NFL player returns to Hudson Valley

Zoe Deno
Staff Writer

“I used to watch the NFL playoffs when I was a youngster, and I told myself that I was going to do everything possible to put myself in a position where I had a chance to play for them,” said former Hudson Valley football player Darnell Stapleton.

In 2008, Stapleton won Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals.

“You hear stories about Super Bowl championships, but to be apart of it and to see what it took to get the championship, that was special,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton was a reserve for the first four games of the 2008 season. He began starting for the the final 12 games at right guard in place an injured teammate. This included the team’s three playoff games, including the Super Bowl XLIII.

After Super Bowl XLIII, Stapelton signed with the New England Patriots. When he was in training he suffered a knee injury and ended up being waived.

Stapleton doesn’t regret anything, despite his career being short lived. “I lived the dream. So many people want to be able to say they made it to the NFL,” he said.

Stapleton said that the NFL is everything that it is made out to be. “There are a lot of eyes on you and a lot of competitiveness. It is the type of environment that reminds you If you don’t do your job, you could be replaced.”

“That’s why I think the people who play [football] are built differently, they have a competitive side to them that makes them strive everyday to be better than they were the day before,” Stapleton said.

For Stapleton, that’s what he believes makes football players successful; breaking routine and doing something different. “I remember that when I attended Hudson valley, me and my friend would pass reps in the hall after math class. People probably thought we were crazy but it made us better players,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton came to Hudson Valley because he had messed around in high school and graduated with a poor GPA. His perspective on academics changed once he reached Hudson Valley, he worked hard and ended up on the dean’s list the two semesters he attended Hudson Valley.

“I used to tell people, ‘If you don’t know why you came to Hudson Valley, that is your first mistake.’ You were either there to gain something athletically or gain something academically. Once you figured what you had to use hudson valley for, and how to use it as a stepping stone then you had a chance to be successful,” Stapleton said.

Playing for Hudson Valley’s team was different than anything Stapleton had experienced before.

“It was a really diverse team, but we all had a common goal. We all were striving to be division one athletes. It created an environment that was kind of competitive, but it also made us keep each other in ballance when it came to academics and keeping up with training,” said Stapleton.

Stapleton played for Hudson Valley for two seasons. During his first season in fall 2003, he earned second-team all-league honors. He started 11 games in Spring of 2004, and was a first-team All-Northeast Football Conference selection and a preseason NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American.

After his season season at Hudson Valley, Stapleton transferred to Rutgers University, where he would eventually be scouted for the NFL.

Stapleton learned a lot during his brief time at Hudson Valley. “It taught me that I was both mentally and athletically tough and that I can handle a lot,” he said.

“I used to tell people, ‘If you don’t know why you came to Hudson Valley, that is your first mistake.’ You were either there to gain something athletically or gain something academically,” Stapleton said.

Once you figured out why you were at Hudson Valley, he said, you could use the school as a stepping stone to get where you wanted to go.

In Stapleton’s case, he used Hudson Valley as a step on his way to the Super Bowl.