Chattanooga - UTC Athletics

Former Receiver DeMatteo Has Turned Football into a Movie Career
by Nick Whiting, UTC Sports Information
Former Mocs wide
receiver Cos DeMatteo
(1998-2001)
has found success
in another form of
entertainment - the
big screen. After
landing a spot as
an extra in the remake
of the 1974
comedy “The Longest
Yard” in 2005,
DeMatteo received
a more prominent
role in Disney’s 2006 fi lm, “Invincible.”
“I never really thought about being in the
movies or anything,” DeMatteo says. “It was
just one of those things that was a blessing
and just came along.”
DeMatteo was brought into the business by
Pat O’Hara, former Arena League QB who
is now working with Reel Sports Solutions, a
company that recruits and trains players/
actors and designs and implements sports
choreography for movies.
Though he has only been in two movies so
far, DeMatteo has managed to work with
two of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Adam
Sandler is the star of “The Longest Yard”
while Mark Wahlberg stars in “Invincible.”
“Adam Sandler was a little more involved in
the production side of his movie,” DeMatteo
says. “Mark was just involved in the acting
side. It was easier to get to know Mark.”
Beside their love for football, DeMatteo
and Wahlberg had another thing in common;
they both love to play golf.
“Mark is an avid golfer,” the Winchester,
Tenn., native says. “I enjoyed playing golf
with him. We golfed pretty much every
weekend, although he usually came out
ahead.”
DeMatteo, who retired from the Arena Football
League in 2007, has primarily played
offense during his football career. But he
had to play defense in both movies. It was
a big change for him. He does not expect
us to be seeing him catching any passes on
the big screen anytime soon.
“I don’t quite fi t the Hollywood script as a
wide receiver,” he says. “I fall into the stereotype
for a defensive player.”
“The Longest Yard” centers on a football
game between prisoners and prison guards.
“Invincible” is a true story from the 1970s
based on the football career of Vince Papale
of the Philadelphia Eagles.
In “The Longest Yard,” DeMatteo is faced
with the daunting task of covering former
Dallas Cowboy’s wide receiver Michael
Irvin. Irvin is a member of the National
Football League Hall of Fame.
His toughest role was playing the hardnosed
linebacker, Dean German, in “Invincible.”
The character of German was created
because several of the Eagles would
not allow their name to be used in the fi lm.
German wears No. 57 in the movie and
is one of Wahlberg’s character, Papale’s
biggest nemesis.
“I’d like to think I am an easy-going guy,”
DeMatteo says. “In football, you have the
kind of mentality where you have to turn it
on, not be a mean guy, but an aggressive
guy, and I draw from that side of football
and put that into my character. That
is where that came from.”
In some ways, Vince Papale and Cos De-
Matteo are comparable players. Both
worked hard to achieve the success they
have received. Sometimes written off, but
never down and out.
“I wasn’t the most talented guy, everything
I did I had to work extra for,” he says.
“Anyone in football knows there are good
football players and athletes that have
God-given ability. I was never one of
those gifted athletes. I had to work harder
than everyone else. And I think that is
how Papale was. He worked harder to be
successful. I know it is a cliche, but I tried
to play every play like it was my last. Papale
was the same way. That’s why he was
so successful.”
After being on the other side, DeMatteo
has a new found respect for actors and
their trade.
Even though he has gone Hollywood, De-
Matteo will always remember his time at
UTC.
“I will always hold UTC with a special
place in my heart,” he says. “You learn
life lessons that are invaluable as you
grow older. I learned work ethic and how
to be successful and work hard at what I
wanted to achieve. So I will always be
indebted to UTC for the lessons I learned
in college and for my education.”
Mocs 2007
MOCS IN THE MOVIES
103
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga