new graduate assistant hire has a great backstory...from shithole to Mpls
By David Drew | ddrew1@mlive.com
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on February 17, 2015 at 5:40 AM, updated February 17, 2015 at 10:36 AM
WMU Football
KALAMAZOO, MI - All Donald Celiscar has ever wanted is a chance.
When he was a young boy growing up in Haiti, he wanted an opportunity to come to the United States for his family to live a better life. When he moved to America at the age of 8, he yearned to play outside with the neighborhood friends. As a budding athlete in high school, all he wanted was a chance to earn a scholarship to continue playing football in college.
Celiscar has gotten those chances in his life and he's flourished in every opportunity. Now, after a standout career at Western Michigan University, the cornerback from Winter Haven, Fla., has an opportunity to chase his dream as he participates in the NFL Combine to try to become a professional football player.
He is one of 33 cornerbacks out of more than 300 college players who have been invited to participate in the scouting combine, which runs Tuesday through Monday. Regardless of what happens, Celiscar takes pride in how hard he's worked to get to this point in his life.
"It means a lot, man," he said. "It means I'm one step closer to my dream. This is why you work hard to get to this point. Now, you're here and it's cool, but you want to know what's next. Whatever it is, I'm going to be ready. They're going to get my best."
How it started
Western Michigan's Donald Celiscar (34) reacts during a practice at Waldo Stadium, Thursday, August 21, 2014, in Kalamazoo, Mich.Junfu Han | MLive.com
Celiscar stands at a fit 5-foot-11, 190 pounds these days and he's not afraid to show off his six-pack abs at practice, but there was a time when he didn't know where his next meal would come from.
While his father worked in Florida to save money to bring the rest of the family to the United States, Celiscar, his two brothers and sister, and his mom struggled to get by in Haiti.
"It was real tough growing up. Haiti life is crazy, man," he said. "It's completely different than here. We didn't have anything. Some days we didn't know where the next meal was going to come from. My mom was always working."
When the Celiscar family was able to settle down in Florida, food still wasn't coming in surplus with seven family members living in a one-bedroom apartment. He joked that he didn't know how to handle his first week in Kalamazoo when food was always available at the WMU dining halls.
"I gained 10 pounds when I got here," he said with a laugh. "You don't get a second plate at home. When I got here I was like, 'Free food? Swipe the card and you can eat whenever you want?' I was just grubbing when I got here."
A sneaky start to his football career
Celiscar began playing organized football in eighth grade. He was hesitant at first, but he quickly developed into a star as he was moved up to the varsity team during his freshman season as a receiver.
His football career wouldn't have come about if he didn't bend the rules at home, though.
Celiscar said there were countless days when he would sit at the window in his family's apartment and watch the kids outside beckon him to join them. The peer pressure eventually got to him and he gave in.
"I knew if I went outside I was going to get my butt spanked," he joked. "Eventually, we figured out what time our parents went to work and what time they would be back so we started sneaking out to play for a little bit. By the time our parents came back, we were cleaned up and acted like we were in the house the whole time."
He got by in eighth grade by having his sister forge signatures on his consent forms and by the time he had to start bringing his football gear home, his parents had come around to his side.
Loyalty to WMU
Celiscar generated a lot of interest from major college football programs in high school. Ohio University was the first school to offer him a scholarship, but Western Michigan was the only school that stood by Celiscar's side when academic eligibility issues came up.
Celiscar got his grades in order the night before national signing day in 2011 and his scholarship was waiting for him. He said he'll never forget the loyalty former WMU defensive coordinator Dave Cohen and other coaches showed him. He said that influenced his decision to stay at WMU when coach Bill Cubit and his staff were fired after Celiscar's sophomore season in 2012.
Celiscar said he thought about transferring to Rutgers to join Cohen's defense, but he decided to stick with the school that gave him a chance.
It worked out pretty well for current WMU coach P.J. Fleck as Celiscar has been one of the top corners in the Mid-American Conference over the last two seasons. He and teammate Ronald Zamort led the nation in passes defended this past season.
The defensive back's loyalty isn't lost on Fleck.
"He's an extremely high-quality kid with incredible direction and vision," Fleck said. "He has a wonderful blueprint for his life and I think he's going to be extremely successful and he's going to make an NFL team very happy."
