Today In Patriots History July 23, 2001: Belichick signs an undrafted college wrestler

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Today in Patriots History
Pats sign Stephen Neal
defensive lineman​

July 23, 2001:
The New England Patriots sign undrafted rookie free agent Stephen Neal, from what was at that time a Division II school, the California State University at Bakersfield Roadrunners.


I have no recollection of Neal being thought of as a defensive lineman, but that was the headline in the Pats initial press release - which spoke only about his wrestling career at CSUB, before finally mentioning that he last played football in high school.

It turns out the Pats were actually swapping out guards, with Neal replacing Terrance Beadles, who had been signed as an undrafted rookie from Arkansas-Pine Bluff the previous year, and spent all of the 2000 season on injured reserve.

Patriots Sign Free Agent Defensive Lineman Stephen Neal; Waive Guard Terrance Beadles

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The New England Patriots announced the signing of free-agent defensive lineman Stephen Neal, today.

www.patriots.com

Neal, 24, finished his career as a collegiate wrestler at California State University-Bakersfield with a record of 156-10, including 83-0 in his final two seasons. The 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pound defensive lineman was a four-time All-American wrestler (1996-99) at CSUB. In 1999, Neal was the World Freestyle Champion, Pan-American Games Champion, USA Freestyle Champion and repeat NCAA Champion. He also won the Dan Hodge Award, known as the Heisman Trophy of wrestling. He was an alternate for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and placed second in the Olympic Trials in 2000. He recently finished second in the World Team Trials. He last played football at San Diego High School, where he was a five-sport athlete. In addition to wrestling and football, he also lettered in swimming, tennis and track and field.​

The Olympiad - Stephen Neal | PatsFans.com

On first glance, the signing of wrestling Olympic hopeful Stephen Neal as a defensive lineman might appear to be an act of desperation from a team thin at that position.

www.patsfans.com

His repressed desire to play football all these years may explain why Neal wants the Patriots, but should the Patriots want Neal? Now we are at the root of the question surrounding this signing. Some have suggested that because he was signed before Richard Seymour would agree to terms, that he was only intended to be a body for training camp. Some might suggest that with the condition of our current D-line, any signing couldn’t hurt. However, the team is most desperate at NT while Neal is projected as a DE. Another possibility is that the intangibles of a world class athlete who rose to such an expedient and resounding success in a sport where every ounce of body weight is scrutinized for the maximum efficiency of strength verses weight is something that could be of use in the NFL. Is strength, incredible conditioning, heart, determination, and a history of achieving greatness enough to offset the obvious lack of football experience as a DE in the NFL? I think we’re about to find out fellow Patriot fans.​

Before you count Stephen Neal as just another body, consider the fact that at least for one year, he turned the wrestling world on its collective head. Also consider the guy’s gritty attitude and shockingly gruesome work ethic. Once, after gashing his hand during a workout, Neal walked over to a wall and scribed “HARD WORK” on it with his own blood! You won’t be seeing Brandon Mitchell do that in case you were wondering. Also of interest is that in high school, he once pinned Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams in a wrestling match. Now if he can just prove his ability to wrap up Ricky on the iron grid, he may be able to win a roster spot. One thing is for sure, Neal is the kind of lunch pail carrying overachiever that Belichick likes. With 290 pounds of solid muscle on his 6’5″ frame, it’s unlikely that even the hard nose Bill Belichick will be able to scrutinize Neal’s physical condition when he shows up at camp.​

So what is it? A crazy signing by a team desperate for help on the D-line? Or a gamble that one of the world’s greatest athletes can make the leap from one sport to another and do to the NFL in 2001 what he did to the wrestling world in 1999? It’s easy to choose the first, but with Stephen Neal, I would never rule out the latter.​

Excellent long-form biography on Stephen Neal below, well worth taking a few minutes to read:

The remarkable, improbable career of Stephen Neal by California State University, Bakersfield

This is the second in a series of 2022 CSUB Alumni Hall of Fame profiles.When he was an assistant wrestling coach at CSUB, Darryl Pope was famous for subjecting his freshmen to a frightening Cobra maneuver to teach them what position not to get into.Most wrestlers got up from it petrified. Not...

news.csub.edu

In 2001, the Patriots learned about Neal from agent Neil Cornrich. They invited him to work out with them and said if he passed a conditioning test, they’d let him into training camp.​

“He absolutely hit a home run in the workout,” said Dante Scarnecchia, the Patriots’ offensive line coach at the time. “It was, ‘Oh my god, will you look at that.' A guy that’s 6’4, weighed about 290, could run really fast, was really athletic and explosive.”​

Needless to say, Neal made it into camp. While some players complained of soreness and low pay, Neal had a blast.​

The Patriots put Neal on defense and he lasted about a week, Scarnecchia said. He just wasn’t very good. Belichick was going to cut Neal but Scarnecchia wanted to see what he could do on offense first. He liked Neal’s smarts, humility and wrestling history.​

