Seeing, finding success through Stephen Neal's experiences

 

BY RYAN T. BLYSTONE
rblystone@bakersfield.com

Feb 2, 2026

When you hear about Stephen Neal, there’s many ways to approach his sports credentials.

He is a two-time NCAA Division I heavyweight champion and four-time All-America selection at Cal State Bakersfield. His international accomplishments in the sport are equally impressive. And then there’s the rare 10-year NFL career he carved out without playing college football. He was a guard from 2001-11, all with the New England Patriots. He was with the team for four Super Bowls, awarded three rings for victories in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Last October, he was part of CSUB Athletics’ inaugural Hall of Fame class — but wasn’t there in person, keeping family first and attending a key volleyball match in support of his daughters, Colby and Jillian, at Arizona State.

Neal, who was in town Sunday to watch the 2025-26 CSUB wrestling team compete in a unique home dual match — outdoor wrestling on a mat on the CSUB soccer field — and join fellow CSUB wrestling alumni to be recognized during intermission, stands out.

Not just because he still looks imposing as his 6-foot-4, 305-pound NFL body did back then.

Familiar surroundings such as the CSUB campus are comfortable places for Neal. But ask him about this coming Sunday’s Super Bowl 60 between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara and he’s planning to watch the game on television and not at Levi’s Stadium in Northern California.

“Absolutely not,” the 49-year-old said. “I’m not a fan of big crowds. I can’t relax in a place that’s super crowded like an NFL game.”

No fear. He’s just happier to follow things from afar and still appreciate everything about the game.

It’s a matchup he thinks has great potential to be a great championship game. It’s also a certainty that he’s leaning toward a Patriots victory, mainly because one of his former teammates, Mike Vrabel, is the current New England head coach.

“When I had my first tryout for football in 2001, Mike gave me my first pair of cleats. He was the first football player I met. I’m a big fan of Mike,” Neal said. “I think the buy-in he’s established with his players is amazing.”

Vrabel, as a teammate, was someone Neal said was all about being a team player.

“He was always one of the smartest players around,” Neal said. “To do special teams, be a linebacker on defense and he caught six touchdown passes and was always in our goal-line package. Whatever it took for his team to win, he was all about doing it. We all knew he’d be a coach. I have nothing but respect for him.”

Neal also enjoyed Vrabel’s antics that endeared him to the team.

“I remember he’d get on a scout team at safety and he’d (tick) off (Tom) Brady. The players are supposed to do what’s on the card and he’d do what he wanted. Brady would get so mad at him,” Neal said.

It was one example of the New England Patriots that isn’t talked about enough. The Patriots were always about business and doing what they could to maintain their success. The leader of this directive was Bill Belichick, head coach of the Patriots during Neal’s entire NFL career.

“I’d say he’s the greatest head coach of all time,” Neal said of Belichick, who was in the news last week when it was learned that he had missed out on being a first-ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame by one vote. He was on 39 of the 50 ballots needed to be picked.

The news caused a viral reaction in the sports world. Add Neal to a long list of current and former athletes, coaches, who felt Belichick’s exclusion from the newest Hall of Fame class, scheduled to be announced on Thursday, was a snub.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame doesn’t really matter,” Neal said. “You don’t set up your career just to make it to the Hall of Fame. If you do that, it’s going to be pretty hard. He’s someone who wanted to win — every single day. He won every single day as far as practices, preparation and scouting.

“It was a pleasure to be in the presence of greatness,” Neal said of Belichick, marveling at his ability to always be thinking several steps ahead of his peers and his staffs in terms of being a winner.

“He held every coach accountable and every coach would then hold every player accountable.

Many believe the New England Patriots were all business, all the time.

“It is what it was,” Neal said. “But to say there was no fun in New England? Nah. We worked hard during the week, but we had a lot of fun winning on Sunday.

“It was worth all the sacrifice to get those experiences, and knowing that you had a chance, no matter who you were playing against, to win.”

Belichick and the Patriots signed Neal for the practice squad initially in 2001.

He was cut, spent some time with the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, and was re-signed to the Patriots’ active roster in the same season. The Patriots reached the Super Bowl that season. He went from watching Super Bowls on the couch to being there with a front-row view.