The NFL road ahead
Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck and cornerback Donald Celiscar celebrate forcing an Eastern Michigan fumble at Rynearson Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 in Ypsilanti, Mich.Patrick Record | The Ann Arbor News
Western Michigan's secondary has become a known commodity in the Mid-American Conference in the last two seasons under the direction of defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham and Celiscar is a big reason why.
The Broncos play almost strictly man coverage, a coveted skill in the NFL. The name on the front of Celiscar's jersey might have deterred some scouts from giving him a serious look, but after a standout performance at the NFLPA Bowl game in January, his hype is increasing.
Celiscar finished with 10 interceptions, 55 passes defended and 247 tackles in his college career. He is the No. 42-ranked cornerback out of 232 draft-eligible players at his position according to NFLDraftScout.com. He is the 393rd-best player out of 2,855 eligible players.
He is not projected to be a draft pick, but Fleck and Pinkham were both adamant that any NFL team would love to have Celiscar.
"I've had some guys that have gone on to play on Sunday and just in comparing the talent level, I really felt Donald had the same innate talent those young men had," said Pinkham, who coached a stout defense at Rutgers in 2009-10. "He's a long guy, and he's big and physical. When you look at him on film, not only is he exceptionally gifted when it comes to man coverage, but he makes an awful lot of plays in tackling the ball carrier."
RELATED: Watch P.J. Fleck beat Donald Celiscar one-on-one
Fleck spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers in 2004-05 and said Celiscar would be an asset to any roster.
"A locker room would give anything to have him in there because he's infectious," Fleck said. "He's an extremely positive person. He doesn't have many bad days. He loves the game. When you have guys that love the game and you can spread that to other guys, now you have a locker room."
Celiscar said he and his agent have had discussions with the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars, but he acknowledged he has a great chance to turn more heads this week.
"My goal is to give it my very best," he said. "I want to leave it all out there. Everything I've worked hard for, coming from Haiti to now, everything, just let it go. It's an opportunity to show them who you are and what you have. I'm going to walk out of there with no regrets."
By David Drew | ddrew1@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on February 17, 2015 at 5:40 AM, updated February 17, 2015 at 10:36 AM
WMU Football
KALAMAZOO, MI - All Donald Celiscar has ever wanted is a chance.
When he was a young boy growing up in Haiti, he wanted an opportunity to come to the United States for his family to live a better life. When he moved to America at the age of 8, he yearned to play outside with the neighborhood friends. As a budding athlete in high school, all he wanted was a chance to earn a scholarship to continue playing football in college.
Celiscar has gotten those chances in his life and he's flourished in every opportunity. Now, after a standout career at Western Michigan University, the cornerback from Winter Haven, Fla., has an opportunity to chase his dream as he participates in the NFL Combine to try to become a professional football player.
He is one of 33 cornerbacks out of more than 300 college players who have been invited to participate in the scouting combine, which runs Tuesday through Monday. Regardless of what happens, Celiscar takes pride in how hard he's worked to get to this point in his life.
"It means a lot, man," he said. "It means I'm one step closer to my dream. This is why you work hard to get to this point. Now, you're here and it's cool, but you want to know what's next. Whatever it is, I'm going to be ready. They're going to get my best."
How it started
Western Michigan's Donald Celiscar (34) reacts during a practice at Waldo Stadium, Thursday, August 21, 2014, in Kalamazoo, Mich.Junfu Han | MLive.comCeliscar stands at a fit 5-foot-11, 190 pounds these days and he's not afraid to show off his six-pack abs at practice, but there was a time when he didn't know where his next meal would come from.
While his father worked in Florida to save money to bring the rest of the family to the United States, Celiscar, his two brothers and sister, and his mom struggled to get by in Haiti.
"It was real tough growing up. Haiti life is crazy, man," he said. "It's completely different than here. We didn't have anything. Some days we didn't know where the next meal was going to come from. My mom was always working."
When the Celiscar family was able to settle down in Florida, food still wasn't coming in surplus with seven family members living in a one-bedroom apartment. He joked that he didn't know how to handle his first week in Kalamazoo when food was always available at the WMU dining halls.
