As Tom Cillo slogged through Lycoming College’s training camp this summer – and battled with players four decades his junior – a mantra from his high school friend stuck in his head.
‘Be unbreakable,’ his friend Jeff had told him.
There were bruised ribs, brutal sessions in the Pennsylvania heat, and long, 12-plus hour days of camp.
But Cillo – a grey-haired 58-year-old with ‘almost zero experience playing football’ – did not break.
And incredibly, he’s now a freshman defensive lineman for Division III Lycoming.
‘There were a few moments during camp that it’s 90-plus degrees and you’re sweating, and you’re achy and you’re sore,’ he recalled to the Daily Mail. ‘And I thought to myself: “Can I see this through? Am I going to make it?”‘
Tom Cillo, 58, is a defensive lineman for Division III Lycoming College in Williamsport
Cillo was a competitive powerlifter but had barely any experience playing football before
He said he’s received a slew of touching messages from around the world regarding his football pursuit
More than four decades after his last brush with football, Cillo managed to make it through training camp – and become a national story in the process.
In the weeks since it emerged that the dad-of-three was on Lycoming’s roster for this season, he’s appeared on the ‘TODAY’ show and even signed a somewhat fitting NIL deal with pain relief brand Aspercreme.
But his path to this point has been far from linear. In fact, it’s barely included playing football at all.
Even from afar, Cillo has ‘always loved this game,’ he says now.
But his high school football career was over before it began.
‘I was 15 years old, then I started experimenting with drugs and alcohol, and it just sent me on a different path, that’s the reality of it, it happened,’ he said.
‘And so when I graduated high school, I never went to college. And years went by, and quite a few decades go by, but I always held to that dream that I would come back and get a degree and and play college football. It probably took longer than what I expected for me to act on it, but I’ve acted on it nonetheless, and here I am today.’
What was once a point of ‘regret’ for Cillo, who spent 33 years working for the City of Williamsport’s Recreation Department, has turned into a heartwarming story of perseverance.
Cillo is pursuing a degree in criminal justice while playing for Lycoming’s team
He saw action for Lycoming in a junior varsity game on September 28
In the years that he got married, had children (who are now adults), got sober and even became a competitive power-lifter in his 30s, football remained a lingering presence in his life.
‘Even into my 30s and 40s, I’ve always had this spirit of competition to me if you will, this competitive fire,’ he said.
‘And yeah, I would watch games and think, “You know what, I can still do this.” I wanted to be out there.’
The 58-year-old, whose Instagram is littered with videos of his lifting feats, is certainly in impressive condition for his age. Most greying men don’t talk about having a ‘passion’ for deadlifting.
But it wasn’t until Cillo retired from his longtime job and started working for a local high school that something truly shifted mentally.
‘My title there was equipment manager for for the athletic programs,’ he explains. ‘And I did some custodial duties. After several months, I just felt like I needed a change. The daily routine, it had kind of become mundane to me. And I thought, I’m going to hit the reboot button.’
Cillo has looked to translate his strength from power-lifting to the football field
With the help of his friend Dave Bellomo, that was exactly what happened.
A string of brutal workouts commenced, meant to whip him into shape for training camp. Hill sprints, painful stretching exercises and cold immersion were among the methods employed.
There were also financial sacrifices to be made, as Cillo is reportedly using his pension to fund his schooling at Lycoming.
That training, ultimately, paid off as Cillo impressed in lifting and conditioning tests over the summer.
And his life certainly looks different now. Along with his budding football career, he is pursuing a criminal justice degree at Lycoming. His Mondays also feature a mandatory study hall – a must for all first-year players on the team.
‘Sometimes I do have to remind myself that I am still a freshman,’ he laughed.
There has certainly been plenty for the 6-foot, 227-pound player to get acclimated to.
The long days of camp, which included team meals and meetings, took a toll. The violence of a sport that he hadn’t played in more than 40 years left him with bruised ribs, which forced him to miss a couple of summer practices.
‘It’s my personal challenge of a lifetime,’ he said.
And after initially setting a goal of merely making it through training camp, Cillo is still standing. He debuted for Lycoming’s junior varsity squad on September 28, and he’s earned the respect of his teammates as well.
‘Skepticism’, to quote Cillo, would certainly be natural from his teammates four decades younger than him.
Cillo has become a popular figure on the team among his much-younger teammates
Cillo said ‘I held myself back for years’ but has encouraged others to chase their dreams
But those doubts were assuaged when he showed he was in serious football shape over the summer, and he’s continued growing his bond with teammates in the months since.
Recently, they cheered on Cillo’s son during a watch party for his participation in (and eventual winning of) a Mr. Beast-sponsored Minecraft tournament.
‘As soon as we found out that he had won, I FaceTimed him, and I was holding the phone up, and the guys were all huddled up, and we were jumping up and down, screaming and hooting and hollering,’ Cillo recalled. ‘It was absolutely epic. And it’s just again, our relationship is just growing by the day and and I love it.’
Far beyond the confines of Williamsport, Cillo has also become a sort of avatar for dreams deferred.
Touching messages have poured in from the likes of Bosnia, Australia and Germany, he said. One woman in her 30s wants to be a pro volleyball player. Another man, he recalled, is eyeing stardom as a Bluegrass banjo player.
‘It’s powerful stuff, and it’s helping keep me motivated as well.’
Cillo isn’t done dreaming either.
He wants to see action for Lycoming’s main squad, who have sputtered to a 1-5 start thus far. He would also be proud of just making it through this season, which is now more than halfway done.
Perhaps Lycoming’s grizzled No. 40 won’t see action on the field. Either way, it’s clear Cilllo is at peace with his return to football.
‘If there’s something that you have a passion for, and if you have a dream or the talent to pull it off, do it. Don’t hold yourself back,’ he said.
‘I held myself back for years. Don’t let somebody’s voice in your ear or somebody else’s voice be louder than yours.’
