Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a three-part series looking at former Duke football players in the NFL. Last week, Matt Levenberg wrote about Eron Riley and Scott Rich looked at Thad Lewis.
Vincent Rey is no longer in the spotlight like he was at Wallace Wade Stadium. But even if you have not heard much from the former Duke linebacker over the last two years, you may soon—just turn on your television Sundays.
Now a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Rey is a backup linebacker and starter on special teams. He lines up at tackle for punts and punt returns, center for kickoff returns and right rover for kickoffs.
“It’s been my dream since as long as I can remember,” Rey said of playing in the NFL. “It’s really cool to be living your dream.”
But his journey was not without its fair share of hurdles.
Rey attended Bayside High School—a few buses, a train and nearly two hours from his home in Far Rockaway, New York. While Bayside had strong academics and a quality football program, Rey often arrived home at 9 p.m. and would study until 1:30 a.m. He would then wake up at 4 a.m. and do it all again.
Yet with three weeks remaining before signing day of his senior year, Rey was still waiting for a scholarship offer from any Division-I program. It was then that a recruiter from Duke showed up at his high school to view some game film. And even that was only because an opposing Bayside coach had made a call for him to a friend at the university.
The recruiter, though, evidently approved of what he saw. He invited Rey and his family down to Durham to meet with then-head coach Ted Roof and staff. Until that point, Rey wasn’t even aware the Blue Devils were interested.
During his meeting with Roof, Rey was informed that though the Blue Devils wanted him, they were out of scholarships. Roof asked Rey to go to prep school for a year, and Rey obliged, spending the next year at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pa.
After limited playing time in his first season at Duke, Rey broke out his sophomore year with a team-leading 111 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He was voted a team captain for the next two seasons and produced equally impressive campaigns, earning second-team All-ACC honors his senior year.
Still, Rey’s NFL prospects were limited. The National Football Post said that “from a physical standpoint, [he] doesn’t have what it takes to find a spot on an NFL defense.” According to NFL Draft Scout, Rey was “probably a long shot as a draft selection.” Due to what many perceived as a lack of size and athleticism—the Blue Devils listed him at 6-feet, 245-lbs—Rey was universally projected to go undrafted.
Just a few weeks before the draft, Rey questioned his potential football career to the point that he sent out an application to the University of Missouri for a position as an assistant to the academic advisor for the football team. He never heard back.
“After my senior year I was just hoping I would get a shot to play in the NFL,” said Rey. “But I actually sent in an application for a job. I didn’t want to be in the position where I was out of school, and I wasn’t playing football and didn’t have anything to do. I was hoping for the best but preparing for, well, not the best.”
As expected, the 2010 NFL Draft came and went without Rey’s name being called.
“I was disappointed when I didn’t get drafted, but honestly, I didn’t expect [to be selected],” said Rey.
Five minutes later, though, his telephone begin to ring.Four teams contacted Rey that day, and he ultimately signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, citing their defensive scheme and plan for him to play on the weakside, as opposed to on the interior.
Despite ranking third on the team in tackles that preseason, Rey was relegated to the practice squad. But after another team showed interest in him during week 12, the Bengals decided to sign Rey to the active roster. On Dec. 8, 2010, Vincent Rey officially became an NFL player.
His debut came Dec. 26 against the San Diego Chargers, and Rey registered two special teams tackles.
He has played in every contest this season, notching two more tackles to help Cincinnati to a 2-2 start.
Although Rey hopes to enjoy a long NFL career, he already has plans for life after football.
“I was inspired by a teacher named Mr. Green in high school. I don’t even know his first name,” Rey said to Geoff Hobson of the Bengals’ news outlet. “I used to want to be a teacher, but now I want to run the whole school.”
Tackling 220-pound men running like bulldozers at full speed may be difficult, but running a New York City school with nearly a thousand children will not be any easier.
But if his burgeoning NFL career is any indication, he certainly has the determination.
“Never,” Rey said. “I never considered quitting. I didn’t know if I would make it or not, but I always told myself I would be prepared if that opportunity came.”
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