At 58, Tom Cillo is tackling his dream of playing college football

“What’s up, Tom?” D’Antonio said, extending his hand out of respect. Cillo returned the favor.

A few seconds later, D'Antonio snapped the ball and surged toward Cillo, who at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds is “small” only by football’s outsized standards. The whistle soon sounded to signal the end of the play following a short gain.

In that moment, Cillo was no longer burdened by the inescapable mid-life question of “what if?” He was no longer a curiosity, but an official, game-tested NCAA Division III college football player, just like everyone else in uniform on this sun-drenched early fall Sunday.

“It doesn’t compare to the birth of your children,” the father of three said after making his debut as a member of Lycoming's junior varsity in a 16-9 victory on Sept. 28. “But I’m telling you, from a competitor’s standpoint and a guy that’s loved to compete at different things over the years, I think this goes to the top of the chart. This was awesome.”

How did a guy who is drawing from his pension and will be eligible for Social Security before he graduates end up leading his Gen Z teammates in an old-school postgame cheer of “Hip Hip Hooray”? How did someone who drives to campus every day in a sedan that might be older than some of his fellow freshmen become an unlikely — if perfect — brand ambassador for a topical pain reliever as part of a NIL deal?

Dave Bellomo is glad you asked. Bellomo and Cillo — who have known each other for 30 years — were chatting last spring when the conversation took a turn.

Cillo had recently left his job as part of the Williamsport Recreation Department, where for more than three decades he kept the local streets and parks clean in the north-central Pennsylvania town most widely known as the home of the Little League World Series. He took a maintenance gig at Williamsport Area High School, where he graduated from in 1984, to give himself something to do.

Cillo could feel the clock ticking. He regretted not going to college, not playing football beyond quitting after a few high school practices.

Bellomo, who served as Cillo's de facto trainer as Cillo navigated everything from power lifting to marathons to triathlons, asked: Why not now?

There have been AARP-eligible college football players before. Tom Thompson and Alan Moore were both 61 when they booted extra points. Mike Flynt returned from a long break from the game to play one final season at linebacker for NAIA-level Sul Ross State at 59. Joe Thomas Sr. moonlighted as a running back for South Carolina State at 55.

All of them, however, had some level of experience. And none of them played in the trenches. Bellomo had another question: Who cares?

Hearing someone else say out loud what he’d long told himself privately provided the spark Cillo needed.

“It’s time to put regret, not even in the rearview mirror, but time to put it out of sight,” Cillo said. “Rearview mirror means you can still see it. I wanted it out of the picture altogether. It was time. It was now or never.”

Bellomo, who has trained athletes off and on since the 1990s, came up with a plan. Strength wasn’t going to be an issue, not for someone who can pull a firetruck. Conditioning, flexibility and recovery were another matter entirely.

Enter what Bellomo called “'Rocky'-type stuff.”

Sprinting up the massive hill that leads up to the high school. Then doing it again, only this time while carrying a 100-pound rock. Stretching exercises that would bring Cillo to the brink of tears. Cold immersion. Myofascial Therapy. Saunas.

Cillo also needed to apply to Lycoming, a small school of just over 1,000 students, and get accepted. Navigating the sea of paperwork wasn’t exactly easy for someone who hadn't been in the classroom for 40 years. Throw in the fiscal strain of paying for tuition out of pocket — Cillo is using some of that pension to offset the cost — and it’s a lot.

“I’m taking a risk academically, I’m taking a risk physically, definitely a risk financially,” Cillo said. “I smile a lot, but I’m smiling through the stress.”

Being strong is one thing. Knowing how to use that strength to play football is something else. For all of the wisdom gleaned from his life experiences, Cillo was a neophyte when it came to Xs and Os.

“It was tough,” Cillo said. “Some days I’d wake up and say, ‘You’ve got to get around.’ And my body would say, ‘Pump the brakes, brother.’”

Cillo willed his way through two weeks of 12-hour days of practices, meetings, walkthroughs and meals.

“He’s taken some lumps, but he keeps coming back,” coach Mike Clark said. “He keeps learning, keeps working.”

A typical school day begins with predawn hours spent studying — Cillo is majoring in criminal justice for now — and chugging coffee. Then it’s off to campus in his black Chuck Taylors for classes. He’ll try to sneak in a little treatment for whatever might be hurting on a given day.

While the rest of the Warriors head back to their dorms, Cillo instead checks in on his 90-year-old mother Rita, who is dealing with a host of health issues. Sometimes that means staying the night to keep an eye on her, which often means going without sleep. Next day, same thing.

The last thing Cillo wants out of this is sympathy or preferential treatment in the locker room or on the field. Clark, 54 and in his 18th season at Lycoming, never promised Cillo anything other than an opportunity. If Cillo never plays in a varsity game, which would make him the oldest non-kicker to ever see action in an NCAA contest, so be it. He is fully committed to seeing this through as long as his body allows and it's not just about the football.

Cillo provides countless rides and will occasionally pick up the tab for a post-practice meal. He'll give advice when asked, but doesn't want to overstep. He figured that's what teammates do.

“Everyone just loves him," fellow defensive lineman Mason Woodward said. "It’s like, ’Oh yeah, it’s Tom.'”

Clark credits Cillo’s presence for helping the Warriors stay focused amid a winless start, intangibles that last year’s group struggled with during a difficult season. If that’s what eventually becomes Cillo’s legacy at Lycoming, that's fine with him.

Playing is just part of this experience. So is creating bonds with young men just starting to find their way. If there’s anything he wants people to take away from this, it’s the message that it’s never too late.

“I know there are people out there just like me, holding themselves back,” he said. “And I want to tell those people, ‘Don’t do it any longer. If you have a dream, if you have a passion, follow through with it.’”

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