John Cena’s Forgotten College Football Career

It’s not at all uncommon for a professional wrestler to come from the world of football. Goldberg, The Rock, Roman Reigns, and Bron Breakker are just a few who started out on the gridiron before making it to the squared circle. Then there’s John Cena. He played college football as well, but perhaps because it was at the small Springfield College, it’s not something that is talked about a lot. Cena himself brought it up recently during a Raw promo when he returned to Massachusetts, but just how good was the GOAT on the football field?

John Cena as a college football player

• Springfield College is a small Division III school.
• Cena played center on the college football team.
• He credits college football with developing his life skills.

John Cena was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts in 1977. After graduating from high school in 1995, Cena enrolled at the small Springfield College, which has 2,900 enrolled students today. Being an athlete, Cena joined their Division III football team, where he played center. In an ESPN College Football interview last year, Cena spoke about his college football days:

“It’s something I never thought I could do, and I only played at a Division III level. But I was very grateful for my time at Springfield College, and it gave me the construct of working together with a team, group goals, individual goals, showing up on time, the value of practice, the value of hard work, building my hindquarter as I was an offensive lineman and spent most of my time at a four-point stance, as we ran the triple option, kind of like Navy. Man, friends for life. You name it, I took a lot away from those four years.”

Before John Cena made his return to Springfield for Raw, the current college football team coach, Mike Cerasuolo, told Western Mass News:

“We still have film of him so we still watch it, we still show it to the kids and obviously they’re pretty excited to be able to watch that and be like, ‘wow he walked the same halls, was in the same locker room, was on the same field.’”

Bodybuilding & Wrestling Became John Cena’s Passions After College

john cena as prototype

• Cena graduated from Springfield College with a degree in physiology and kinesiology.
• He used his love for physical fitness to become a bodybuilder.
• He started out his wrestling career as a character called the Prototype.

Because John Cena was only in Division III, playing professional football wasn’t an option. He played for the love of the game and not future career goals, so when Cena graduated from Springfield College in 1999 with a degree in physiology and kinesiology, he needed to find something to do with it. Already so in love with physical fitness that he made it his major, John Cena focused on becoming a bodybuilder, before turning to professional wrestling.

Cena then began training for the career that would make him a household name, working in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and becoming the heelish Prototype. With his chiseled physique, it was understandable why he chose that ring name, but when he joined WWE in 2000, it was only a matter of time before he started going by his real name. It’s as John Cena that he became an all-time legend. Still, no matter how famous he got, Cena never forgot Springfield College, and they never forgot him.

John Cena Was Given The NCAA Silver Anniversary Award

• Cena was the team captain and led them to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time.
• Springfield College inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
• He spoke about his college football days during a promo on Raw.

In 2015, Springfield College inducted John Cena into their Hall of Fame. Among his football contributions listed were that Cena was the tri-captain of the 1998 team which went 9-2 and made it to the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time ever. He was also named a Hewlett-Packard Division III First-Team All-American and an ECAC New England/Northeast Division III All-Star.

The NCAA recognized John Cena for his accomplishments in 2023 by presenting him with the Silver Anniversary Award, which is given to nominated awardees on the 25th anniversary of the end of their college athletics career. The Springfield College Pride wrote:

“Cena served as one of three captains on the 1998 Springfield football team that went 9-2 and advanced to the Division III tournament. At season’s end, the accolades rolled in for the senior, as he was named a Hewlett-Packard Division III first-team All-American, a Football Gazette All-American, an Eastern College Athletic Conference New England/Northeast Division III All-Star and a New England Football Writers Division II/III All-Star. A three-time Freedom Football Conference All-Academic honoree, Cena was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 and was honored at Springfield College’s 40 Under 40 Awards Celebration in 2017.”

John Cena’s small-time college football career ended 26 years ago, but when he returned to Raw in Springfield this month, it was at the forefront of his mind during his promo. Cena said:

“Some of these young fans may not know this, but I spent a whole lot of years playing football up the street over at Springfield College. Okay, truth be told, I see a lot of old fans confused. The reason you might not know that is because I was an offensive lineman. Quick job description: you never get your name in the paper, you show up and get your ass kicked, and then you get to come back the next day and pleasantly ask them to kick your ass again. Springfield College prepared me for life in the WWE.”

Springfield College meant so much to John Cena that many of his teammates, who he has been friends with for 30 years, made the trip to Raw to support him. That’s a lot better than getting your name in the paper.

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