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Tag: Scott Mccabe

  • Lopez Sanusi: The story behind Ireland’s NFL trailblazer

    By Scott McCabe

    Get to know one of the most exciting National Football League [NFL] prospects that Ireland has ever produced. 

    Lopez Sanusi was born in Dublin, Ireland. As a child, he experienced life in Nigeria and the United States before his family settled down in Belfast when Lopez was 17 years old. 

    During his time in the United States, Lopez loved nothing more than playing one particular game with his friends at recess: two-hand touch football. The game was a simplified version of American football, and it was Sanusi’s first introduction to the sport.

    Image via: (Thomas Park- Unsplash)

    From that point onwards, Lopez began to prioritise American football over other sports.

     “Soccer is good, but for me personally, I’m a bigger athlete. I realised that this was a sport I really wanted to play,” Sanusi said.   

    Lopez comes from a sporting family, his brother played professional soccer and his sister ran track, so it was quite a surprise to the family when Lopez was fixated with a sport that most of his family had never even heard of. Lopez still jokes to this day that he’s the only one who knows anything about American football in his family. 

    Becoming a student of the game

    Once Lopez knew that American football was a sport he wanted to pursue, that’s when the grind began. Lopez scoured the internet for his nearest American football club which just so happened to be the Belfast Trojans, who operate in the Irish American Football League [IAFL]. 

    Lopez entered his Trojans career with little to no playing experience [unless you count playing two-hand touch during recess]. Sanusi started out on the Trojans’ youth team before he was rapidly called-up to the senior team after a string of impressive performances.

    The Belfast Trojans squad after winning the Shamrock Bowl in 2020. Image via (Belfast Trojans)

    “It was all about hard work and dedication to the game. The Trojans had training twice a week, but I could only make training once a week due to work. Every day, I used to go to the gym or the field and workout,” Sanusi said. 

    Scoring touchdowns was an element of American football that Lopez wanted a slice of. However, his coaches thought he’d be suited to the defensive side of the ball rather than the offensive side- they were right. 

    “It took a lot of convincing from my coaches to change my position from running back to defensive end. I used to watch a lot of Derrick Henry and I looked up to him. When they told me to give the defensive line a chance, I wasn’t too happy, but I’ll never forget my first game as a defensive end.

    Running back Derrick Henry [right] in action for the Tennessee Titans- a player Sanusi idolises. Image via (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

    “I had to step up against the South Dublin Panthers. We were lacking players on defense. I had two sacks and a couple of tackles for loss. From that day onwards, I was like, this is my position,” Sanusi said with a smirk.

    Sanusi battled with injuries during his first season but showed enough in the games he did participate in to win Defensive Player of the Year with the Trojans.

    The NFL Academy

    Located in Loughborough, England. The NFL Academy offers student athletes ranging from 16-19 years of age the chance to perfect their game by learning from full-time professional coaches. The NFL Academy consists of American football prospects from all over the world. 

     Once the academy coaches witnessed Lopez in action, they were intrigued but there was severe competition for academy spaces from other hopeful athletes.

    “I sent them my film and from then on, the coaches were really interested in me. They had over 1,000 applications and only accepted 30 people, and I was one of those 30,” Sanusi added. 

    Lopez is the only Irish-born player in the NFL Academy. He’s also the only player to make it from the Irish domestic league [IAFL] to the NFL Academy.

    “It’s a blessing, every single day I count my blessings,” Sanusi said.

    A statement from Sanusi announcing his journey to the NFL Academy. Image via Belfast Trojans

    “I’m trying to put Ireland on the map. I’m trying to do big things. I’m trying to motivate kids to show them that anything is possible. Dreams do come true if you work hard,” he added.

    Sanusi is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Efe Obada and David Ojabo. Both players started their footballing careers outside of the United States with minimal knowledge of the sport. Now, both players are active in the NFL, Obada with the Washington Commanders and Ojabo with the Baltimore Ravens.

    “I’ve met Efe Obada. All those guys are amazing. There’s no messing around. They’ve been in the same spot that I’ve been in and then when you look at where they’re at right now, it’s amazing,” Sanusi said.

    Efe Obada suited up with the Washington Commanders. Image via: (Joe Glorioso: All-Pro Reels)

    “In Ireland, it’s not that easy to play American football, it’s more of a soccer-based country. I think if a kid is interested in playing American football, they should search up the same thing I did: ‘American football teams near me’. Find out the rules about American football, try-out for teams and move forward from there,” Sanusi added.

    The Irishman is currently training with the NFL Academy with the goal of receiving a footballing scholarship to continue his playing career at the collegiate level, and from there, make it to the National Football League.

  • Chris Hollyfield before and after the ‘Little Boogeyman’

    Chris Hollyfield before and after the ‘Little Boogeyman’

    By Scott McCabe

    Chris Hollyfield is best known for his role as the ‘Little Boogeyman’ in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), but there’s a lot more to the life of Hollyfield than just wrestling… 

    Born in Pensacola, Florida, Chris grew up in a military household. His father was a member of the US Air Force, which meant that the Hollyfield family were constantly on the move depending on where his father was stationed. 

