Instead of getting drafted, the 6-foot-3, 254-pound linebacker from Sterling Heights had to wait and see where his future laid.

Following the draft, Zombo signed a rookie free-agent contract with the Green Bay Packers and the rest is history.

During the preseason he got his opportunity and he didn’t waste it. In the Packers third preseason game, the fans got a look at what Zombo could do.

The Indianapolis Colts were in town to face the Packers. On a third and 12 at the Colts’ 37-yard line, Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning received the snap from the shotgun position and dropped back to make a pass, but never got it off.

Zombo, who’s switched to linebacker since leaving CMU, got to Manning before he released the football and forced the 13-year veteran to fumble.

“Anytime you get a sack in the NFL, it’s a big deal,” Zombo told members of the media in the press box at Kelly/Shorts Stadium prior to CMU’s spring practice Friday. “I feel like that play got me into the NFL and secured my spot on the 53-man roster with the Packers.”

In his first NFL game he traveled with the team to Philadelphia and magic struck twice for Zombo. The Eagles were at the Packers’ 9-yard line and Zombo recorded his first career sack by sacking Eagles quarterback Michael Vick for an eight-yard loss.

Packers fans would later come to find out that sacks weren’t a fluke for Zombo.

He recorded 38 tackles and four sacks in his rookie season. His latest sack came on the NFL’s biggest stage and it changed the momentum of the game.

With five minutes remaining in the third quarter Zombo struck again. The Packers were clinging to a four-point lead, but the Steelers were driving. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger dropped back on 3rd-and-13 from the Packers’ 32 and stepped up into the pocket and Zombo dragged him down for a two-yard loss.

The Steelers brought out field goal kicker Shaun Suisham and he missed a 52-yard field goal attempt.

The Packers held on to a 31-25 victory and won Super Bowl XLV.

“In a way I take it for granted because I’m one for one,” Zombo said about his Super Bowl victory. “Coaches have coached for 25 years and have never gotten there. It’s a great honor and kind of like a lifetime accomplishment. It was a whole lifetime of goals all accomplished in one.”

Zombo is ranked second in CMU history with 25.5 sacks, but didn’t get drafted. He said his chances were slim on making the Packers, but he did it.

“I gave it everything I had on every play,” he said. “If I didn’t make it in the NFL I wouldn’t have any regrets. I ran to every ball as fast as I could. My advice would be to do something that the other players aren’t doing so that teams notice you.”

Former Central Michigan baseball player Josh Collmenter was called up to the Arizona Diamondbacks from Triple-A Reno over the weekend.

He is the 14th Chippewa to reach the Major League Baseball level. In 2007 he was drafted in the 15th round of the MLB Amateur Draft and has floated around the minor leagues ever since.

Collmenter has a 41-27 record and 3.50 ERA in 94 minor-league appearances. Since 2008, his 35 wins are the most amongst any Minor League pitcher.

At CMU, the 25 year old right-hander had 288 career strikeouts and 24 wins, ranking in the top four all-time in program history.

Berning on Wes Welker Watch List

Former CMU linebacker Matt Berning is getting some recognition.

He is listed on the 2011 Wes Welker Watch List, according to Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks.

Every year there are surprise rookies in the NFL and the list includes 10 under-the-radar NFL hopefuls. These prospects are all expected to be drafted in the late rounds or sign a rookie free agent contract.

The list is named after New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers in 2004.

Other prospects on the list include Notre Dame cornerback Darrin Walls, Boise State cornerback Brandyn Thompson and Nebraska offensive tackle Mike Smith.

Berning is also being looked at by NFL teams as a fullback, Banks writes.

LeFevour, Zombo, Staley return to CMU

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Dan LeFevour, Green Bay Packers linebacker Frank Zombo and San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Joe Staley all made an appearance at Central Michigan’s spring practice on Friday.

The former CMU football players were all available to media in the press box prior to the practice and enjoyed their visit back to Mount Pleasant.

“It’s good to be back,” Zombo said. “It was just an awesome feeling. It’s where my roots are. I grew up here and it’s a great place to be.”

LeFevour and Zombo were rookies in 2010 while Staley was drafted in 2007. Zombo won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers, recording a sack in the game against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Steelers wide receiver and former CMU football player Antonio Brown was also in town signing autographs at C & O Sportswear earlier in the afternoon.

Zeigler earns Mid-Major Freshmen All-America Team

Freshman guard Trey Zeigler was named to collegeinsider.com’s Mid-Major Freshmen All-America Team last week.

