Post by TheShadow on Feb 2, 2006 19:39:14 GMT -5
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IN THEIR WORDS
By Maureen Fulton
In Their Words is a weekly feature appearing Sundays in the Blade sports
section. Blade sports writer Maureen Fulton talked with Phil Villapiano, a
former Bowling Green State University football standout who was a Pro Bowl
linebacker for the Oakland Raiders and played in the NFL for 13 years.
As a member of the 1970s Raiders, Phil Villapiano might be BGSU's most
famous bad boy.
Villapiano's 13-year pro career included a Super Bowl win, four Pro Bowl
appearances and two seasons on the All-NFL team.
Villapiano grew up in Asbury Park, N.J. He came to BGSU in 1967 after a
coaching change at Maryland, the school he had initially preferred, swayed
his decision.
Villapiano actually played defensive end for BGSU, under coach Don Nehlen.
He was All-Mid-American Conference first team in 1969 and 1970 and was
chosen as BGSU's most valuable player in 1970, his senior season. That year
he was also named MAC co-defensive player of the year. The Falcons elected
him to their hall of fame in 1976; the MAC did the same in 1992.
Some NFL scouts initially felt he was undersized at 6-foot-1, 222-pounds for
a defensive end, but his aggressiveness and speed quickly overshadowed any
flaws. He played so well in the Blue-Gray game after his senior year that he
was invited to the Senior Bowl. In the 1971 Senior Bowl, Villapiano switched
to linebacker, and a few weeks later, he was drafted in the second round by
the Raiders.
Villapiano started his rookie season and became a national name early in his
career because of broadcaster Howard Cosell's praise during a Monday Night
Football game. The Raiders won the AFC West from 1972-1975, and defeated the
Minnesota Vikings to win the 1977 Super Bowl. In that game, Villapiano
forced a goal-line fumble that prevented the Vikings from scoring.
Villapiano played in the Pro Bowl from 1973-1976. In 1980, Villapiano was
traded to the Buffalo Bills. He played four seasons for the Bills before
retiring after the 1983 season. In 2002, Villapiano made the list of
preliminary nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Villapiano, 56, lives with his wife, Susan, and son, Michael, 12, in Rumson,
N.J. His daughter, Andrea, 26, and son, Phil, 24, live close by. Villapiano
travels around the country for his job as vice president of national
accounts for Independent Container Line. He also is active with the Muscular
Dystrophy Association and hosts a gala each year to benefit ALS research.
"MY FATHER WENT to school in Indiana, at DePauw, so we were looking for a
place that wasn't too big, wasn't too small. Don Nehlen was a great coach. I
liked to hit people, and Don Nehlen liked to hit people. That was really
important. Had I gone into BG and had a different coach, I might not have
been able to make the pros.
"A lot of guys in the MAC were being recruited by the Canadian Football
League. I had a really good Blue-Gray Game and a really good Senior Bowl.
[Raiders owner] Al Davis was at the Senior Bowl, and afterwards he shook my
hand and told me I played very well, and I never talked to him again until
draft day. I had a party for draft day at BG, and when I got drafted I had
to ask a friend, 'Go get me the map, where's Oakland?' "
"In college you still have to kind of be a gentleman. But when you get into
the pros, it's like a heavyweight fight. I loved that best of all. I
couldn't stand anybody getting on a team or starting that really didn't
deserve it, and that happens a lot in high school and college, but in the
pros, you better be good. It was cutthroat. If you got injured, you could
lose your job. I can't tell you how many fights I had in practice my rookie
year."
"THE BEAUTY OF THE SUPER BOWL is six months later, when you get your ring.
And it really becomes big when you retire. I've made more money off my Super
Bowl ring than a bunch of other things, because it's a great conversation
piece. The Super Bowl win is still a big thing in my life even though I'm 56
years old."
"You've got to give something back. I'm a national vice president for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 10 years, we've raised a couple million
for research. I've been working with them since 1971. I also help with the
Special Olympics' Tournament of Champions."
"A FEW MONTHS AFTER 9/11, I went out to see the Raiders play the Chargers,
and it was such a great, patriotic game. I ran into a bunch of Raiders fans,
dressed to kill, at a tailgate party in the parking lot.
I saw a guy in a wheelchair, Mitch Oellrich, who had a spinal cord injury.
We started talking, and I just thought I could motivate him. I told him, you
take my Super Bowl ring, work out three times a day, and asked when he
thought he could walk. He said the Super Bowl. I coached him all the way to
the end. The day of the Super Bowl, I said, 'If you're not sure, just keep
the ring 'til you're ready.' The guy did it, he walked across a casino stage
in Reno and it was unbelievable. If you could imagine how big that was, how
important that was. The crowd was cheering, and he had my No. 41 on. Oprah
Winfrey picked up on it and ended up getting him a scholarship to a gym in
San Diego that helps overcome spinal cord injuries. He's on crutches now and
he's still trying to walk."
"I LOVE THE IMAGE of the quarterback. I would much rather have my conference
be known for the quarterback than the linebacker. I knew when I was playing
there that I could play pro ball when I left. I'm looking for Bowling Green
to win the MAC this year, and I'm going to come support them. I went to the
Temple game last year and we absolutely destroyed them, it was great. I'm
coaching my son Michael in Pop Warner so my schedule is pretty busy. But I
am a big Falcon, I try to come out and play in the golf tournament every
year. When BG needs me, I show up."