    At a young age, Chris was diagnosed with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. Achondroplasia is a genetic condition that affects the protein in the body, which ultimately slows down the growth of bones. 

    It wasn’t until Chris reached the age of eight or nine [Chris can’t quite remember] that he noticed kids were calling him names and looking at him differently, but Chris was more than capable of defending himself.

    During his childhood, Chris attended two elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools, but he reflects on all this movement as a blessing.

     “I was able to adjust to different people and I grasped an understanding of who I was at such a young age. I had to have self-love,” Hollyfield told the City.ie. 

    The making of a star

    During a summer trip, Chris had a eureka moment as he realised that wrestling was his destiny.

     “We had an eight-hour drive to my grandmother’s house; I was about 16 years old at the time. I got a wrestling magazine and started flicking through it. I saw the likes of ‘Haiti Kid’ and ‘Little Tokyo’ and I knew that I had the potential to beat those guys,” Hollyfield said. 

    WWF’s ‘Haiti Kid’ a well-known figure in the 80’s wrestling scene. Image via: (80’s Wrestling)

    WWF’s ‘Haiti Kid’ a well-known figure in the 80’s wrestling scene. Image via: (80’s Wrestling)

    Hollyfield was benching 330lbs at 110lbs body weight and knew he was destined to be special. 

    In his freshman year of college, Chris travelled to Missouri to train for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), leaving behind his family and his high school sweetheart.

    At 19 years of age, Hollyfield stayed with Roger Littlebrook a.k.a ‘Lord Littlebrook’, a highly influential promoter in the wrestling scene. 

     “When I got to Missouri, I was shocked. It wasn’t what I thought it would be like. The assumption of what I had and what I pictured was completely different. I was misled by my thought process. The facility was more or less a backyard barn with a ring in it”, Hollyfield said.

    Show up and show out

    In 2007, Hollyfield, now 40 years of age, got the chance to showcase his ability in the WWE (formerly the WWF), he was handed the role of the ‘Little Boogeyman’ another version of  ‘The Boogeyman’ played by Martin Wright. Hollyfield was given a shot to make his mark on the WWE and he ran with it. 

    “I came out from underneath the ring and the crowd went crazy. I said, ‘I’m here baby’. I showed up and showed out. I was doing my boogie dance. If I tried that now, I’d probably tear something,” Hollyfield said with a chuckle. 

    Chris Hollyfield in action as the ‘Little Boogeyman’/ Image via: Pro Wrestling Wiki

    “Honestly, I wish I could’ve been more human as a character rather than the ‘Little Boogeyman’. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I don’t want anyone to think that I’m not. I knew the business. 

    “When they made me ‘Little Boogeyman’, I said in my mind, this is going to be short-lived. The reason why I thought that was because when you’re a monster, you’re boxed in. In the wrestling world, it’s a storyline, but I didn’t have a storyline because I couldn’t say anything,” Hollyfield added. 

    The X factor:

    Hollyfield has practically rubbed shoulders with the biggest celebrities you can think of including Kobe Byrant, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and he’s even filmed a music video with DMX.

    “They [DMX and his production crew] flew me out to Los Angeles for four days. I met DMX and we shot a music video together. DMX said: ‘hey man, glad to see you’re here. We went through auditions and when I saw you on MTV – you were my guy’,” Hollyfield said. 

    Rapper Earl Simmons a.k.a ‘DMX’/ Image via Jonathan Mannion 

    Unfortunately for Chris, the music video was never released, but Hollyfield did meet one of his heroes.

    “He [DMX] was raw and authentic and that’s what I loved about him,” Hollyfield added.

    Life after wrestling

    Chris jokes about sounding like a used-car salesman. “I always had to sell myself. I was selling you, me. Give me that chance, that opportunity,” Hollyfield said. 

    Since his time in the wrestling arena, Hollyfield has become an author and published his own book in 2018 titled ‘Big Message, Short Story’. 

    Hollyfield has also played roles in a variety of movies and TV shows. However, motivational speaking has become his priority as he loves nothing more than spreading love and positivity to all ages.

    Hollyfield in action as a motivational speaker/ Image via: (The Youth Alliance)

    Hollyfield in action as a motivational speaker/ Image via: (The Youth Alliance)

    Hollyfield has travelled thousands of miles as a motivational speaker and works tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of others.  When it comes to Hollyfield’s legacy, he knows exactly how he wants to be remembered. 

    “I don’t put a mask on, this is who I am. I’m Chris Hollyfield before and after the ‘Little Boogeyman’. I came into this world that way, I’m going to leave that way. I’m the guy that gave you a hug and made you laugh, that’s my legacy. If they don’t say anything when I’m gone like ‘he was funny’ or ‘he was always trying to make a difference’, I come up short,” Hollyfield said.