Zeigler started all but one game for the Chippewas last season. He led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game and was second on the team in 3-pointers made with 26. He was also second in the team in rebounds with 5.4 per game.

Zeigler is one of 21 players recognized for the honor. He was third amongst all freshmen in the country in scoring and was one of three Mid-American Conference players to receive the selection.

With cameras and microphones thrown into their faces, the trio of former CMU football players answered questions about their NFL careers and reflected on their days of wearing maroon and gold.

As one of those reporters, I stood there in the huddle around the former Chippewa quarterback, soaking it all in.

For the first time in my young career, I was in the midst of a professional athlete. I held a bound spiral notebook rolled up in my hand, loaded with questions about the NFL, the transition into it and advice for current collegiate athletes.

Five minutes went by as the others jumped to blurt out their questions and I stood silent, as if I was watching a postgame interview on TV.

“Anything else for Dan?” echoed from the SID’s mouth, and before I could pull my foot out of my own the first of three interviews were done.

I was star struck, standing in front of the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback who set Mid-American Conference career records for total offense, passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and attempts in his time at CMU. But then it hit me.

Two years ago this guy walked the same campus I do daily. He called Mount Pleasant his home and CMU his school.

Similar to when you realize your teachers have lives outside of school, I came to the conclusion that professional athletes are people — not superheroes.

Zombo entered the room at that point, and as I made my way across the room, I was determined to speak up. His answer to one of my questions defined irony in my mind.

When asked what it was like to play with the guys he once looked up to as idols, the Super Bowl champion said: “It was really weird at first. I remember the coaches put me with the ones during the preseason and I was lined up and had A.J. Hawk calling the plays. I look over and Charles Woodson is next to me, Aaron Rodgers is calling audibles and I’m like, “I’m here, this is nuts,” but after a while that goes away.”

At that surreal moment, the linebacker was taken back for a second, but then he realized those guys were simply his new teammates.

I came in thinking of these guys as superhuman, but the realization that they were only physically bigger than me surprised me. Standing next to a 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive lineman in Staley, I felt small but at the same time I felt big in that press box.

It was a career milestone for a young sports writer hoping to make these run-ins more common in his future.

The media has a way of portraying professional athletes as larger than life, but there are only two real differences separating them from you and me: their job description and their pay check.

CMU P.L.A.Y.s in Finch Fieldhouse is intended to inspire children to maintain a healthy lifestyle through at least 60 minutes of daily activity, said Dorr senior Lindsey Lear.

“I think it’s a great idea, child obesity has been becoming a big issue so I believe getting kids out to play with CMU athletes is a way to show some great role models that hopefully inspire kids to become more active,” Lear said.

Lear is in charge of designing T-shirts, public relations and working with the registration forms for the event. Forms will go out to students in Mount Pleasant public schools on April 5 to get a final head count.

She said children can run through the stations at their own paces and will receive goodie bags with a CMU P.L.A.Y.s shirt, blow-up ball and other items to keep them active at home.

Lear said representatives from CMU athletics will include members of the basketball, baseball, football, volleyball teams and others.

She is one of five group members running the event as their main assignment for COM 401: Capstone in Communication.

The group members enjoy their time together and have worked hard putting it all together, California senior Ross Somerville said.

“Once we figured out what we wanted to do it started to become a lot more fun,” Somerville said. “We’re doing very well and it all feels so organized. By the time April 16 rolls around we should be seeing a very successful event.”

Sterling Heights senior Tara Turkington said the group is committed to fundraising to ensure success. The group is set up in the weeks leading up to the event in the Down Under Food Court in the Bovee University Center to sell T-shirts for $10 and cutouts for $1. A karaoke fundraiser will be held April 9 at The Cabin, 930 W. Broomfield St.

“I took charge of contacting as many people as I could for the event,” Turkington said. “It is so important to me to get out there and encourage children.”

They didn’t ask to play with the first team, didn’t ask to travel with the team and they certainly didn’t ask to live out a Super Bowl dream.

No, the preseason goals of Green Bay Packers defenders Frank Zombo and Josh Gordy weren’t too extreme.

“I was just hoping to make the practice team,” Zombo said.

He did.

“My whole goal really was to make the practice squad,” Gordy said.

He didn’t.

But fast forward from preseason to postseason, past all of the injuries that might have opened doors and past all of the cuts that might have closed them; fast forward from Mount Pleasant to Green Bay to Sunday evening at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, where the former Central Michigan standouts will be on the field and part of the biggest spectacle in American sports.