Neal didn’t play a down for the Patriots that first season but was on the sideline when New England beat the St. Louis Rams in 2002.

He blew out both shoulders in his first start of the 2002-03 season and had surgeries on them.

The next year, when the Patriots returned to the 2004 Super Bowl against Carolina, he was recovering from another shoulder surgery.

In the 2005 Super Bowl, a 24-21 win over the Eagles, Neal did start and experience the game as a player. The fourth and final Super Bowl for Neal was the 2008 meeting, a 17-14 loss to the New York Giants.

When Neal finished his NFL career, he had played in 86 games, 81 as a starting right guard.

“They don’t come any better than Steve Neal,” Belichick said in a Patriots team statement when Neal retired in 2011.

“In terms of improvement and development as a player, Steve may have accomplished more than any player I’ve ever been around. His toughness, intelligence and competitiveness were rare levels and all contributed to him going from being a champion in an individual sport to being an integral part of championship teams.

“I congratulate Steve for an incredible career and thank him for everything he did for me personally, our team and organization.”

Neal’s appreciation for Belichick was equaled in wrestling by Darryl Pope, a top assistant coach with CSUB wrestling and a two-time All-America selection in the mid-1980s, when Neal arrived in 1996.

Neal was fourth his freshman year in the NCAA Tournament and second as a sophomore.

Pope was constantly motivating Neal to be at his best. All the work, all the preparation and listening to Pope took Neal to incredible heights.

Neal holds career records for wins, he was 156-10, and pins (71) from 1996-99. He won the 1999 Danny Hodge Trophy as the collegiate wrestler of the year.

“One hundred%, Darryl Pope,” Neal said. He explained how Pope’s motivation, even after success in his early seasons at CSUB, laid the foundation for the national titles he won his junior and senior years.

“I was so programmed, I beat a lot of guys I shouldn’t have. He was able to put things in my head that prepared me for success.”

https://www.bakersfield.com/sports/seeing-finding-success-through-stephen-neals-experiences/article_3e40e25b-3ef9-4281-a074-05e5c05be04d.html

NFL All Quarter Century team: Best 53-man roster, coaches

 

Aaron Schatz

Seth Walder

Jun 18, 2025, 06:45 AM ET

 

Coaching staff

Bill Belichick, head coach

We wrestled back and forth here, considering both Belichick and Andy Reid. Reid has the advantage of sustained success with multiple quarterbacks and multiple franchises, but we went with Belichick because of his superior success in the postseason: nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl championships.

Belichick also won in different ways. His early Patriots teams were more about the defense, highlighted by a game plan that slowed down the 2001 Rams' dynamic offense. The midcareer Patriots were offensive juggernauts. At the end of his New England tenure, the team went back to being defense-first, highlighted by a 13-3 victory in its final Super Bowl. – Schatz

Mike Vrabel Credits 'Team First' Focus for New England Patriots Hall of Fame Induction

 

Former New England Patriots linebacker, and current Tennessee Titans head coach, Mike Vrabel has been inducted as the 34th member of the team's Hall of Fame.

MIKE D'ABATE

OCT 22, 2023 9:00 AM EDT

FOXBORO — Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel may currently be controlling the sidelines in Nashville. However, there is still a great deal of New England Patriots ‘Blue’ in his bloodline.

Vrabel, who was inducted on Saturday as the 34th inductee into the Patriots Hall of Fame, remains forever grateful for the eight seasons he spent in New England. Accordingly, he insisted on savoring the moment of being one of the select few to earn the organization's highest honor.

"I promise I'm not going to take this for granted," Vrabel said after donning his Hall of Fame red jacket for the first time. "Because I think that spending eight years here, and the success that we had, I think you could all say that we took it a little bit for granted ... You go to work, you coach football, you go to your next stop, and you lose sight of what this actually was and what it meant, and I don't want anyone to do that."

Just in case, Patriots team owner and CEO Robert Kraft reminded both Vrabel and all of Patriots Nation about where he is likely to be most fondly remembered. 

"You might be a Titan in the industry now, but to us you'll always be a Patriot," Kraft said. 

