PREP SPOTLIGHT

Football: Chickillo plays with a purpose

Nick Chickillo (74), Fayetteville senior offensive lineman, practices Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Harmon Stadium in Fayetteville. Chickillo has overcome injury and the loss of his mother to become a leader for the Dogs offensive line.
Nick Chickillo (74), Fayetteville senior offensive lineman, practices Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, at Harmon Stadium in Fayetteville. Chickillo has overcome injury and the loss of his mother to become a leader for the Dogs offensive line.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Football runs deep in Nick Chickillo's family.

As a young child growing up in Miami, Fla., he was consumed by Miami Hurricane football and his family members associated with the storied program.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/ANDY SHUPE Nick Chickillo, Fayetteville senior offensive lineman, missed all of his junior season with a shoulder injury and had to overcome the loss of his mother this past spring to a car accident. At 6-foot-8, 270 pounds, Chickillo has developed into a starter for the Bulldogs and is now projected as a college prospect, much like other members of his family.

Profile

Nick Chickillo

School: Fayetteville

Class: Senior

Height: 6-8

Weight: 275

Position: Offensive Line

Notable: Missed junior season with shoulder injury. … Has deep background of college and pro football in his family. Uncle and grandfather both played at University of Miami and in the NFL and cousin Anthony Chickillo — another Miami Hurricane — is currently in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. … Mother passed away in January in an automobile accident.

With both an uncle and a grandfather who played for the Hurricanes -- and also in the NFL -- and another cousin, Anthony Chickillo, currently in the NFL, Nick was a sure thing to continue in the family legacy on the football field.

From the pee-wee league starting at age five, Chickillo took all the right steps to continue that legacy. After his family moved to Fayetteville in 2003, and by the time high school arrived, he was ready to develop on the Bulldogs' offensive line.

Over the past year, injuries and tragedy have forced Chickillo to dig deep, work even harder. He even considered quitting the game at one point. But through it all, Chickillo now stands taller, stronger and ready to lead the Purple'Dogs.

A Lost Season

Chickillo can't be missed on the football field. At 6-foot-8, he towers over all teammates. In his junior season, the offensive tackle still needed to add more strength and coaches hoped he would provide depth, maybe even be a possible starter.

Then came a shoulder injury which put him on the shelf for the entire season.

"It was tough," Chickillo said. "I knew I had to get stronger and I had to go through physical therapy, and I wanted to see my teammates succeed. So I came to practices and I worked on getting stronger so I could make the best of my senior season."

The missed time away from football was difficult, but the work done in the offseason has been significant. Chickillo has progressed into a starter's role and is now a big reason why the offensive line is considered a big key to the Bulldogs' success this season

Being a sideline spectator was hard to swallow.

"The doctor told us it would be best for him to have shoulder surgery and it would be best to keep him out for the whole season," Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. "That put him behind as far as lifting weights and workouts, but (Nick) has stepped up all spring and all fall camp and he's been a kid who has really played well."

Chickillo himself can see the changes in his play, especially since his sophomore season.

"From 10th grade to now, I've made a humongous improvement," he said. "Technique wise I've improved, I'm a lot faster and I'm way stronger than I was.

"And I had a lot of motivation to improve since my mom passed away. So I've just been doing everything through her."

Playing for Mom

On January 25, 2015, the Chickillo family was dealt a blow when Nick Chickillo's mother, Michelle Chickillo, dies as the result of injuries sustained in a car wreck.

For Nick, the best way to keep his mind at ease was to keep his focus on football, although he admits he briefly considered walking away from the game. Then he realized that's not what Michelle Chickillo would have wanted.

"In a way I kind of used football as an escape from the real world," Chickillo said. "That's what really fueled me going into my senior season, because my mom is my big inspiration."

Football served as a release for Chickillo and through his family tragedy, an even stronger bond was formed with his Purple Bulldogs teammates.

"Just a tragic situation for Nick and his family," Patton said. "I was proud of our team for rallying around Nick, but I was really proud of Nick for rallying around his own family. You could tell during that tragic time he really kept his family together."

Now as Chickillo prepares for the first game of his senior season at 7 p.m. today at home against Lawton (Okla.) Eisenhower, he'll keep up his same routine, playing his all-out best with a desire to keep that strong family football tradition rolling along.

Only this time Chickillo plays with more of a purpose, with someone special on his mind.

"My passion has always been to play football in college and to go to the next level and be successful," Chickillo said. "My mom would have wanted me to fulfill my dreams because she knows how much I love football.

"So that's my motivation. I do everything through her and I want to make her proud, and I also want to do it for me and my family to carry on the tradition."

Sports on 09/04/2015

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