"I gained 10 pounds when I got here," he said with a laugh. "You don't get a second plate at home. When I got here I was like, 'Free food? Swipe the card and you can eat whenever you want?' I was just grubbing when I got here."
A sneaky start to his football career
Celiscar began playing organized football in eighth grade. He was hesitant at first, but he quickly developed into a star as he was moved up to the varsity team during his freshman season as a receiver.
His football career wouldn't have come about if he didn't bend the rules at home, though.
Celiscar said there were countless days when he would sit at the window in his family's apartment and watch the kids outside beckon him to join them. The peer pressure eventually got to him and he gave in.
"I knew if I went outside I was going to get my butt spanked," he joked. "Eventually, we figured out what time our parents went to work and what time they would be back so we started sneaking out to play for a little bit. By the time our parents came back, we were cleaned up and acted like we were in the house the whole time."
He got by in eighth grade by having his sister forge signatures on his consent forms and by the time he had to start bringing his football gear home, his parents had come around to his side.
Loyalty to WMU
Celiscar generated a lot of interest from major college football programs in high school. Ohio University was the first school to offer him a scholarship, but Western Michigan was the only school that stood by Celiscar's side when academic eligibility issues came up.
Celiscar got his grades in order the night before national signing day in 2011 and his scholarship was waiting for him. He said he'll never forget the loyalty former WMU defensive coordinator Dave Cohen and other coaches showed him. He said that influenced his decision to stay at WMU when coach Bill Cubit and his staff were fired after Celiscar's sophomore season in 2012.
Celiscar said he thought about transferring to Rutgers to join Cohen's defense, but he decided to stick with the school that gave him a chance.
It worked out pretty well for current WMU coach P.J. Fleck as Celiscar has been one of the top corners in the Mid-American Conference over the last two seasons. He and teammate Ronald Zamort led the nation in passes defended this past season.
The defensive back's loyalty isn't lost on Fleck.
"He's an extremely high-quality kid with incredible direction and vision," Fleck said. "He has a wonderful blueprint for his life and I think he's going to be extremely successful and he's going to make an NFL team very happy."
The NFL road ahead
Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck and cornerback Donald Celiscar celebrate forcing an Eastern Michigan fumble at Rynearson Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013 in Ypsilanti, Mich.Patrick Record | The Ann Arbor NewsWestern Michigan's secondary has become a known commodity in the Mid-American Conference in the last two seasons under the direction of defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham and Celiscar is a big reason why.
The Broncos play almost strictly man coverage, a coveted skill in the NFL. The name on the front of Celiscar's jersey might have deterred some scouts from giving him a serious look, but after a standout performance at the NFLPA Bowl game in January, his hype is increasing.
Celiscar finished with 10 interceptions, 55 passes defended and 247 tackles in his college career. He is the No. 42-ranked cornerback out of 232 draft-eligible players at his position according to NFLDraftScout.com. He is the 393rd-best player out of 2,855 eligible players.
He is not projected to be a draft pick, but Fleck and Pinkham were both adamant that any NFL team would love to have Celiscar.
"I've had some guys that have gone on to play on Sunday and just in comparing the talent level, I really felt Donald had the same innate talent those young men had," said Pinkham, who coached a stout defense at Rutgers in 2009-10. "He's a long guy, and he's big and physical. When you look at him on film, not only is he exceptionally gifted when it comes to man coverage, but he makes an awful lot of plays in tackling the ball carrier."
RELATED: Watch P.J. Fleck beat Donald Celiscar one-on-one
Fleck spent two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers in 2004-05 and said Celiscar would be an asset to any roster.
"A locker room would give anything to have him in there because he's infectious," Fleck said. "He's an extremely positive person. He doesn't have many bad days. He loves the game. When you have guys that love the game and you can spread that to other guys, now you have a locker room."
Celiscar said he and his agent have had discussions with the Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars, but he acknowledged he has a great chance to turn more heads this week.
"My goal is to give it my very best," he said. "I want to leave it all out there. Everything I've worked hard for, coming from Haiti to now, everything, just let it go. It's an opportunity to show them who you are and what you have. I'm going to walk out of there with no regrets."