“I’m really blessed,” Zombo said over the phone this week.

“It’s been a blessing to make it this far,” Gordy said.

And the Packers rookie linebacker and defensive back aren’t alone, joining seven-year veteran and teammate Cullen Jenkins and opposing fellow Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown to give the Chippewas a power-program presence at Super Bowl XLV.

“I won a championship last year at this time with these guys,” Brown said at Super Bowl media day on Tuesday. “Now, we’re playing in the biggest bowl on Earth.”

The quartet of former Chippewas is tied with perennial college football powers Ohio State, LSU and Tennessee for most in the game, and the 15 players competing from Mid-American Conference schools trails only the football hotbed of the Southeastern Conference, which sports 18.

“This definitely looks good for Central Michigan and the MAC,” Gordy said. “We all take great pride in our school.”

And the two Packers rookies also take great pride in their journeys, from the bottom of draft boards to playing for the top prize in football and from being on the same team and to not having a team, to having a chance at fulfilling a dream together.

“We’re real close,” Gordy said.

And many a time, they were real close to not having this opportunity.

“It’s been a heck of a journey,” Zombo said. “We’ve had some chances that we’ve had to take advantage of and things have worked out in our favor.”

Even when things didn’t seem that way.

After signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in May, Gordy competed for a roster spot throughout training camp, only to be cut loose before the team’s final preseason game.

“I was playing with a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “You have to play like that and it paid dividends.”

Green Bay signed Gordy to the practice squad on Sept. 15, where he stayed until being placed on the Packers active roster and making his NFL debut on Dec. 5 against the San Francisco 49ers.

“It’s about stepping up when you have to,” he said. “When we have injuries, it’s about stepping onto the field and being productive on Sundays.”

He recorded one tackle in his debut against the 49ers and played a week later in a 7-3 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Just six months after having nary a question asked his way, the 23-year-old Gordy fielded a wide range of questions Tuesday inside Cowboys Stadium.

“That’s probably when it hit me the most,” he said.

But that moment still hasn’t hit Zombo.

“I think on Sunday, when the fireworks are blasting off and all the people are out there,” he said, “I think that’s when it will hit me.”

The moment might not have come for the Sterling Heights native had he not hit Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning from the blindside in a nationally-televised preseason game.

The hit caused a fumble, and along with five solo tackles, put the linebacker on the inside track for a roster spot.

“That was a big opportunity,” he said of his first preseason start.

And that opportunity might not have come if the Packers linebacking core wasn’t battling injuries at the time.

“A lot of guys were hurt and I had to step up.”

He stepped up, performed, and earned eight starts during his rookie campaign, recording four sacks and 28 tackles.

Now, along with Gordy and Jenkins, Zombo, who said “It’s looking good,” that he’ll see the field on Sunday, is preparing to contain Steelers wide receiver Brown, who has made big catch after big catch for Pittsburgh this postseason.

“I haven’t talked to him yet,” Zombo said. “I’ll probably mess around with him before the game.”

But Gordy has.

“He was trying to get some information out of me,” he said on the phone from Dallas, laughing. “I wouldn’t tell him nothing.”

And if you would have told these two Packers a year ago that they would be playing in the Super Bowl?

“I’d tell you that you were crazy,” Zombo said.

They just wanted to make the team.

It’s mid-July in desolate Mount Pleasant. It’s an O’Kelly’s night, whatever that means.

A massive dude posts up next to me. It’s Frank Zombo. The same 6-foot-3, 254-pound Central Michigan alum.

Two things run through my head as I cordially say “Hello.”

One: Urinal-to-urinal talk is more prevalent than anyone thinks. Especially if there are drinks involved.

Two: There is no way Frank Zombo goes to training camp in two weeks and makes the Green Bay Packers’ roster.

Don’t care that he signed after the draft as an undrafted free agent. Don’t care that he’s a CMU grad — it’s time to put biases aside.

Take a look at his demeanor that night at the bar. He’s low-key. He’s not flashy. To be honest, it’s reminiscent of his work on the field for four years at CMU.

But it doesn’t scream “NFL.”

Nothing about Frank Zombo screamed NFL. Not in three years watching as a CMU fan. Not in a year watching him from the press box as a beat writer.

Not his quiet calmness that night in July, at a bar weeks prior to the start of training camp.

Frank Zombo was a very good college player. Ken Dorsey of Miami was a good college player; Craig Krenzel from Ohio State was, too. Sure, those are loftier programs, both are quarterbacks.

But that’s not the point.

Those are guys who excelled in college football. They didn’t translate to the next level.

