Chris Villarrial broke the bench press record at NFL Combine in 1996

… and parlayed that performance into an 11-year pro career 

The NFL Combine in Indianapolis has always been a major barometer for potential football players to use in making a case to be drafted.

However, if the athlete is from a small school or small conference, then the stakes are even higher.

That was the case for Chris Villarrial, the current St. Francis University football coach who played for Indiana University of Pa. (IUP). In 1996, Villarrial, an offensive lineman, was invited to the combine, where he knew that he had to prove himself.

After all, IUP was Div. II and played in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), not exactly a marquee conference in the eyes of the NFL.

However, Villarrial was 6-3 and about 305 pounds. He had been a three-time DII All-American and had been chosen as the winner of the Jim Langer Award for Best Lineman in Div. II in 1996. The Indians, as they were known then, advanced to the Div. II national title game in 1993 before losing.

However, he had to overcome some negative evaluations like this one from the New York Giants: "Average pass and run blocker — but has some potential. Needs a lot of work. 5th-6th rounder."

Strength

When covering IUP, I had always heard about how strong Villarrial was, but you really never know about how much of it is exaggerated. Then in an interview with Coach Frank Cignetti prior to the Combine, he said something to the effect that Chris might be the strongest player there.

And, he was right. Chris broke the bench press record. In that, players have to bench press 225 pounds as many times as they can. Chris broke the previous record, opening the eyes of the scouts.

Chris confirmed in an email today that he set the record at 38 in 1996.

Draft

Despite that impressive performance, Villarrial was not taken until the fifth round by the Chicago Bears. Still, all he wanted was a change to prove himself, and the Combine provided that and gave him that opportunity.

Career

Villarrial delivered, earning a spot on Dave Wanstedt's line early and then playing for the Bears for eight seasons. He then decided to play free agent, and it worked. He was signed to a nice four-year contract by the Buffalo Bills, and he ended up playing three of those years for an 11-year career.

And, he came from a small school called IUP.

Coaching

Today, Chris has turned around the St. Francis football program. The Red Flash advanced to their first FCS playoff last season after winning the Northeast Conference for the first time.

The improvement has been incremental, winning just one game his first season (1-10) and two his second. They finally put together a 6-4 mark in 2015 and 7-5 last year, 5-1 in the conference, last year.

So, the coaching success was built upon the playing success that Villarrial experienced. And it all started with a great performance at the NFL Combine in 1996.