Cody Galea was born in California. He is a former professional football player who played College Football, made it to the NFL played in the IFL but also played in Europe. I had the chance to have an interview with him, talking about his journey as a Pro-Football player.
Hi Cody when do you have started playing american football?
Cody: I started playing football when I was nine years old. It was in 2001 I guess. My father was one of my coaches in my team.
And what positions have you played growing up?
Cody: I started playing Defensive End. My favourite player was Warren Sapp so I weared his jersey number.
So let’s have a look back when you started playing Highschool Football. What school did you play for? And what positions did you play
Cody: I attended Franklin High School in Elk Grove, California. As a freshman I played Fullback and Linebacker. In my sophomore year I played Defensive End and Guard. As a junior I switched positions and played as a Linebacker and Tight End, and I finished Highschool playing Guard and Linebacker. In Highschool the coaches expect that their players are versatile enough to play multiple positions, because of the limited Roster spots.
You’ve been one of the best players in your Highschool Team. When have you realized you can make it to be a scholarship athlete?
Cody: When I was eleven yers old I truly believed I can make it to the Pros one day. I knew I will become an scholarship athlete during my sophomore year in Highschool. The coaches told me that scouts would come to our games to scout players of our team including me. Then I knew I would have the chance to attend at University without paying anything for my education.
How was your recruiting process back in the days?
Cody: My recruiting wasn’t as easy as it is today. Today it is pretty easy to share your highlight tapes in times of social media. Instead of sharing my tape on Instagram, I had to copy them on disks and send one disk to each University I was interested in. So finally my dad and I sent over 200 disks of highlight tapes to Universities. I also went to talent camps to show my abilities in front of University scouts.
And which Colleges have offered you a scholarship?
Cody: I received scholarship offers from Sacramento State, UC Davis, Nevada and San Diego State. First I committed to Nevada. But at this point I didn’t knew San Diego also made me an offer. After I visited the campus of San Diego State I felt like I wan’t to play Football in San Diego.
Let us talk about your freshman year for the Aztecs. Often freshman player are having a redshirt which give freshmans a year of team practice without playing in the redshirt year. Have you been a redshirt?
Cody: Originally I wanted to skip being a redshirt. But I had to learn the new 3-3-5 system we played at San Diego State and I also wanted to gain some weight for my new role in the new system. With all these new things I was supposed to learn, I decided to become a redshirt player and have additional year at San Diego State.
You started playing as a redshirt freshman. How much have you played for the Aztecs in your four years in San Diego?
Cody: In my first season I was a second-string player. We played a rotational defense, so I was able to get snaps on a consistent level. For the next couple season it became a steady switch between being a backup and a starter until mid-season in my redshirt junior year. After the fifth game I became the starter and never gave up the starting spot until my last game at San Diego State. In my last season of College Football I switched my postion. I always played as an Edge player in my first three season. The team decided to line me up on the Linebacker position. With that new position I did more versatile things on the field. I wasn’t just a pass rusher or a run stopper. The new position helped me out a lot and I played my best season as a College Football player.
Finally you played all four possible season and you had a additional redshirt year. You automatically entered the NFL Draft. Which teams were interested in signing you?
Cody: I knew that the Linebackers Coach of the Indianapolis Colts Jeff Fitzgerald scouted me during my time at San Diego State. Fitzgerald is a former coach of San Diego State. So he was the reason why signed with the Colts. The Miami Dolphins also showed some interest before the Draft. But they never offered me a contract to sign me as an undrafted free agent. Because of that I finally signed with Indianapolis.
Unfortunately you weren’t able to stay in the NFL for a long time. Why did haven’t made it to the 53 man roster or practice squad?
Cody: In my first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles I played on special teams. On a punt return play I tried to chase the returner. Unfortunately I pulled my hamstring and I had to recover from that injury for the next two games. A couple days after I recovered from my injury the team had to cut the roster to a 75 man roster. They waived me because I just weren’t able to play enough to make it to the final roster.
After you left the NFL you signed with the Arizona Rattlers to play in the IFL. Why have you decided to play IFL in Arizona?
Cody: I went to Arizona and played IFL because I thought I had to get some game eperience to stay on the radars of NFL scouts. For me personally it started pretty good. But our team lost the first games and the Rattlers added some players to our team. Before the next game the coaches decided to put me on reserve. Because of the fact that I originally came to play for a team, I decided to leave Arizona.
After you left Arizona you decided to go to Europe to play for the Geneva Seahawks. How was your experience like to play in Europe?
Cody: I decided to move to Switzerland to experience something new. But my time in Europe was pretty short. I received a Kickoff and I wanted to return it for a Touchdown instead of taking a knee. I suffered a knee injury after I tried to make a cut. After that injury my time in Switzerland was over and I decided to retire from Pro-Football.
Last question, how does your life look like after your retirement?
Cody: Beside my main job I wanted to still be connected with football. I am the Defense Coordinator for the Cosumnes Oaks Highschool Football team. I also coach some players individually.
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