Fitch’s Cercel attains major honor

April 26, 2014 at 12:08a.m.

When Paul Cercel was released from the Dallas Cowboys during their 1965 training camp, the Austintown Fitch graduate felt he wasn’t through with football.

So he accepted an invitation to try out for the Philadelphia Bulldogs of the Continental Football League.

Minor league football agreed with Cercel, a center for three seasons with the University of Pittsburgh. After two seasons and one championship with the Bulldogs, Cercel joined the Pottstown Firebirds of the Atlantic Coast Football League.

Cercel played three seasons with the Firebirds.

Today, his efforts will be honored when he is one of nine inductees in the 2014 Class for the Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame. The induction and recognition ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

“Offensive linemen don’t get many accolades, so to me it’s a nice honor,” Cercel said. “To me, the most important thing is that my brother [James Cercel of Poland], nephews and grandson are coming.”

He’ll also see Youngstown’s Ernest Borghetti, his teammate from Pitt.

“It’s a chance to get together with friends and family and tell a lot of stories,” said Cercel, now a resident of York, Pa.

Cercel graduated from Fitch in 1960 and was inducted into the Fitch Hall of Fame in 2010. After his freshman season at Pitt, he was red-shirted for a season while studying business administration. He then played center for the Panthers during the 1962, 1963 and 1964 seasons.

He was drafted by the Cowboys after his junior season when Pitt finished No. 3 in the nation.

In the summer of 1965, Cercel went to Thousands Oaks, Calif., for the Cowboys’ training camp.

“I lasted through a couple of exhibition games,” said Cercel, noting that NFL rosters back then were limited to 38 players.

The Bulldogs invited Cercel to come to Philadelphia.

“We played in Temple’s stadium on Saturday nights,” Cercel said, adding that he earned enough money during the season that he didn’t need a regular job.

He played center, guard and offensive tackle. He started every game in his two seasons there and was co-captain on the 1966 championship team.

After that first season, one of the Bulldogs’ minority owners helped him get a job with a vending company. He made it his career.

“Since then, I’ve been dealing with vending machines all my [career],” Cercel said. “One of the Pitt team doctors, Andy Wissinger, told me it’s ironic that it might be best for me to not play pro football.

“He was right,” Cercel said. “A pretty good job developed for me, one that still allowed me to practice two or three nights a week, and play on Saturday.”

After his second season in Philadelphia, Cercel was one of several Bulldogs to join the Pottsville Firebirds. One of his coaches was Steve Van Buren, the former Philadelphia Eagles running back who is a Pro Football Hall of Fame member.

“There was a lot of turnover,” Cercel said. “Our quarterback was Bob Brodhead, who was then the business manager for the Cleveland Browns. Once a week, he’d fly in for practice, then go back to Cleveland.”

Last year, Cercel attended the Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony because Ken Lucas, his teammate at Pitt, was inducted.

“He put my name in [for consideration],” Cercel said.