Vrabel joined the Patriots as a free agent in 2001. His signing remains one of the greatest in team history. Although he finished his playing career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Vrabel will forever be remembered as a Patriot. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), as well as a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro in 2007. He was selected as a member of the New England Patriots 50th Anniversary Team, as well as the Sports Illustrated All-Decade Team (2000–2009).

Throughout his time in New England, Vrabel defined the word ‘versatility.’ He primarily started at both inside and outside linebacker. Unsurprisingly, he mentioned fellow positional teammates — and Patriots Hall of Farmers — Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest with helping him to quickly learn and enact New England’s playbook.

"Coming here, as a guy that never started before, I wanted to prove that I could do it," Vrabel said. "I wanted to show guys like Bruschi, and McGinest that I belonged here. I'm so proud of what we accomplished together." 

New England Patriots Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for Mike Vrabel (far left) and Dante Scarnecchia (bottom right)

Photo Cred: CBS Sports

 

Though Vrabel earned his induction through his prowess at linebacker, he often aligned on offense in short-yardage and goal-line situations. As a Patriot, Vrabel caught eight regular-season passes and two more in the playoffs. All 10 of his receptions were for touchdowns, including scoring receptions in back-to-back Super Bowl wins over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXVIII and Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX.

In fact, even Patriots coach Bill Belichick was caught by surprise with regard to the success the team had in using Vrabel as a pass catcher. "I kept saying 'They know we're not going to run behind Mike' [as a tight end,] Belichick said at the dais with a quizzical grin. "This can't keep working. But it did," the Pats coach added as he knowingly glanced at Vrabel sitting near him. 

"He [Vrabel] was one of the most efficient receivers of all time," said, Kraft while offering his take on Vrabel's pass-catching prowess. "He was also a pretty good linebacker too.”

Still, Vrabel remains cognizant that his success, along with that of the Patriots' dynasty, is due largely in part to the true and total concept of "team" embodied by both coaches and players. 

"Nothing was more important than the team," Vrabel said of his time in New England. "Not your feelings, not your stats, not your paycheck, not what you’ve done in the past.”

In turn, Belichick echoed those sentiments when speaking about Vrabel, as well as coach Dante Scarnecchia, who was also honored as a Patriots Hall of Fame enshrinee earlier in the ceremony.

"The way that both Dante and Mike felt about the team and their unselfishness and their commitment to the team — T-E-A-M team — in every sense of the word, puts them on a level with very few others," Belichick said. 

Accordingly, the lessons Belichick imparted to his players are the same which Vrabel is now teaching to his Titans roster. Like his mentor before him, the sixth-year head coach is putting his "team" first. 

“Whether you agreed or disagreed with him, you ended up respecting him ... because you know that every decision he made was with the best interest of the team in mind," Vrabel said. "That's what I try to do as a coach now in Tennessee every day"

While Vrabel will return to his duties as Titans head coach almost immediately following Saturday's ceremony, the 47-year-old was honored to be welcomed back into the Patriots fold -- even if only for a brief few hours. With the Patriots taking a unique approach to the induction process, fans are allowed to make the final selection for enshrinement via online fan voting. Despite getting the call on his seventh season as a Hall finalist, Vrabel knows the value of the well-deserved red jacket he will proudly wear from this day forth. 

"Maybe the seventh time was the charm, Vrabel said with a laugh. "I'm really appreciative of this ... This is an unbelievable honor."

Bill Belichick: I love Mike Vrabel and what he did for us here

 

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 14, 2023, 12:39 PM EDT

USA Today

 

Mike Vrabel was selected last month to the Patriots’ Hall of Fame, and Bill Belichick praised Vrabel when asked about that selection at the Patriots’ minicamp.

Vrabel played for Belichick from 2001 to 2008, and while they now coach against each other when the Patriots face the Titans, Belichick said he has nothing but respect for everything Vrabel has accomplished.

