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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
No Ordinary Joe
November 07, 2007 | Football
The mid-October temperature in Central Jersey drifted well into the 70s, and Princeton senior defensive back Joe Cerreta wasn't happy.
“It's hot,” he says. “Too hot. This isn't football weather.”
Where Cerreta comes from, on the shore of Lake Erie in Northeast Ohio, “hot” and “October” didn't go together too often. Of course, “October” and “football” were wedded his whole life.
How big-time was high school football in Cerreta's world? Consider that he played two games each year in the stadium in Canton at the Football Hall of Fame. Among the opposing players he faced in high school was Ted Ginn Jr., now of the Miami Dolphins.
“It's pretty much the birthplace of pro football,” Cerreta says.
That's not all Cerreta knows about Northeast Ohio. In fact, there's probably very little he doesn't know, from every rock and tree to every road and route there is to travel.
Cerreta didn't exactly have the standard high school career. Instead, he spent his sophomore, junior and senior years traveling a 40-minute round trip from Perry High School to his new hometown of Uniontown. Because of the driving age in Ohio, he was the one doing the driving.
The situation arose because Cerreta's father moved to Uniontown after he was remarried. Cerreta lived with his father after his parents' divorce, and he made the move with his older brother Anthony and his two new step-siblings.
The remaining issue was where he would go to school. Having established himself at Perry High, a public school, he was allowed to continue to attend.
“Because of my previous schooling, they allowed me to stay there,” says Cerreta, who looks like a 6-2, 195-pound version of one of the Beatles. “It actually was beneficial for me. I certainly learned how to be independent.”
During football season, his days sometimes included a morning practice at Perry, which required getting up in Uniontown at 4:30 a.m. to be on time. He would often stay at a friend's house when the time demands became too intense, such as early-morning film sessions on Saturdays after Friday night games.
“During my first two years of high school, I didn't even have a lunch period,” he says. “We'd have a lift session for football, and then I'd shower and eat in five minutes.”
And, more often than not, there was the long drive back to his new home.
“There are five different ways to make the trip,” he says. “I'd try to mix it up to make it more exciting. I'd always be looking for a different route.”
His route became much different after his career at Perry, which included two first-team all-county and all-league selections as both a defensive back and wide receiver and a team MVP award senior year, not to mention also playing basketball and baseball while also being named to the National Honor Society.
He had attracted interest from Bowl Subdivision schools such as Maryland, Wake Forest and Indiana after his junior year, but when the team quarterback graduated, he spent his senior year moving around all over the offense.
“A lot of the looks I had gotten started to fade away,” he says. “They didn't have enough film of me at any specific position. Coach [Eric] Jackson had met with me after my junior year, but Princeton wasn't really part of my mindset at the time. He stayed with it and came back after my senior year. I really started to think more and more about my future, about life after college, and Princeton went right to the top of my list after that.”
Both of Cerreta's parents and his older brother attended Akron, but none had graduated. Suddenly, the Ivy League was looming as an option.
“My parents left the decision up to me,” he says. “They knew what I wanted out of football and college. I visited the campus and immediately fell in love with the place. The atmosphere was great. It seemed like there was a sense of unity.”
Cerreta came to Princeton as part of the Summer Scholars program.
“I can't imagine coming into camp as a freshman without knowing anyone,” he says. “It helped me a lot to be here that summer. It helped make the transition so much smoother. Without that, I think it would have been tougher for me.”
While the academic transition was under control, it took some time for the football side to catch up.
“The first time I stepped on the field was last year at Lehigh,” he says. “That was the first time I traveled as well. It was disappointing at first, because I would have loved to have been out there every play if I could. Our defensive backfield was filled with upperclassmen and players who could get the job done.”
Cerreta made eight tackles a year ago while playing in the defensive backfield and on special teams for the Tigers' Ivy League championship team. This year, he has started every game at strong safety, and he has added his first career interception, which came in the opener against Lehigh. He also had made 14 tackles through the first five games of the season.
With his college career about to wind down, Cerreta is looking forward to graduation and then beyond, when the economics major is considering between a career in finance and a career with a pro team in their front office.
“It's definitely flown by here,” he says. “I've loved the group of guys who have gone and the guys who are here now. I'm proud that I've had a chance to be part of this, to win a championship, to go 9-1, to be part of that atmosphere. In high school, I never had a chance to be part of something like that.”
No, but he did have a chance to drive all over Northeast Ohio.
“That experience has helped me out so much,” he says. “It helps me here. It definitely taught me time management, that's for sure.”
by Jerry Price