Former Dartmouth defensive end Anthony Gargiulo '06 is heading north, although the border crossing will be a little farther west than he originally anticipated.
The two-time member of the All-Ivy League first team said Sunday that he has been tendered and expects to sign a one-year contract with the Calgary Stampeders later this week after a well-received tryout with the Canadian Football League team. The 6-foot-3, 254-pound Gargiulo returns to football after a one-year sabbatical from the game following his graduation from college.
Gargiulo, who decided only last summer to actively pursue a pro career, had been mulling a two-year offer from the Montreal Alouettes that followed a successful tryout in Albany. He opted instead for a one-year deal with Calgary that will allow him to move to the NFL sooner should a team be i
nterested in his services."I'm more relieved than excited at this point," said Gargiulo. "It's been a while since I played. I am really excited just to get pads on and play again."
Gargiulo was one of 65 players getting a long look at Calgary's most recent camp. "They invited me up and it went well," he said. "We had meetings Wednesday, two practices a day Thursday and Friday and then more meetings on Saturday before going home.
"It was fun to do football stuff as opposed to just working out, running around and doing drills. I was pretty confident going in that this would be the outcome."
While Gargiulo felt well-prepared for the tryout after working hard on his strength, speed and conditioning for the past nine months, his competition certainly had impressive credentials. "There was nobody there I recognized or talked to from an Ivy League or Patriot League team," he said. "The guys they brought in for defensive end were from Florida State, from USC, one guy was from Miami. One guy was from Oklahoma. They were from all over.
"I was the only guy from a non-big time program, but I knew what I could do. Going through the drills I could see my speed was as good or better than all of them. I didn't feel like I was outmatched in that respect."
This web site reports Gargiulo has been clocked in 4.58 in the 40, done 30 reps at 225 pounds, had his vertical measured at 37.5 inches and run as fast as 6.42 in the three-cone drill.
The Stampeders camp opens June 3. To learn more about the team, click here.
(Gargiulo photo courtesy Dartmouth Sports Information)
As expected, Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie, taken by the New York Giants in the fourth round, was the only Ivy Leaguer chosen in the NFL draft. Bloomberg.com has a story about DeOssie and the Ivy hopefuls here. ... The Boston Herald writes about DeOssie here. ... A smug New York Times blogger wrote this after DeOssie's selection:
With the 17th pick in the fourth round (116th over all), the Giants drafted Zak DeOssie, an outside linebacker from Brown. Brown? Does the school really have a football team?Click here for a list of the 17 FCS players taken in this year's draft as well as a list of those taken dating back to 2000.
The Crimson reports Harvard tailback Clifton Dawson has agreed to terms with the Indianapolis Colts. ... (Check out this Toronto Star story for a predraft look at Dawson.) ...
New Hampshire receiver David Ball wasn't picked, failing in his bid to become the first Vermonter ever taken in the draft. ... While Ball's name wasn't called, teammate Corey Graham was chosen as a defensive back, in no small part because of his 4.39 clocking in the 40 according to the Manchester Union Leader. ...
Next on tap is the Canadian Football League draft and Columbia safety Tad Crawford is considered by this site as one of the players "considered most likely to have significant CFL careers." Columbia defensive end Jeff Oke is listed as a potential sleeper in the CFL. ... Crawford also gets a nice mention here.
For the Harvard Crimson's wrap of spring football and life after Clifton Dawson, click here.
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