It was the first meeting of the season at Lycoming College when football coach Michael Clark, 54, asked every first-year student to introduce themselves. It went something like this: Adrian Alena from Hackensack High School (Class of 2025), Tyler Cormier from Saint Mark’s (Class of 2025), so on and so forth until a much deeper and older voice paced itself to join in. Tom Cillo, Williamsport Area High School, Class of 1984.

You heard that right. The program has a 58-year-old DL on its team. Cillo graduated from high school four decades ago, where he played the sport as a freshman. But after a few run-ins with substance abuse and a 33-year-long career serving his city’s streets and parks department, Cillo retired. The very next thing he did was to return to his alma mater, first employed as their equipment manager for a couple of months, which lit the old spark in him. Getting enrolled in Lycoming to study criminal justice and play football, Cillo now readies himself for his very first college football game. As such, former linebacker and head coach, Bill Cowher has a few encouraging words to share.

“Tom, Bill Cowher here,” Cowher began. “Your story is absolutely amazing. I admire your passion, your determination, and your commitment. Good luck today. I know September 6th, and I know you are going to be out there on the football field… When they say never too late, you take it to another level. Now, I wish you nothing but the best, and you are an inspiration. Love your passion, your determination. You are going to make an impact on a lot of people, more than you think.

“Good luck, Tom. Stay healthy. And don’t get afraid to get low and get down. Stay out of the piles. You are 58. Good luck. One hit, get out of there, make a tackle. You can notch that one up. One each week, maybe even two. But just take it easy. Protect yourself.” It goes without saying that Cillo loved his message.

However, No. 40 didn’t get the opportunity to play against TCNJ on September 6. Truth be told, playing wasn’t the actual point. Cillo knew he might not get much playing time, but for him, being a part of a team setting, practicing and working through camp was very much a part of what he was trying to accomplish all along.

He has also been a great addition in the locker room. He may be 58, but he has shown his athleticism through his history in strongman competitions, half marathons, and the way he expertly navigates the weight room. Cillo broke the Pennsylvania state deadlift record of 580 pounds last year within the 55-59 age category. And in 2023, he shocked people after he successfully pulled a 30,000-pound fire truck during a strongman competition. Still, adjusting to tough football training takes time, and for Cillo, it comes with a major learning curve.

Regardless, he seems to have struck a chord with his teammates. That might be surprising, considering the large age gap and the fact that Cillo is older than HC Michael Clark. But No. 40 knew exactly how to break the ice. He impressed his teammates when he told them his son was invited to a gaming tournament with YouTube star MrBeast!

While Cillo is yet to make his college football debut, his story is inspiring. It reminds me of 61-year-old Vietnam veteran Alan Moore. Back in 2011, he became the oldest player to feature in a college football game after he kicked an extra point for NAIA Faulkner in its season-opener. In fact, he wore a square-toe shoe and kicked old-school style—a trend that was popular back when he played the sport in the late 60s. And that kick gave his team a 25-0 lead early in the second half.

Moore remains the oldest player ever to play a college football game, and he beat Tom Thompson by just two months of age difference. Thompson featured in a game for Austin College in 2009 at age 60. But let us not forget Mike Flynt, who suited up for Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, in 2007. He was 59 then.

And so, while Cillo may have felt a bit embarrassed when the staff at Lycoming first handed him a coach’s chart, assuming he was a football coach, he seems determined to soon write history as the fourth-oldest college football debutant.