My journey to the NFL tryouts started long before playing football at Cal on a high school track in my hometown of San Diego. At the time, I was playing water polo in the fall, basketball in the winter, and running track and throwing the shot put in the spring. My track and field coach was former NFL defensive back Charles Dimry. He was impressed by my size and speed, but also knew that I had good catching hands from water polo. Coach would often say to me ‘You gotta try out for football’ and ‘ you’ll regret it if you don’t’. The only problem was that as a fall sport, football conflicted with my water polo commitments.
By my senior year of high school in 2002, I was captain of our water polo team, which won repeat CIF championships. In addition, my club team won three gold medals at the Junior Olympics. I was voted All American by USA Water Polo and landed a spot on the National Youth Team traveling to Croatia, Italy, and Turkey to compete against other national teams. And although I was excelling at water polo and accepted an offer from Cal to play on their team, I was not passionate about the game. Coach Dimry’s words had stuck with me and I knew I had to somehow give football a shot.
Leaving the water polo team after my first season at Cal was a difficult decision, but I knew that if I stayed I was not being true to my team or myself. In the summer of 2003, I approached Jeff Tedford, the head coach of Cal, and told him that I was big, fast, and eager to play on his team. He told me to come back in the Spring. A month or so later, I was skateboarding through campus and a blue van seemed to be tailing me. I thought it might have been a campus police officer or something trying to ticket me for skating through a part of campus where I shouldn’t have been. Instead, it was Mike McHugh, Director of Cal Football Operations trying to track me down. He said that they’d lost a tight end due to injury and were looking for me, but had lost my contact information. He wanted me at practice the following week. I showed up the next week for what I thought would be a meeting, but instead was fitted for pads and a helmet and invited to join the team as a redshirt.
Redshirting my first year, I had to learn the game from scratch. I had no Pop Warner, High School, or other previous football experience. I did however have speed (running 40 yards in 4.7 seconds), size (6'5" and 265 lbs), and 100% determination to get some playing time. The exhilaration felt on game day though made all of the practicing worth it, even though my playing time was limited during my first two years on the team. As I gained experience and recognition on the team though, I saw more action. I played every game during my last two seasons both as a tight end and in special teams and never missed a catch.
At the end of the 2007 football season at Cal I was named Most Improved Player. Some of my friends, including my fellow tight end Craig Stevens, were getting ready for the NFL draft. I knew that I lacked exposure but was determined to show that I could perform, and dominate, at the same level as my friends who were being drafted. I have discovered in myself a confidence in my athletic abilities and a total determination to become a professional football player.
I realize there is no shortcut to success, and I have taken the long way to reaching my goal. But, the way in which I reach my goal will define my character and strengthen my spirit for the rest of my life.
- Julian