“I love Mike and what he did for us here,” Belichick said. “He was a big signing for us from Pittsburgh. He didn’t play much up there but came here and became an immediate starter. He played in all of the kicking game, which he did in Pittsburgh as well. He gave us a lot of leadership with a lot of energy, toughness and football character. He was a great addition. I have a good relationship with Mike all the way back to when he was at Ohio State. Since, I’ve followed his coaching career, obviously from Ohio State, to Houston, to Tennessee. I had a great opportunity to work with Mike, and I look forward to working with him again this summer in Tennessee, and at his induction later in the fall. There are a lot of great Patriots from my era as a coach in the Hall of Fame. I’m proud to put another one in, especially on the defensive side of the ball there. We got a lot of them—[Richard] Seymour, [Tedy] Bruschi, Vince [Wilfork], I think there’s a couple more we need to get in there, and obviously, Ty [Law].”

A third-round draft pick of the Steelers out of Ohio State in 1997, Vrabel played four seasons in Pittsburgh, eight in New England and then two in Kansas City. After retiring he went into coaching, first at Ohio State and then with the Texans before becoming the Titans’ head coach in 2018.

Bill Belichick Praises Kirk Ferentz After Coaching Retreat

June 26, 2019 @ 1:13pm » Tzvi Machlin SHARES  903

IOWA CITY, IA - NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes waves as he takes the field before the match-up against the Minnesota Gophers on November 14, 2015 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz decided to take his staff to visit one of his former employers for a retreat. That former employer just so happens to be six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick. Judging from the New England Patriots head coach’s reaction, he holds Ferentz in high regard.

Per The Daily Iowan, Belichick praised Ferentz for his accomplishments at Iowa and expressed gratitude for his friendship. He reportedly invited his former assistant to speak to his team after a practice.

“He’s the winningest coach in the history of Iowa football,” Belichick said in a release. “He’s the longest-tenured FBS coach at one school in football. He’s coached at every level very successfully, so I think his résumé speaks for itself. He’s a tremendous person; I learned a lot from him in the three years that he coached for me at the Browns.”

“I’m grateful for our friendship and relationship and the family members that he’s sent us,” he said in a release.

Ferentz worked as an offensive line coach under Belichick with the Cleveland Browns from 1993 to 1995. Though Belichick was fired when the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996, Ferentz stayed on with the newly-formed Baltimore Ravens until 1998 before being hired by the Hawkeyes.

The relationship clearly continued well beyond their parting in 1996.

00:00

Ferentz’s son Brian got his coaching start with the Patriots before joining his own staff in 2012.

Meanwhile, Ferentz’s younger son James currently plays center for the Patriots.

Suffice it to say, the Iowa head coach has one of the best friends to have in all of sports, let alone football.

[The Daily Iowan]

Vrabel: Ebner has athleticism to flourish in NFL

By Tom Curran

May 9, 2012

When the Patriots used a sixth-round draft pick on Ohio State's Nate Ebner -- he of the 23 tackles in three college seasons -- eyebrows arched.

But the high regard given Bill Belichick's football acumen (grudgingly in some circles) ensured that while eyebrows moved, tongues didn't wag.

Belichick gets the benefit of the doubt.

Belichick noted when he took Ebner that this wasn't a lark. He had OSU references, most prominently Mike Vrabel. The former Patriot joined the Buckeyes coaching staff last year and he gave a stamp of approval to Ebner, a former rugby player.

Whether Ebner turns into an every-down safety or is used almost exclusively on special teams will be borne out in the next few years. But Vrabel says there's a chance Ebner will flourish in the NFL.

"He’s got the ability to run at a high rate of speed and move and bend without slowing down," said Vrabel. "He can run through traffic without losing speed. Guys that cover kicks and maintain their speed in traffic are what you're looking for."

Vrabel sees Ebner's rugby background as a plus. "Whether you play rugby or wrestle as in Stephen Neal's case, you develop good balance, good body control. When you are a national caliber athlete in a sport, chances are there will be carryover."

The immersion of Ebner will begin Friday when rookie minicamp opens providing the first glimpse into what Ebner can become.

Rugby player Ebner an unusual pick, even for Belichick

By PAUL KENYON

May 2, 2012

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Bill Belichick gets criticized by some for not providing enough entertainment value in his daily press conferences during the season, but the coach's creative juices flourish each year when draft time rolls around.

No one makes the NFL draft more fun than the New England Patriots' coach. No one is more unpredictable. No one is willing to take as many gambles in as many different ways. Belichick did it again Saturday, on the last day of the three-day draft, with several more unexpected moves, topped by one of his most improbable choices yet.

