Jerry Dickinson never seriously entertained the possibility of playing professional soccer during his first three years at the College of the Holy Cross.

Although he had been a starter since his freshman season and a three-year captain, playing soccer for a living seemed like a distant dream.

But by the time Dickinson was finishing his stellar college career for the Crusaders, he was getting feelers from professional teams, including an invitation to a tryout for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.

There was only one problem. Dickinson had another opportunity that he could not turn down.

Dickinson, 22, a Shaler Area High School graduate, was awarded a Fulbright grant to work and study at the University of Witwatersrand School of Law and the Centre for Applied Legal Studies in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Only 1,500 students are awarded Fulbright grants each year and Dickinson is one of only 159 African-Americans to earn one this year. The Fulbright grants are funded by the U.S. State Department, which this year contributed nearly $221 million to the fellowships.

Dickinson will spend a year in South Africa and will write his master's dissertation on how to better serve the interests of low-income black African families in Johannesburg, where forced evictions occur at a high rate.

The dissertation is a takeoff on his senior thesis at Holy Cross, which explored the Section 8 housing program and the role of housing policy and design in facilitating black neighborhood movement and social mobility.

"My coach told me a number of times that I could have played pro ball," Dickinson said. "I think I was too tuned into academics to pursue it. By January or February I was thinking about it more and more. My senior season was more successful than I thought it would be."

Dickinson, who graduated Saturday, will leave for South Africa in November to begin his research.

One of 10 children, including eight who were adopted, to grow up in the home of Robert and Judy Dickinson in Shaler, Jerry said his upbringing helped to foster his academic pursuits.

Dickinson graduated with a 3.4 grade-point average and completed his bachelor's degree in four years with a double major in political science and sociology. He plans to attend law school once he returns from South Africa.

"Growing up in a multiracial family, I learned to be open to people's differences," Dickinson said. "I always go into things with an open mind."

The university where Dickinson will be studying in South Africa sponsors a club soccer team, but he does not know whether he will have the time to devote to playing.

If his senior season was the completion of his competitive athletic career, it was quite the ending. Dickinson earned a second consecutive All-Patriot League honor as well as league defensive player of the year honors. He was the leader of the Holy Cross defense that finished the season ranked 20th in the nation with a 0.71 goals-against average.

The Crusaders finished the season with a 9-5-5 record, with victories against top 20 teams Massachusetts and Boston College, and advanced to the Patriot League championship game before losing to Colgate, 2-1.

On May 2, Dickinson received the special honor of being named the 2008-09 Crusader of the Year. The award was presented at the 54th annual Holy Cross Varsity Club dinner and Dickinson joined an impressive list of winners.

Other notable athletes to win the award include Gordie Lockbaum, a two-time Heisman Trophy candidate and former Steelers draft choice; Ron Perry, the school's all-time leading scorer in men's basketball and a standout baseball player who was drafted by the Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox; and Tommy Heinsohn, the former Celtics great and basketball Hall of Famer.

"It was an amazing year," Dickinson said. "I had the time of my life."