big man on campus

noun phrase

US, somewhat old-fashioned

: an important and well-known person especially at a school

The quarterback of the football team is a real big man on campus.

Examples of big man on campus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mahogany, Mel Kiper’s No. 2 guard in the nation, was the big man on campus in more than just a literal sense. —Trevor Hass, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2023

Saturday’s matchup will be the first between the two programs since 1992, when Kerry Collins was the big man on campus at Penn State. —cleveland, 2 Sep. 2023

The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Simpson had been a big man on campus at Clemson, starting 29 of a possible 30 games in his junior and senior seasons and earning praise from NFL scouts for his broad, powerful physique and his hunger to eliminate defenders from running lanes. —Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 1 Sep. 2023

Unsurprisingly, energy is the name of the game in Texas, as 26 of the 55 companies that call the state home are from this industry, including the big man on campus, ExxonMobil. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 9 June 2023