HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — This weekend more than 7,000 students will graduate from the University of South Florida. It's an exciting time as students prepare for their futures.
One USF graduate is leaving behind quite a legacy. His name is Brad Cecil; you may remember him from the football field.
Cecil was team captain for three years and finished his college football career ranked second all-time at USF with 50 career starts. Now, he's off to the NFL.
“It's my lifelong dream and now that it's finally coming to fruition, it feels great," Cecil said.
Excitement rushes through Cecil's veins as he prepares to leave the sunshine state for Detroit, Michigan.
“I’ve only seen snow once, let alone driven in it or played in it,” Cecil said.
The Detroit Lions signed him as an undrafted free agent. The Northern winter may come as a shock to this Florida native, but right now, he's soaking up his last week in Tampa. He has one thing left to accomplish — get his diploma.
“I feel just as excited for that, but also nervous to walk across the stage. Make sure I don’t fall,” Cecil said.
As he looked back on his success at USF, it's not the 50 career starts or the good grades he talked about — it's the people he met along the way.
An unsung hero both on and off the field, Cecil carried his positive attitude into the community as well.
“Basically, we use our name, image, and likeness not for ourselves but to raise money for a family in need in our community,” Cecil said.
It is all part of an organization called Big Man Big Heart. Cecil used his name, image, and likeness to raise over $425,000 for Body Wyatt, a 7-year-old boy battling Leukemia.
Cecil said they bonded over their love for football.
“We would FaceTime every week before games and catch up. He'd ask me what I thought the score was gonna be or how I thought I was gonna play, and he would always ask me if I was going to score a touchdown,” Cecil said.
As an offensive lineman, Cecil didn't score many touchdowns, but he did touch many hearts. He said Wyatt was a Bull superfan, so Cecil showed him the ins and outs of being a college athlete and tried to make him feel like he was part of the team.
“He would draw up plays for me to show the coach. We tried to work him in. It was really cool getting to know him and getting to know the family and getting to be a mentor for him, but I also learned from him,” Cecil said.
Cecil said he believes it's really important to give back to the community. He said once he's in Detroit, he hopes to volunteer and get involved in that community.
