SEAN STELLATO

Certified NFLPA Agent, Certified Personal Trainer, Motivational Speaker, 

Former Arena Football Player, Coach, Marathon Runner & Author.     

Stellato’s dream leads to Norfolk

by BILL KIPOURAS

Staff Writer

            Ken Farrar of Peabody packed up and left after one week in the Norfolk, Va. Nighthawks’ training camp. But he’ll be rooting hard for a friend he left behind, Salem’s Sean Stellato, to win a roster spot with the Arena Football League club.

            Farrar hopes that the Nighthawks have a deep appreciation of Stellato, the 24-year old Salemite who is bidding to make it as wide receiver, defensive back and possible linebacker.

            Multiplicity is key in the AFL scheme of things. The more you can do, the better.

            “Sean is holding his own. It’s tough because he’s bounced around,” Farrar reflected. “But he has a great work ethic. If half the players in this country had half his heart, they’d be All-Pros. Sean’s been training like Jerry Rice for the past seven months.”

            Stellato is clinging to the Arena League dream that rescued the likes Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams, who is the poster boy for Arena ball –Warner played in Arena Football League.

            “I think there are 68 Arena guys who have go a shot in the NFL, and eleven of them are actually in the NFL right now. There were five others who were allocated to NFL Europe in the last draft. There really is talent in this league,” an upbeat Stellato said yesterday.

            Norfolk represents a fresh start for the one-time Salem High star quarterback and Marist College wide receiver, one he hopes will give him more opportunity than he got with the Louisville Fire last season.

            “Everyone needs a break,” Stellato said. He’s sure that a trade that took him to Norfolk was a breakthrough for him in this, his second AFL season. Stellato only go to catch fifteen balls with Louisville in eight games last season.

            The prospects of becoming a primary receiver are dramatically better with the Nighthawks, who are coached by Rick Fraser.

            “Rick has indicated that I’ll be here for the whole season, but that I could be on IR (injured reserve) for the first two games,” Stellato said. “That’s not a problem. We play a 16-game schedule, so there’s still a lot of football after that.”

            Receivers have three classifications in the Arena League, Stellato said. The primary person is considered the offensive specialist and gets 75-80 percent of the balls.

            Then there’s the “Z,’ or secondary, receiver who works off the offensive specialist as the No. 2 pass option. Thirdly, there is the backside receiver who is used for screens, slants and hitches in the first two receivers aren’t open.

            “I think I’m capable of catching 50 balls,” the 5-foot-10, 180 pound Stellato said. “I was the backside guy in Louisville, but I know I played well and ran good patterns.

            “I also could play some hidden linebacker; that’s a non-blitzing position. You sit in a 5-5 box and cover the 5-yard hitch in the flat, the QB scramble, stuff like that. You’ve got to be athletic, but it’s not as demanding as defensive back.”

            For the massive Farrar (6-foot-5, 335 lbs.), he said the AFL is not a lineman’s game, and was shocked upon reporting to camp to learn he was designated the team’s franchise player. Another surprise for the former University of Richmond star guard was that he was used exclusively at tight end. The combination of the position and the financial situation told him to get out of there.

            “I had never played tight end, and didn’t see it as a steppingstone (to the NFL).” Farrar, who was in the Baltimore Ravens’ NFL camp until the final week last summer, said. “A tight end is nothing but a glorified tackle in AFL. I wouldn’t have had much chance to move up, especially in that position.”

            As for Stellato, he got shuffled around last year, starting out with the Florida Firecats. He was a late cut and wound up with the Carolina Rhinos, but that was for a two-week duration, and was getting discouraged.

            “They let me hang around and I learned a lot, but I was ready to head for the bus station and go home. I was sleeping on the floor in a room of some players at the hotel because I couldn’t afford one. I was living like a spartan,” Stellato laughed. “Not even a bed! I was working hard on the practice squad, but wasn’t going anywhere. It seemed like I couldn’t find my niche.”

            Out of the blue came the call from Louisville and an invitation to report.

            “It was like God telling me something…that he still had a plan in football for me,” Stellato said. “I never considered it a knock on my ability that I didn’t make it with Florida or Carolina. I was out of Marist and this was a whole new ballgame, a narrow 50-yard field with an 8-yard end zone and adjusting to a very fast pace on Astroturf.”

            Stellato assures that he’s never worked harder than he did over the winter. His agent, California-based Martin Prince got him the chance in Norfolk; the rest is up to him.

            “You always need luck; my definition of luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” Stellato said. “That was nice of Kenny to mention Jerry Rice. I truly try to emulate Jerry Rice and Walter Payton. They were successful because they took care of their bodies. Granted, you need God-given ability to succeed, but they had that drive to never give up and keep fighting.”

            Stellato has been reading Wayne Chrebet’s autobiography and greatly admires the undersized New York Jets’ receiver.

            “He tells you to be persistent and resourceful, and that if you have a dream or vision to go after it,” Stellato said.

            “The window of opportunity is small if you’re not a humongous personality out of a major college. Chrebet says that nobody can measure your brain and your heart. Dave Patten of the Patriots, Tommy Maddox of the Steelers and Kevin Swayne of the Jets are other guys who came out of Arena ball, and how about Pat Downey of Beverly, who is with the Redskins?”

            Stellato said he has a passion for the game of football, but has never been handed anything.

            “That’s why you need a great work ethic. It worked for Rick Brunson (Salem, Temple, Chicago Bulls). You need to outwork the next guy,” Stellato said, “plain and simple.”