He’s 58 and Trying to Break Into College Football. Is Basketball Next?

Older than his coach—and many of his teammates’ parents—Lycoming College’s Tom Cillo is reconnecting with an opportunity he missed in high school. He’s even landed an NIL deal.

Jason Gay

By

Jason Gay

Follow

Oct. 16, 2025 8:00 am ET

Share

Resize

86

Listen

(1 min)

Tom Cillo, nose tackle for Lycoming College, smiling on the sidelines during a college football game.

Tom Cillo is the 58-year-old college football player who has become a social-media phenomenon. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Tom Cillo admits it: There are days when he actually feels 58 years old.

“Some mornings, I open my eyes, and my body and mind start having a conversation,” he tells me. “My body says: ‘Let’s just pump the brakes a little bit.‘‘’

Creaky starts are a common ritual of aging. But Cillo, who turns 59 in January, has put his body through extra tumult this fall:

He’s playing college football.

This isn’t a one-off gag or stunt—Cillo’s actually doing this, practicing at nose tackle, full pads and a helmet, for the Division III Lycoming College Warriors in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

“It’s tough in the trenches,” he says.

Cillo has yet to play a varsity game—so far he’s only seen limited action for the school’s JV squad—but simply making the Warriors roster turned him into a social media phenomenon. He’s even landed a “name, image and likeness” deal…for (of course) an arthritis cream.

“Oldest college football player to secure an NIL,” Cillo proudly notes.

Lycoming College nose tackle Tom Cillo (40) and teammates celebrating a 23-16 win.

Tom Cillo isn’t just older than his new Lycoming teammates. He’s older than many of their parents. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

If you’re not familiar with the Tom Cillo Saga, you’re probably asking: Wait, how did this happen? Is this guy really 58? Is Tom Brady jealous?

This is pretty much how the Lycoming players felt when they heard about Cillo this summer. Their incoming freshman teammate wasn’t just decades older. This guy was older than many of their parents. And their head coach.

“It was kind of a shocker to me,” says senior defensive lineman Michael Sipps. “Everyone’s thinking, ‘A 58-year-old playing football?’ What are we talking about?”

Cillo made his pitch to Lycoming coach Mike Clark over the summer. Retired after a lengthy career in the city parks department, Cillo, a 6-foot, 220-pound competitive weightlifter, aspired to play a sport he’d wanted to try in high school before going down a wrong path with drugs and alcohol.

“I left that meeting knowing he was totally serious,” says Clark, who’s 54. “It helped that he was legitimately strong—at least there was a skill that’s important in our sport. But mostly I wanted to know: Did he know what he was getting into?”

Cillo vowed to be ready. But this wasn’t a case of a former teenage star trying to revive past glory. Cillo had never played football. The father of three adult children was curious about playing tight end—but he and his coach settled on defensive line.

“All things considered, I have a very limited background, football wise,” Cillo says. “It just doesn’t happen overnight.”

Tom Cillo (40) of Lycoming College spinning away from a block during a college football game.

Tom Cillo was curious about playing tight end, but ultimately settled on nose tackle. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Still, Cillo made an immediate impact in the Lycoming weight room, where his powerlifting strength stunned his new teammates.

“He’s an animal,” says Sipps, who was assigned to be Cillo’s “big brother”—even though Sipps is 37 years younger.

Clark, the Lycoming coach, says he was focused early on Cillo’s health and safety. The 1984 high-school graduate had to pass an extensive physical exam before seeing the practice field, Clark says. But Cillo’s commitment impressed him.

“He does an amazing job of taking care of his body,” Clark says. “Recovery foam rollers, ice baths…he’s pretty diligent, whereas an 18-year-old to 22-year-old might not be doing much.”

Lycoming, which has a rich history of conference titles, is amid an uphill 1-5 season. I asked Clark if he was worried that a 58-year-old player would be a distraction to the program, or seen as a goof. He said the opposite is true.

“He wants to chase his dreams,” Clark says. “I think sometimes in life you lose sight of what you want to do, and people stop chasing their dreams. Maybe they get a job, or have a child and have bills to pay, a mortgage…I think a lot of times we find reasons why we can’t do things, and he’s finding a reason to do it.”

Tom Cillo in a Lycoming Football t-shirt in the locker room, with his jersey number 40 visible in a locker.

Tom Cillo arrives in the Lycoming locker room before a junior varsity game against King's College. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

While sticking Cillo into a varsity game would attract a thunderbolt of attention, Clark has been waiting for an appropriate moment. If Cillo manages to find his way in, Sipps assures that the Warrior sideline will go bonkers.

“I don’t care how he gets in, or how long,” Sipps says. “I guarantee it will be like an earthquake. People will go nuts.”

Cillo, who’s taking a full class load with a focus on criminal justice, remains at the ready. He’ll have multiple years of eligibility after this season, and says he hasn’t put a time frame on his football career.

“I’ll get through this season and assess,” he says. “Initially my thought is I’ll do it for a couple of years. Honestly, don’t be shocked if you call me back sometime saying, ‘Tom, I’m sorry—you scored how many points in that basketball game?‘’”

Wait, what? College basketball?

Not this season. But Tom Cillo can’t rule it out.

“I can still shoot, I’ll tell you that,” he says.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5786904&forum_id=2Vannesa#49353194)