Dan DeCongelio saved his best for last at The College of New Jersey.
Before the start of the 2010 season, DeCongelio decided that this was going to be his last college football season despite having one more season of eligibility.
The Hasbrouck Heights resident and St. Peter's Prep graduate wanted to go out with his graduating class at TCNJ and just felt it was time.
For the 2010 season he accumulated 39 tackles including 15 solo tackles in nine games as one of the captains on the defense as TCNJ finished with a 5-5 record.
In his last season he played middle linebacker after playing defensive end the first two years and it just clicked. "It took me two years to find my niche," said DeCongelio.
Last season culminated a football career that to say the least had its tough moments when it came to injuries that date back to when he was nine-years old.
Through the various injuries and surgeries, it just showed the perseverance of DeCongelio to keep fighting and play football. "The numerous injuries over the years just took their toll," said DeCongelio who kept playing the sport because of his love for it.
In addition to helping the team through the 2010 season, he helped TCNJ upset Kean University, 7-0, but DeCongelio suffered a concussion in the game and missed the last game of the season.
The linebacker would feel the effects of the concussion for up to five months.
DeCongelio, who majored in business financing, came back to Heights after graduating and is looking to get a job on Wall Street. In addition he is helping out with coaching the Hasbrouck Heights lightweight recreation football team. He said that someday he wants to be a head football coach. "It is always going to be in my blood," said DeCongelio.
The chronicle of DeCongelio’s football career of injuries started when he was nine-years-old. The TCNJ graduate suffered an ACL injury on his right knee when he was playing for the Hasbrouck Heights Recreation football team on the peewee level.
It was very rare that his family had a difficult time finding a physician to take him. "None of the doctors would do the surgery," said DeCongelio as finally, the New York Giants doctor, Dr. Russell Warren, did the surgery.
He then suffered an ACL injury on his left knee when he was 12-years-old when he was playing football for the Heights lightweight team.
Despite the pair of injuries, DeCongelio would go to St. Peter’s Prep, one of the top high school football teams in the state, and make the varsity.
After playing for a St. Peter's Prep team that won the state title in 2005 over Don Bosco as a junior, he 'blew' out his left knee just before his senior season. "I wanted to play my senior year," said DeCongelio who delayed surgery until after his senior season for the Marauders.
When he graduated from St. Peter's Prep, he debated whether or not to play football in college. He considered going to Loyola of Maryland or The College of New Jersey. If he had chosen Loyola, his days of playing football would have been over since the school does not have a football team.
“In the back of my head, I wanted to play football,” said DeCongelio who sat out his first year at TCNJ. "I thought why not give it a year. I just missed it too much."
In 2008 he made the TCNJ football team and played defensive end.
Although he suffered various injuries during those three years, an old saying always rang though his head. "You never know when the last play is going to be," said DeCongelio. "You play like it is your last game."
And that was the case last season as the Lions middle linebacker gave it his all and decided it was time to hang it up.