NFL OOTBALL HELMET

New Hartford grad learns from NFL Europe

Throughout Steve Cully's life, he has learned a few things.
He has learned how to play football. He learned never to give up. And he has learned to live out of a car. Cully, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive tackle, has dedicated his life to football. And he has had one heck of a journey just to be where he is today.
"Everyone loves one thing," said Cully, who recently completed his first season in NFL Europe with the Cologne (Germany) Centurions. "For me, it's football."
Cully graduated New Hartford High School in 1999 and received a full scholarship to play at the University of Connecticut. A three-year starter at UConn, Cully caught on with the Albany Conquest of the Arena2 League, making about (NBC)200 per week. While with the Conquest, he kept everything he owned in his car and slept every night on a friend's couch.
"I was so frustrated," recalls Cully. But he was far from ready to quit, even with people telling him he should.Former Cleveland Browns head coach and current Hamburg (Germany) Sea Devils assistant coach Sam Rutigliano lobbied for Cully in the 2004 and 2005 NFL Europe draft. Unfortunately, Rutigliano was unsuccessful in both years. In 2004, Cully lost out on a coin toss. This year, he was overlooked due to the abundance of allocated players. "I just couldn't catch a break," Cully said.After the NFL Europe deal fell through last spring, he re-signed with the Conquest after being cut by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. This spring, after the draft, Cologne needed help on the offensive line and called Cully. In March, the Centurions signed him as a free agent - and he went on to play in every game."Steve is very coachable and does what he is asked. That's half the battle of making it in the NFL," says Cologne offensive line coach Bob Bicknell. "He is a wonderful player who has a bright future ahead of him if he keeps working."
Praise for Cully has not started recently. He has been receiving positive notice since high school.
"He worked very hard, and he wanted to learn the game," says New Hartford coach Bob Jones, Cully's head coach with the Spartans. "He was always in the gym, always working hard, and he really developed."
And this spring, he helped the Centurions to a 6-4 mark while getting a taste of NFL football.
"I had a great time," said Cully, who stayed in a five-star hotel - with every meal provided - all while making (NBC)1,500 per week. "But it was not a vacation. I was there for one reason - to play football."
The 24-year-old Cully also felt that playing in Europe was the first time he felt "special."
Offensive linemen generally go unnoticed, but Cully loved the attention.
"I was a star," he said. "I signed more autographs there in one season than I will for the rest of my life."
From his point of view, American football ranks third in European sporting popularity, behind soccer and basketball, respectively. One reason for this is that NFL Europe players don't come back annually.
In essence, fans have to root for a whole new team each year. But Cully was surprised about the number of packed stadiums and the atmosphere in which he played.
"European fans are just happy to be there," Cully said. "American fans are more aggressive, more serious, and more intense.
Over there, the fans didn't care about the outcome. They were even nice when we were on the road."
Back when Cully was just a fan, he drew inspiration from former New Hartford basketball star Andy Cavo.
"When you have someone, a local talent, who you can watch week-in and week-out, that is so special," Cully said. "That is what inspires people. Andy Cavo gave people memories. Watching how good he was and how people loved him ... I always wanted that. I wanted memories. Nobody remembers anything I did on the football field."
Cavo, who went to Siena College to play basketball, is three years older than Cully.
Surprisingly, the two were never more than acquaintances.
In fact, Cully didn't have a conversation with Cavo until last October at a gym in Albany. "I was meeting someone who had a tremendous impact on my life. I didn't know where to start.
"When I was growing up, Andy was the best. He was special. He motivated me to be great. I strived to be as good as him. He is someone I continue to model my life around."
Although Cully credits Cavo for helping him chase his dream, it was Cully's own strong will, perseverance, and support that helped, too.
"I never stopped for anything or anybody," Cully said. "People are either very supportive, or they tell me to give it up. I had a lot of doubters. I had a lot of people telling me to quit. People told me no, you can't do this, or you can't do that. But I didn't listen to anyone. I have always believed in myself, even when nobody else did. I spent two miserable years chasing a dream. I slept on a couch. I lived off the McDonald's Dollar Menu. I pushed away family and friends. There is so much more to life than that."

EVAN PHILIPSONSpecial to the Observer-Dispatch