You may know him from his viral Monday Night Football appearance, talk show moments, or Salem High quarterback days, but Saturday, Marblehead’s Sean Stellato was right where he wanted to be.
Stellato was honored with the retirement of his Frederick Gunn School (Gunnery) football jersey (No. 14). At the private boarding school in Connecticut is where Stellato played two sports (football and basketball) in 1996-97.
“It was the most influential year of my life,” said Stellato, the team MVP and All-New England player who broke passing records (30 TDs) at Gunnery. “It’s almost hard to put into words what that year did for me.”
The NFL agent received the announcement letter right before Christmas.
“They let me know and had the date set,” Stellato said. “It was cool because it, kind of, worked in with day three of the NFL Draft, which was really special. It was a big honor to be the first person to have their football jersey retired at The Gunn.”
In front of students, faculty, and even New York Giants’ Co-Owner Jon Tisch, the event kicked off with a five-minute tribute video featuring Bill Belichick, Doug Flutie, and NFL analyst Adam Schefter.
“Always on the field, in the classroom, or beating the pavement for his clients, Sean has always had that dogged determination,” Belichick said. “This recognition is well-deserved.”
Known for his detailed analysis and social media scoops, Schefter showed off his humorous side, too.
“He (Schefter) said before I went viral on the internet, I went viral breaking ankles on the gridiron,” Stellato said.
After some “oohs” and “ahhs” from students watching Stellato highlights, the Man of the Hour gave a speech and thanked “a village” for helping in his journey.
“I was just overwhelmed with the reception following that,” Stellato said. “From the kids to the administration, it was important for me to give thanks.”
Speaking of giving thanks, Stellato singled out his Gunnery football coach, Hugh Caldara, who died in 2018.
“The best coach I’ve ever played for – just an unbelievable human being who changed the direction of my life. He gave a kid from Salem an opportunity… His impact lives in my life every day,” Stellato said. “Football couldn’t have gone any better that year.”
Stellato’s mother, Gloria, made the event, despite having a heart attack just four weeks prior.
“She had a really tough go in intensive care,” he said. “But she really wanted to be there, and that meant the world for me.”
When asked about his favorite Gunnery moments, Stellato pointed to a few plays – and lessons learned.
“I remember my first punt return of the season, I returned 70 yards, and then I threw a touchdown pass,” he said. “But I’ll never forget, I was so fired up after that… and Coach Cal grabbed me by the facemask, looked me in the eyes, and said, ‘Why don’t you act like you’ve been there before?’”
Memorable moments then, memorable moments now for Stellato.
“My four daughters (Gianna, Sophia, Giulietta, Siena Sicily), having them there to go through the timeline and see the reception, it was pretty cool,” he said. “It just brought so much joy.”