There are thousands of them in the NCAA. Some well known, others not so much. Some are national champions. Others suffered on 3-9 teams.

Their skills simply don’t translate.

That’s Frank Zombo.

He doesn’t have the burst or rush skills to be a prototypical right end — the guy supposed to exploit the blind side of the millionaire quarterback. He doesn’t have the run base or violent hands preferred for left end.

Maybe Zombo realized that. He realized it enough to try running routes as a tight end during CMU’s pro day.

Maybe he was just looking for a chance, regardless of where he lined up. After all, he was a wide receiver at Sterling Heights Stevenson during his prep years.

Maybe it was wasted effort.

More than likely, he’d be cut at the end of training camp like a lot of undrafted free agents. If he made the Green Bay roster, he’d stick on the practice squad and waste away his short-lived NFL career until he hung ‘em up.

But something happened between that night at the bar and the start of the NFL season, something about to go on full display.

It’s Week 1, Green Bay at Philadelphia.

Philadelphia’s Michael Vick, the most elusive guy in the game, gets sacked. A video game legend, Vick is corralled and tossed aside.

Packers safety Morgan Burnett is close by, but it’s not him.

It’s No. 58. Zombo. To my disbelief, he’s arrived.

He’s a rush linebacker in Dom Capers’ 3-4 scheme, far from what he played in at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. It’s the first I’ve seen of him on TV or in person since our urinal encounter that I’m sure he has already forgotten.

Frank found his niche.

Now, months later, a firm cog in Green Bay’s defense, he plans to return from a knee injury that has sidelined him since early December.

He said he’s healthy. Healthy or not, this is the Super Bowl. Zombo will play.

Sunday has to be the biggest night of his life.

It has to beat an O’Kelly’s night. Frank, would you agree?

On Sunday, just a day after being cut by the Chicago Bears, the former Central Michigan quarterback was claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals off waivers and placed on their regular roster.

“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” LeFevour told the Bengals website. “I was just keeping an open mind. Luckily, I landed in a place like Cincinnati where at least I have some connections and know some guys on the team, so the transition won’t be that bad.”

During the preseason, LeFevour, who was drafted by the Bears in the sixth round of April’s NFL Draft, completed 19-of-41 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

In Cincinnati, he will serve as the third-string quarterback behind eight-year veteran Carson Palmer and his younger brother, Jordan.

There, the 23-year-old will be reacquainted with rookies Geno Atkins and Jordan Shipley, who share the same agency, and University of Cincinnati head coach Butch Jones, who coached LeFevour for three years at CMU.

Brown, Zombo make NFL rosters

LeFevour’s main target during his stay in Mount Pleasant has also found a home.

Wide receiver Antonio Brown, a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, made the team’s 53-man roster on Saturday.

Brown, who left school for the NFL Draft after his junior year, amassed nearly 3,200 receiving yards at CMU. He was a force on both the offensive side of the ball and special teams, where he scored five times during his collegiate career, and expects to make an impact on the Steelers offense this season.

Brown ranked third on the team in receiving this preseason, catching nine passes for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 11.4 yards/return average on punt returns led the team.

Brown and LeFevour are joined by linebacker Frank Zombo, who made the Green Bay Packers 53-man roster over the weekend, as three former Chippewas will suit up on Sundays this fall.

“I was very impressed with Frank,” Packers General Manager Ted Thompson said in a press conference on Sept. 5. “I think he competed very, very well. We’re counting on him helping the team this year.”

Zombo, an undrafted rookie from Sterling Heights, recorded 18 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble this preseason, but it was an early-camp ankle injury on Aug. 5 that impressed most on Thompson.

“He was hurting and still practicing,” Thompson said on Sunday, “And that’s very admirable.” But, Thompson added, “The reason he made our team is because he showed that he can play at a high level at that position.”

Zombo earned first team All-Mid-American Conference honors in 2008 and 2009 and ranks second in CMU history with 25.5 sacks.

He was unable to be reached for comment.

Other players cut

Former CMU players Eric Ghiaciuc and Andrew Hartline were cut over the weekend by the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, respectively.

Ghiaciuc was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft and has played in 48 career NFL games. Hartline was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Packers in 2009 and spent most of last season on the Dolphins practice squad.

He led the Central Michigan football team to its third Mid-American Conference title in four years and finished his career first in total touchdowns in Football Bowl Subdivision history.

Now, Dan LeFevour’s professional career is in flux.

LeFevour was cut by the Chicago Bears Saturday, a day many teams around the National Football League used to trim their rosters to the league-required 53 players.

