COLUMN: Steve Solloway
Wrestling or football, the word is champion
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Angered by this American who beat their native son, the fans threw pistachios. Maybe a shoe or two. Certainly there were epithets in a language Steve Neal couldn’t understand.
“I beat the Turkish guy and there wasn’t much security around, “said Neal, remembering that day in Ankara, site of the 1999 world championships in wrestling. He wasn’t too worried. He always has believed he can handle himself.
Today he is the starting right guard for the New England Patriots, one of the five men responsible for protecting quarterback Tom Brady or giving Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk the room to run. Six years ago he was a U.S. wrestler, responsible only for himself.
Sunday, he has the opportunity to earn a Super Bowl ring. In 1999 he won the world championship. No one was better at 263 pounds.
“It’s an interesting story, “said Neal, who has retold it maybe two dozen times this week. “My teammates are kind of sick hearing about it.”
Actually, they’re not. On a team where character is as important as physical skills, Neal stands out. The men in the Patriots’ locker room know how difficult it is to play at this level. They also know how Neal began this improbable trip.
Neal never played a down of college football. Blocking and tackling? Neal was better known for his so-called freight train double-leg takedown.
“I liked to rush my opponents and get both arms around their legs. It usually worked.”
He grew up in San Diego, a friendly, intelligent kid who liked to try things. He played volleyball. He swam freestyle and the backstroke, if you can picture that, for his high school team. He threw the discus and shot put in track. He played tennis.
He played football in high school and patiently has explained this week that yes, he did know how to wear his shoulder pads when he arrived at his first Patriots camp.
Neal didn’t wrestle until his freshman year in high school. Someone told him wrestling was more difficult and of course Neal wanted to try. One of his opponents was Ricky Williams, the Miami Dolphins dropout.
“He beat the crap out of us in football. I was fortunate to beat him in wrestling. He had his dreadlocks then, too.”
No one really wanted Neal for football at their school. Not enough to offer a scholarship. Recruiters did want him to wrestle. He chose Cal State-Bakersfield, which had no football.
Neal won two NCAA titles. He wrestled in Bulgaria and Iran. Mongolia and Colombia or wherever the U.S. team took him. Many times the air in the arena was thick with tobacco smoke. Or the smell of unwashed bodies.
“In Iran, women aren’t allowed to watch so it’s all men. They’re not always clean. It was crazy.”
Still, it was a satisfying part of his life. The only thing missing was a spot on the Olympic team. He finished second in the 2000 trials. Only one wrestler qualifies for each weight class.
“I have a lot of dreams, “said Neal. “I’m not finished with wrestling. I don’t know if a Super Bowl ring could replace a gold medal. When you get to represent your country at the Olympics, to wear USA on your singlet, that’s special.”
He’s special. Mention his name and Patriots Coach Bill Belichick comes alive. Neal earned his starting spot this year.
“He started as low as anyone possibly can in this sport, “said Belichick. “I mean, he didn’t know anything. He didn’t know his stance, he didn’t even know how to get to the practice field.”
“He’s come so far. Incredibly far.”
After winning the world championship in 1999, Neal had few options. Pro wrestling?
“That’s entertainment and I love competition, “said Neal. “You travel every day and I just got married.”
He thought about pro football. A friend put him in contact with an agent who approached the Patriots for a tryout. Neal had to borrow equipment from Mike Vrabel, the linebacker.
The Patriots signed Neal but cut him at the end of training camp in 2001. He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. They cut him after 12 weeks and the Patriots resigned him.
Belichick couldn’t resist not giving a three-time Academic All-American with the strength of Atlas another chance.
Americans don’t recognize champion wrestlers. Not the legitimate kind, anyway. Neither do we recognize offensive linemen. That Neal has succeeded at both probably says more about his makeup.
“I can walk into a mall, I can pump gas and no one knows who I am, “said Neal. “I like that. I can’t imagine being Tom Brady. I’m a private guy.
“I’ve always believed in proving myself.”
Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at:
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