The Patriots put Neal on the practice squad and let him sit in on offensive line meetings to learn.​

“Steve, being the human sponge intellectually that he is, tried to get as much information as he could,” Scarnecchia said.​

Scarnecchia summed up Neal’s pro career by saying he had “a really good” one that could have been “really fabulous” had it not been for injuries.​

“But I think he’s satisfied with it. I know we were satisfied with it,” Scarnecchia said. “I think we truly got everything out of this kid there was to get and I think everything you could ever ask for he gave us back ten-fold.”​

Stephen Neal retires with "dignity and class"

MONDAY MARCH 7, 2011 BY MARK FARINELLA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF Ponderous thoughts I was pondering on the highway to hoop heaven: - As th...

www.neilcornrich.com

I'd be remiss if I didn't offer at least a few thoughts about the retirement of offensive guard Stephen Neal, which was announced late last week and was anticipated for some time. Injuries have been the bane of his existence for the past few years, and at some point, you have to get out before you're saddled with lingering pain and impairment for the rest of your life.​

I've always thought that Neal was a decent guy, more of a "regular guy" than some of his peers, probably because he came from a much different background than a lot of football players. You know the story - collegiate wrestling champion who didn't turn "pro" like some of his fellow collegians and instead opted to travel a more legitimate avenue of sport by re-learning how to play football.​

He did it well. Throughout the past decade, Neal has been an important part of an offensive line that helped keep Tom Brady safe from harm during a dynastic period for the Patriots, and that had to be a lot more satisfying than taking acting lessons and wearing neon-colored tights while doing Vince McMahon's bidding.​

Offensive linemen rarely experience the same level of exposure that the so-called "skill position" players receive in the NFL. Neal didn't seek the spotlight, either. He went out there every day, doing his job, learning as he went under the trusted tutelage of Dante Scarnecchia, and he became an anchor of one of the best offensive lines in the game, something he admitted he never envisioned when he got the word from agent Neil Cornrich that the Patriots might want to give him a try.​

Not long ago, I and several other writers wrote of Neal's behind-the-scenes efforts to keep the wrestling program alive at Cal State-Bakersfield, his alma mater. Budget cuts were threatening the program that made him an NCAA Division I champion, and he wanted to do everything he could to give something back to the school that gave him the athletic opportunity of his lifetime.​

A while later, I and the other scribes received in the mail hand-written notes of thanks from Neal for the stories we wrote. They weren't form letters. He took the time to thank us individually for just doing our jobs, and it underscored the deep-down decency of the man.​

Neal said during a conference call with the media last week that his next injury might be serious enough to cause a permanent level of disability, which would seriously impact his ability to be an active father to his kids. And he admitted that with the NFL's current labor uncertainty and the possibility that he might not be able to use the team's doctors or facilities in his latest rehab, the best option for him was retirement.​

So, he enters it with dignity and class, and a documented legacy of achievement. I offer my heartiest congratulations to this two-sport champion, and my most sincere wishes of happiness to him and his family as they embark together upon a new chapter in their lives.​

2022 Alumni Hall of Fame: Stephen Neal
3:36 Video by CSU Bakersfield




Toyota's Patriots Today - Stephen Neal Special
2:59 Video








Brock Lesnar vs. Stephen Neal: 1999 NCAA title match (285 lbs.)
11:16 Video




Stephen Neal (USA) vs Andrej Shumilin (RUS) - 1999 World Championships
7:43 Video
​

Stephen Neal

The National Wrestling Hall Of Fame

nwhof.org

National Wrestling Hall of Fame: Stephen Neal's two-sport journey ends in hall induction

He might be better known as a member of two Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots teams, but Stephen Neal was a four-time All-American wrestler at Cal State Bakersfield.

www.oklahoman.com

As for Terrance Beadles, he never signed with another NFL team. His only pro football action was possibly in the 2000 preseason, in the four games prior to being placed on IR.

July 21, 2001:

Offensive Line: Production depends on new faces up front

There is one glaring positive about the 2001 Patriots offensive line. That is, of course, that it can’t possibly be any worse than it has been the last two seasons when starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe was sacked a combined 100 times, including 45 last s

www.patriots.com

The group is rounded out by Brown University standout Drew Inzer, Terrance Beadles and Rob Gatrell. Beadles spent last year on injured reserve and didn't help himself when he got nicked up in a recent mini-camp. Gatrell spent last year on the practice squad.

July 23, 2001:

Patriots Sign Free Agent Defensive Lineman Stephen Neal; Waive Guard Terrance Beadles

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The New England Patriots announced the signing of free-agent defensive lineman Stephen Neal, today.

www.patriots.com

Beadles, 25, was originally signed by the Patriots as rookie free agent on April 19, 2000. He was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 22, 2000. The 6-foot-3-inch, 300-pound lineman started 39 career games at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.