Jack Scullion’s American dream

Jack Scullion has swapped the round ball for a chance to pursue a career in American Football. The Lavey man is preparing for a season with the Rutgers University team in New Jersey. Michael McMullan caught up with him…

JACK Scullion is living the dream. The excitement and his smile coming across the internet hits you between the eyes.

It’s Tuesday and training in the 37-degree heat has been swapped for some downtime before class. When the new term begins in September, the aim is to continue his studies in construction and quantity surveying.

For now, it’s about honing his kicking to give him the best chance of seeing some of the action when the Rutgers begin their season when Howard Bisons come to visit for the opening game at the end of August.

Before him, another Derry man, Swatragh’s Jude McAtamney, kicked for scores in the colours of Rutgers before moving up in the world to the New York Giants. There is the story of Charlie Smyth joining the New Orleans Saints.

Scullion hadn’t kicked an American football until the Thursday before a Saturday try-out in Dublin. His father Seamus landed home from work with a ball and they headed to Lavey for some baby steps.

In Dublin, his kicking attracted the attention of coach Tadhg Leader enough to take his name and probe him to keep at it. Scullion’s booming kick, that helped Lavey minors to Ulster glory, was something they could work with.

“When I started playing football, until I was u-16, I was always an outfield player,” Scullion said. “Then when it came to minors, we’d had a really good strong team at that stage. It probably would’ve been hard for me to find a position.

“My father was a goalkeeper and sort of hinted at me a wee bit. I didn’t really like it at first, but once I actually got into it a bit more, I really enjoyed it.”

It got him a place on the Derry u-20 team and a brief call up to the seniors. With Lavey, there was a long career between the posts ahead. That was until he started flicking through social media during the pre-season.

Having an uncle in Philadelphia lured him towards supporting the Eagles. The Red Zone was a popular watch but clips of kicking and the awareness of trials in Dublin got him thinking. Ah, sure he’d give it a go.

“I’ve always had the ability to kick off the ground,” Scullion said. “I didn’t really start properly practising until I became a goalkeeper because obviously you need it.

“I always loved kicking, going up to the club with a bag of balls on a Sunday morning when you’re not doing anything.”

It was a way of beating the stress from exam build-up. It cleared the head and the kicking style continued to progress.

As a young cub of five or six, he’d be kicking a size five ball back and forth as his father coached Lavey senior goalkeepers Ciaron O’Boyle and Michael Hassan.

“That’s probably where I got most of my leg strength,” he offers. “Whenever I was that age, messing and kicking about, probably that was a massive thing as well.”

All the pieces came together on a Saturday morning in Sport Ireland in Blanchardstown. Leader snapped some video footage and the wheels began to turn.

Scullion was on the road every weekend. Mullingar, Dublin, Limerick, the dome in Bekan. He’d check into a hotel on the Friday to make sure the legs were well stretched out for a Saturday morning.

Early morning rises and long Saturday morning drives wouldn’t have ticked the preparation box.

With the sweet spot of an American football smaller than that of a GAA ball, precision was everything. With McAtamney heading to the Giants, the Rutgers had a spot for a kicker on their roster. Scullion was their man.

“They were very quick with it,” he recalls. “I found out on, I think it was maybe a Thursday, and they had me out within a week.

“They treated me like a king, to be honest, when I got out of here – very welcoming and stuff. I had an official visit with me and my father.

“They put us up in a nice hotel out here, walked us around the facility. I saw the stadium and was completely blown away by what I’ve seen because it is unbelievable.”

Scullion was sold. This was the school for him.

“It’s hard to describe really,” he explains, “but their whole setup is built around making you the best player you can be. I just thought that was great so I signed.

“It didn’t strike home to me until I was on the flight, when I was actually going over. I was sitting on the plane seat and I was like, ‘what’s actually happening here?’

“That sort of got me a bit nervous but whenever I landed and stuff, the way they treated me, they treated me like royalty. I really enjoyed it. The decision was very easy at that stage.”

That said, leaving Lavey and his family was the “very, very, tough” side of the equation. But it’s the opportunity not to be missed. A free education, the experience of a lifetime, the chance to kick in front of bumper crowds and scouts at college games…it doesn’t land on everyone’s front porch.

For now, attracting scouts’ attention and getting signed by an NFL club isn’t on the radar. It’s not even close. It’s about the next ball.

For Scullion, it’s all about early rises and heading away to practice. Then there is study with the same demand of performance in class as on the field. It’s a two way street, Monday to Friday. The weekends are his own.

“I haven’t given much thought to it,” Scullion summed up what comes next. “It’s that far away. I’m just concentrating now on this season, getting this season over me, and then we’ll take it from there. There’s no point looking into the future, but this season is going to be a good season for us.”

Check out this week’s feature interview with Jack in full on the Gaelic Lives podcast.