Cebula living double football dream

Former MHS, RU standout enjoying success

By: John Beisser
   
   For Chris Cebula, these truly are the best of times.
   When Cebula arrived at work Monday morning, his two alma maters were sporting a combined record of 13-0. Rutgers, 7-0, already bowl eligible and ranked No. 16 in the nation and Manville High, at 6-0 and in the hunt to make the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs for the first time in school history.
   The path that brought Cebula, Manville and Rutgers together in this dream season began to take form some 16 years ago. A standout two-way performer on the Manville High Mustang football team from 1990-92, Cebula earned a full scholarship to pursue an education and play football for his state university, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He bought into the vision of then-head coach Doug Graber, who was in the process of inching the proverbial boulder up the proverbial mountain.
   And so, in the fall of 1993, Cebula was off to State U., his head filled with the promise of a top-flight education, filled stadiums, bowl games and national rankings. The education part of the equation was met, as Cebula graduated with a degree in sociology while minoring in communication, a foundation that has helped him become a special education teacher and an assistant coach for the current Manville High football team.
   During Cebula’s tenure at Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights had some bright moments on the gridiron. The new Rutgers Stadium was opened in 1994. The "Thunder and Lightning" backfield of Bruce Presley and Terrell Willis grabbed headlines that same year, while Marco Battaglia developed into a first-team All-America tight end the following season. But at the end of the 1995 campaign, Cebula found himself playing for a new coaching staff, as Graber was let go and replaced by Terry Shea.
   In Cebula’s five seasons as a member of the Rutgers football team, the Knights produced a record of 15-39-1, with the best season being a 5-5-1 mark in 1994. Cebula was a solid outside linebacker/defensive end for the Scarlet Knights. He recovered a fumble in a nationally-televised game vs. Miami and has followed the fortunes of the program in the newspapers and on television since his graduation. While Cebula was excited about the pedigree head coach Greg Schiano brought with him when he was hired in 2000, he was busy figuring out what he wanted to do in his own career,
   A few years back, about the time Schiano reached the mid-point of his building process at RU, Cebula realized the business world was not for him and so he completed an 18-credit teaching certificate program at Seton Hall. A college teammate, Brian Sheridan, offered him an assistant coaching position at Newark Eastside High. That background helped him land a position as a special education teacher at Somerset Academy. From his school’s parking lot, Cebula could just about hear the faint whistles from the Manville High practice field some half a mile up the road. It wasn’t long before he came on board as an assistant coach on Brett Stibitz’s staff at his original alma mater.
   While Rutgers and Manville experienced some bumps in the road along the way, something special began to occur. In 2005, Rutgers won seven games and played in its first bowl game in nearly 30 years. Manville, meanwhile, was starting to enjoy the fruits of its football labor, fashioning a promising 3-7 mark in 2005. That flicker of hope fostered last season has been transformed into a roaring inferno, led by dynamic running back Tommy Rock and nucleus of senior leaders.
   "It really is amazing," said Cebula, the emotion raw and genuine in his voice. "It’s actually a pretty surreal feeling. There are some definite parallels between Rutgers’ success and the success we’re having at Manville. The things that were talked about when I got to Rutgers, keeping the in-state kids home – building pride. It’s taken awhile, but it’s finally here.
   "And it’s very similar here at Manville," he continued. "I don’t know if it’s chemistry, it’s certainly talent. Maybe a combination of those things. I just know the kids are doing a great job and everyone should be proud of them."
   While there is a lot of season ahead for both teams, Cebula can be forgiven for taking a step back and drinking this all in. He has earned that right. While fans, boosters and supporters of the two programs are integral to their success, Cebula was actually in the arena. He ran the endless wind sprints, pumped iron until his muscles could give no more. He survived the seemingly endless two-a-day drills in the blaring heat of countless New Jersey summers. He toiled in the trenches on game day, laying his body on the line each time out.
   When you see this strapping the 31-year old walking down Main Street, he’ll be the one with the ear-to-ear grin, in a blue and gold Manville T-shirt, and Scarlet baseball cap emblazoned with the block R.
   Chris Cebula has earned the right to enjoy this moment in time.