Long Island Football Influencer

[These are the movers and shakers of Long Island Youth Football that we wish to honor. They are Coaches, Recruiters, Parents, NFL/NCAA players, and dedicated people doing things in and outside their communities to elevate the level of football on Long Island. These people do not all have 20 years of experience, fancy alma maters, or superstar backgrounds. Many of them do; but what they all have in common is more important than that: they all put in many hours dedicated to the cause. This is time spent away from their families, sacrificing, working hard to to gain more exposure for players on Long Island, and creating new opportunities for them. Their passion and dedication is fueling the new movement that is getting people on Long Island excited about football. #JoinTheLiyfaMovement]

 

Mike Catapano, Jr. (born August 17, 1990) is a defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He played college football at Princeton where he majored in psychology. He was selected in the seventh round 2013 NFL Draft by the Chiefs. Mike is from Bayville, NY on Long Island. He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, where he played more fullback than defensive end. He lettered four years in football at Chaminade and two years in lacrosse, was ranked 15th nationally among fullbacks by Scout.com, was named to the New York all-star team, earned all-league honors and was named captain as a senior. He played both fullback and linebacker in football and defense in lacrosse. He led the football team to two undefeated seasons and lacrosse team to one.

 

Besides being an incredible athlete, Mike is down to earth, and has not forgotten his roots. He is very supportive of Long Island Football, and always willing to help out in any way he can to help the local youth aspire to the level he has achieved. His example provides inspiration for many Long Island kids.
“I love to share. I really support developing the game more on LI,” said Catapano.

According to a 2013 NFL.com report by Gil Brandt, he graduated weighing a 215 pounds (98 kg) and received offers from every Ivy League school. However, according to the class of 2008 databases of the major recruiting websites (ESPN.com, Rivals.com and Scout.com) who also noted his offers from Army, Temple and Hofstra, he weighed between 234 and 240. According to the final national class of 2008 rankings, Catapano was the 18th ranked fullback by Scout.com and the 46th ranked fullback according to ESPN. As a freshman, he received a medical redshirt. As a redshirt sophomore, he earned honorable mention All-Ivy League honors. After his junior season in which he earned second team All-Ivy honors, he attended a summer pass rush training camp conducted by Chuck Smith. Over the course of the year, he had 12 quarterback sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss and participated in the 2013 East–West Shrine Game. His senior thesis was on visual cognition and memory. He was the 2012 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year. At Princeton, he developed his own catchphrase to live by: “Attack the now”. He was an FCS second team All-American according to the Associated Press and third team All-American according to Beyond Sports Network. Princeton held its Pro Day workouts on March 20, 2013 and Catapano had private workouts on March 26 with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings. Following his East-West Shrine Game appearance, his private workouts and his pro day workouts, there was speculation that he might be the highest drafted Ivy League athlete. He was selected by the Chiefs with the first pick of the seventh round and 207th overall selection of the 2013 NFL Draft. He is the first Princeton athlete selected in the NFL draft since Dennis Norman in the 2001 NFL Draft.