12/23/2004 - Football
The Two Sides Of Anthony Piccioni
There are two sides to Navy linebacker and former Bishop Carroll standout Anthony Piccioni.
On one side, there is a relentless and attacking Piccioni that covers kickoffs with a kamikaze style to honor the men and women that defend the United States of America.
On the other side, there is a humble and respectful Piccioni who ends all of his answers with ?sir' and talks about how fortunate he is to attend the United States Naval Academy.
To see both sides of Piccioni is to see an example of what kind of person the Academy produces every year.
"Anthony is a great kid and a fun player to coach," said Navy special teams coordinator and inside linebackers coach Kevin Kelly. "He plays all-out in practice and when he's called upon during games. He also listens intently to everything that you have to say."
As the Mids (9-2) prepare for their showdown with New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco on Dec. 30, Piccioni will serve a dual-role in those preparations by working on the special teams and moving over to the scout team to play linebacker. It's a role the sophomore has played all season and done so with enthusiasm.
"I'm a role player on this team," said Piccioni, an Ebensburg native. "I wasn't recruited heavily. I went to NAPS (Naval Academy Prep School) first and then came here. I play on the special teams and scout team. I go out and play as hard as I can and do what I can to help the team."
That ?team first' mentality made an early impression on the coaching staff during preseason practice in August. Instead of sulking over his demotion to the scout team, Piccioni played even more aggressive and was ultimately rewarded with a spot on the starting special teams unit.
"He made such an impression of me that I made sure we got him on special teams," said head coach Paul Johnson. "He went over on the scout team and was flying around.
"Sometimes when kids don't get what they want, they sulk a little bit and he never did that. He just flew around and knocked the fool out of everybody. He has a good time playing and you need guys like that on the team."
Piccioni, who has been a valuable member to Navy's kick coverage unit this season, has registered seven tackles and has even returned two kickoffs for 32 yards.
"He is probably one of our better kick returners," Johnson said with a laugh. "When I go out and cover kicks, I just think about all the soldiers that are over in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting for us and what they are putting on the line everyday," Piccioni said. "We are fortunate to do what we are doing here, but it wouldn't be possible without the sacrifices everyone is making
around the world. I do it to honor them."
Piccioni's tireless work ethic has been a constant throughout his life and it has been reinforced while at NAPS and the Academy. It's also helped having people around him at both places who share the same traits.
"NAPS was a lot tougher physically," he said. "However, the Academy is a lot tougher mentally because you're always here and can never leave as a plebe (freshman). The guys on the team and the people that live around you in the dorm become your brothers and help you get through the tough times. You can't give up here for a second and no one will let you either, because they will push you and cheer you on. It's true when they say the football team
here at Navy is a ?brotherhood'."
Piccioni has taken those lessons to heart from the veterans and plans to teach those same ones to the younger players when he becomes an upperclassmen.
"The lessons that those guys taught me came from the upperclassmen before them," Piccioni said. "It's a tradition to help the younger guys, because we're all in this together and we're all working towards the same goal, on the field and off."
Piccioni's goals are lofty and noble at the same time. An economics major, Piccioni has always dreamed of becoming a Navy SEAL. He knows, though, that a lot of hard work lies ahead before he can reach his goal. He also tries to downplay his goal out of respect for the SEALs.
"I don't even like to talk about it much," he said. "Those guys are so far above everyone else. I don't even deserve to say that I want to do that, because they are such a special group. I have a lot of work ahead of me that needs to be done, so I'm really focused on that first. It would be an honor to be one."
Just like he does on the football field, Piccioni wants to honor the soldiers by becoming one.
"I believe by joining them side-by-side, it's the ultimate thanks you can give," Piccioni added. "They are the reason why this country is so special and I hope to be one of them soon to help keep the United States a special place."