A sixth-round draft selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, LeFevour never appeared to settle in with the Bears after quickly becoming the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Jay Cutler.

Following an injury to backup Caleb Hanie, LeFevour came into the Bears’ Aug. 14 preseason opener against San Diego and went 2-for-10 for 21 yards and a 39.6 quarterback rating. A week later, in Chicago’s 32-17 loss against Oakland, LeFevour had another poor performance, going 3-for-10 for 39 yards and interception.

Chicago recently signed quarterbacks Todd Collins and Matt Gutierrez to add experience to the position. Gutierrez was let go on Aug. 30. Starter Jay Cutler, Hanie and Collins remain the only three quarterbacks on the roster.

The 6-foot-3, 229-pound Downers Grove, Ill., native had his best game of the preseason against Arizona in week four, going 10-for-12 for 100 yards and a touchdown. He went 4-for-9 for 44 yards on Thursday against Cleveland, but it didn’t appear to help his case for making the roster.

ESPNChicago.com reported earlier that if he clears waivers, LeFevour could end up on the Bears’ practice squad.

LeFevour would not comment when reached by phone Saturday evening.

Brown, Zombo make roster

Meanwhile, two other former CMU players from last season fared a bit better.

As expected, wide receiver Antonio Brown made the Pittsburgh Steelers’ final 53-man roster. Since being selected in the sixth round of this year’s draft, Brown has impressed the Steelers coaching staff with his ability to play the slot receiver position and return kicks.

In Pittsburgh’s first preseason game on Aug. 14 against Detroit, Brown had a game-high 84 yards receiving, including a fourth-quarter 68-yard touchdown run.

Frank Zombo, meanwhile, capitalized off an injury-battered linebacker position to make the Green Bay Packers roster Saturday.

After going undrafted in April, the Packers signed the 6-foot-3, 254-pound Zombo to a free agent deal.

After fighting through injury problems of his own, Zombo recorded a team-high nine tackles after starting at outside linebacker in Green Bay’s 59-24 win against Indianapolis.

Of his nine tackles, the most memorable was his sack of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning that forced a fumble. A photo of the sack was featured on the front page of Yahoo! Sports two days later.

During his career at CMU, Zombo, who played defensive end, ranks second in school history with 25.5 sacks. He was a two-time first-team All-MAC selection and had eight tackles and a career-high three sacks in CMU’s 44-41 win against Troy in the GMAC Bowl.

And while one returned to his old ways, the other appeared to struggle in his new environment.

Former CMU wide out Antonio Brown had a team-high 84 yards receiving in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 23-7 victory against the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field.

Brown appeared to pick up right where he left off last season, turning a 10-yard crossing route from Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon into a 68-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s preseason opener. He also carried the ball once for eight yards.

“It started out with Dennis Dixon and the line making great blocks, and he (Dixon) got the ball out to me quick and I was able to circle the field and make a good run,” Brown told Steelers.com after the game.

Brown has been competing for the Steelers’ final receiving spot. His performance on Saturday night should earn him some additional playing time in the team’s next preseason game, Aug. 21 against the New York Giants.

“I just want to keep getting better and continue to contribute and continue to learn and just grow as a player,” Brown said. “It’s up to the organization to make that decision, but I just want to keep building and help them out.”

LeFevour struggles

Former CMU star quarterback Dan LeFevour, however, didn’t fare as well in the Chicago Bears’ 25-10 loss against San Diego.

LeFevour, who finished the game 2-for-10 for 21 yards, saw the field earlier than expected after backup quarterback Caleb Hanie left the game late in the third quarter with a right shoulder injury, but struggled managing the offense. The Bears picked up just one first down – courtesy of a San Diego face mask penalty – in four drives with LeFevour under center.

His mobile ability was also shut down, as the sixth round draft pick was sacked four times for a 21-yard loss and limited to one carry for five yards.

“It could have been better, obviously,” LeFevour told the Chicago Sun-Times after the game. “Things were happening quickly, but I didn’t react quick enough.

“Just got to roll with it. You got to do the best you can.”

Gordy, Zombo see action

Former CMU cornerback Josh Gordy and linebacker Frank Zombo also made their NFL debuts over the weekend.

Gordy recorded a solo tackle in Jacksonville’s 28-27 loss against Philadelphia on Friday, while Zombo assisted a takcle in Green Bay’s 27-24 loss against Cleveland on Saturday.

Both players went undrafted in April’s NFL Draft and signed with their respective teams as free agents.