make sure that I am even stronger than I am, and super fast.
“The goal is the NFL. You've got to go for the top.”
Whether he makes it there or not, Scorah is quick to reel off a long list of people who have helped him get this far. People like high school coaches Gillespie and Joe Patterson. His buddies Kevin, Matt, Tommy, Josh, Jim and Danny. His brothers, particularly Joe, who he calls the biggest influence in his life.
And of course his parents.
“My brothers and my parents aren't my blood, but they are my family,” he said. “They've been everything to me and helped me understand family isn't just about blood. I can look at people like Matt Oh and Charles Bay and say, 'You are my brothers,' not like some people say it, but meaning it.
“They are my strength and help me move forward. Everyone who has really influenced my life in a big way is family. This whole team is family.”
A veteran writer and observer of Dartmouth athletics, Bruce Wood launched a web site in 2005, www.biggreenalert.com, specializing in Big Green football news coverage.
Players Mentioned
DE
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football2025 Dartmouth Football Positional Preview: Tight Ends
Monday, September 15
2025 Dartmouth Football Positional Preview: Special Teams
Sunday, September 14
2025 Dartmouth Football Positional Preview: Linebackers
Wednesday, September 10
Dartmouth Football Completes Scrimmage #2 - Sept. 8, 2025
Tuesday, September 09