First, he made another trade, his fourth of the weekend, to give his team more selections. Then, he used one of the choices, a sixth-rounder and the 197th overall, to take a rugby player.

He drafted Nate Ebner even though Ebner has been on a football field for a play from scrimmage for exactly three plays in his high school and college life.

Ebner was the shock not only of the day, but of the entire draft. He grew up in Dublin, Ohio, in Ohio State country. He played some PeeWee football, but switched early on to rugby because his late father, Jeff, had played rugby. He took part in age-group events and excelled, to the point of being named MVP in age-group world championships in 2007 and 2008. He was hoping to become a professional rugby player.

In 2009, he decided to walk on the Buckeye football team. The 6-foot, 205-pounder is listed as a safety, but only played that position for three plays in his entire career (and had a sack on one of those plays). His niche was special teams.

"I enjoy running down as fast as you can, man. It's exciting. It's crazy, such a rush," he said. "It's just one big blur, then it's over. I don't know, maybe I've got a screw loose."

Playing on special teams, he feels, is similar to some of the things he does in rugby.

"It comes from the fact that we hit each other, there's a lot of running and some big dudes," he said.

Belichick said he did not watch any rugby tapes of Ebner. It was seeing what he did on special teams that led his team to the decision to draft him.

"We think he has a lot of good football in front of him," Belichick said. "Of course, we had good connections at Ohio State. Obviously, that played a part in it."

Ebner ended up leading Ohio State in special teams tackles and was given a scholarship for his senior year. The "connections" Belichick spoke about referred to one of his coaches this past season, former Patriots star Mike Vrabel.

"I can't say enough about him," Ebner said. "I learned so much from him ... What an amazing guy. I can't thank him enough for the help he has given me ... He made it clear to me. He said, 'With the things you do here at Ohio State, you can play for years in the NFL doing that.'"

When NFL scouts went to the Ohio State campus for that school's Pro Day this spring, Ebner was allowed to work out for them. He turned heads with an impressive performance. He was timed at 4.48 in the 40 and had strong numbers in agility drills. Afterwards, he had meetings with several teams, including the Patriots. It gave him hope that he might get drafted, or at least get a chance to sign as a free agent with an NFL team.

"I didn't want to expect anything. I didn't want to get overly excited," he said. When the Patriots called Saturday to tell him they were drafting him, he had trouble comprehending with it.

"Words can't describe how excited I am to be part of this organization," he said.

As if his story was not enough on its own, it became more complicated four years ago when his father, who owned an auto business, was beaten to death in a robbery. The killer has been convicted and sent to prison.

"Obviously it was devastating," Ebner said. "Nobody wants to lose their father, especially the way that happened. The type of person he was and our relationship, I could only draw strength from it.

"I never really was one, like I've said to people, to pity myself. I don't know how he would feel about me feeling bad for myself because he was gone. He was one to say every day, 'If I die tomorrow, I wouldn't be mad about it, the way I lived.' So I don't want to, as his son, be sad about it," he added. "I just tried to draw strength from it. I'm so lucky to have a person like that in my life, especially as a father figure. He was amazing."

Stephen Neal Appreciates Greatness of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick

by Jeff Howe

May 6, 2010

FOXBORO, Mass. — Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick have predictably done well for themselves in NESN.com's poll to determine Boston's Biggest Sports Legend.

New England right guard Stephen Neal has witnessed their rise to stardom as closely as anybody. When Brady arrived in Foxboro in 2000, he was a fourth-stringer buried behind Drew Bledsoe, John Friesz and Michael Bishop, and Belichick was a head coach with just one playoff trip.

Neal is proud to see Brady and Belichick doing so well, considering where they started.

"I didn't know anything about football [in 2001]," Neal, a collegiate wrestler, said. "The only guys I could block for were Tom Brady and Michael Bishop. I wasn't allowed on the field when the other two guys were out there, so it's funny how things have changed. But Tom has treated me the same ever since that day. He deserves everything he's gotten.

"Coach Belichick deserves everything he's gotten, too. He's one of the hardest working coaches I've ever been around. I'll walk through a wall if he asks me too."