Super Bowl champion Jordan Fuller was back on campus at Northern Valley/Old Tappan for a 'ProDay,' which was a chance to reconnect with his home base.

OLD TAPPAN – It lasted for three hours on a hot summer afternoon, but it was years in the making. The full spectrum of the Northern Valley/Old Tappan’s 21st century football history was on display headlined by Devin and Jordan Fuller, two brothers who went through the public school program and ended up in the NFL.

The first annual Fuller ProDay was a showcase of those that have come before, those presently involved and those who will one day be Golden Knights. About 100 kids from first grade right through high school participated and were put through drills by NVOT players of the past.

“It’s honestly surreal. I see myself in all of them,” said Jordan Fuller, who grew up in Norwood, starred at Ohio State, won a Super Bowl ring with the Las Angeles Rams and is now an Atlanta Falcon. “Everyone out here today has so much potential. There was such innocence, such love for the game. They were around friends and having fun and that is what it is all about. We had a great time, we had a great turnout and I feel super blessed to be here.”

While the Fullers were the headliners, Old Tappan has built quite the supporting cast and so many of them from so many different graduating classes showed up to pass on their knowledge and invite the next generation into the fold.

There was Ray Donnelly from the Class of 2008, now in his mid-30s and about to be married, running a drill station in one corner while Nico Ottomanelli, a star kicker from the Class of 2024 was at the other end of the field putting smiles on little kids’ faces as they watched a soaring kick whistle through the uprights and beyond.

Twice during breaks from the high temps on the turf there was time for Q&As with not only the Fuller brothers, but also with many of the other alumni who have gone on to build careers and families. Patrick Passalacqua was a two-time captain of the Columbia University football team before going into a career in finance, an example of where football can take a player even if that does not include the NFL.

Longtime NVOT head coach Brian Dunn welcomed many of his former players and plenty of future ones.

There are not many places left in New Jersey where something like this could happen and none that immediately spring to mind in North Jersey, at least not in football. Brian Dunn is the only head coach that Old Tappan has had in the 2000s and there is continuity in his coaching staff. His brother, Peter Dunn, Joe Clause and Ryan Steffner have all been on staff for a long time.

The sustained success under one regime is a rarity nowadays. Heck, Matt Doherty has over 100 wins as the freshman coach and he and Brandon Gregory have been consistently feeding developing players through the funnel and onto the varsity level.

“The most important thing to learn for Jordan and Devin is that if you put in the hard work it will pay off. These are kids that came from public high schools, worked as hard as anybody else at any other high school and we all got to see it payoff,” said Gregory, who is heading into his 15th season on the NVOT staff. “And then you look at this high school and just some of the people that I have been lucky enough to be able to work with. Brian [Dunn], his brother Peter, Brendan O’Neil, Ryan Steffner, Joe Clause, Andrew Puente…there are so many people that have given so much to this high school and it is good to see the kids that have come through come back and recognize where their roots are at. This place has been their foundation and they are passing that on like the ones that came before them.”

Campers came mostly from the Northern Valley Regional sending district, but there was also a group of players that came from outside of that pipeline. Valley Transportation, the bus company and one of the event sponsors, donated its services and dispatched a bus to Dr. Leroy T. McCloud Elementary School so that nine kids from Englewood could take part.

The Fuller’s mother, Cindy Mizelle, grew up in Englewood and is a graduate of Dwight Morrow High School. It was kind of a full circle moment for Devin and Jordan as they doled out handshakes and fist bumps while holding the stopwatches at the 40-yard dash station.

Devin Fuller shared many memories, including the 2010 classic against Paramus.

There was some talk about the Glory Days, too, especially that gave in 2010, Devin Fuller’s junior year, when Old Tappan and Paramus played in what had to be the best game ever covered by northjerseysports.com. It was a 63-56 Old Tappan win in which Devin Fuller and Paramus quarterback John Robertson locked up in a duel for the ages. Neither team could stop the other and you can read about all of the particulars here. NVOT 63, Paramus 56.

Devin Fuller ran for 6 TDs, threw for one and rolled up almost 500 yards of offense that night in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional semifinals that sent the Knights to a state final for the first time in program history. What does he remember about it?

“It was the most exciting game that I ever played in and it was the most rewarding game that I have ever played in, but what I remember from that night was something negative. I fumbled with five minutes left in the game and that is the moment that I think about the most,” said Devin. “We were down, we were going in to score and I fumbled. Drew Martinez and Daniel Falkenstern stripped the ball from their quarterback and gave us the ball back. From that moment on I was thanking the Football Gods for giving me another chance and we went on to win.”

Fifteen years later Devin and Jordan, his younger brother by four years, were back in the same place, giving back to the community that molded them and so many others.

“This one day is a tribute to all of our players past and present who have created a lasting sense of belonging to NVOT,” said Brian Dunn. “Once the guys heard about the event, there was overwhelming interest in coming to volunteer. I am thrilled that we have such good young men who want to give back to their community.”

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