DeKALB, IL --- Tight end Brad Cieslak, free safety Lionel “Boogie” Hickenbottom, and cornerback Rob Lee. Those are Northern Illinois University’s latest National Football League free agent types. The number has climbed to eight, which

April 29, 2005

Northern Illinois NFL Free Agent List Climbs To Eight: Add Cieslak, Hickenbottom and Rob Lee

DeKALB, IL --- Tight end Brad Cieslak, free safety Lionel “Boogie” Hickenbottom, and cornerback Rob Lee. Those are Northern Illinois University’s latest National Football League free agent types. The number has climbed to eight, which represents a school record for NFL free agents from one Huskie senior class.

Cieslak (Long Grove / Lincolnshire Stevenson) and Lee (Port Washington, WI) signed standard NFL free agent contracts with the Buffalo Bills earlier and are currently going through mini-camp this weekend in upper New York state. Hickenbottom (Dolton / Chicago Robeson) will be at the Cleveland Browns’ mini-camp for a tryout Friday through Saturday (April 29-May 1) in Berea, OH, and has not signed a contract.

“We have eight seniors who have worked really hard to put themselves in position to be an NFL free agent,” said Huskie head football coach Joe Novak. “Eight’s pretty good from one class. I think that speaks to the quality of our team and those individuals. I’m not disappointed in the fact that we didn’t have anyone drafted this year. We had some guys who were sixth-round, seventh-round, or free agents. There’s not much difference there. We’re just happy that these seniors got the opportunity at the next level.”

While Cieslak and Lee are vying for spots on the same NFL team, their vocational timelines differed somewhat. “Every kid dreams about playing in the NFL,” said Cieslak. “I’ve been playing football since the third grade. As a kid I watched Walter Payton and Mike Singletary. It’s just great to get my foot in the door. This isn’t a dream, it’s reality.

“For me, the big thing was that I was finally healthy all year,” said Cieslak, a fifth-year senior and a coaches’ First-Team All-Mid-American Conference selection last fall. A year ago, Novak challenged him to be the premier tight end in the MAC and Cieslak did it. The 6-foot-5, 257-pounder started 12 times and finished second in Northern Illinois receiving with 31 catches for 384 yards and three touchdowns in 2004.

Last fall, Cieslak was named the John Mackey National Tight End of the Week by the Nassau (NY) County Sports Commission with four catches for a career-high 111 yards, a 51-yard season long-gainer, and a 12-yard TD grab vs. Western Michigan, In the thrilling 30-28 come-from-behind win over Central Florida, Cieslak set up with game-winning field goal with
0:00 left on the clock, thanks to three catches for 42 yards (16, 11, and 15 yards) in the game’s final 39 seconds (five receptions overall for 67 yards). He pulled in a career-best six passes and a TD vs. Eastern Michigan. Against No. 22-ranked Maryland, Cieslak made four catches for 41 yards. At Iowa State, he had three grabs for 59 yards and one TD. His 31 catches represented the most by a Northern Illinois tight end since Mitch Jacoby (29 catches in 1996).

Career-wise, Cieslak earned three letters and 32 starts in 36 appearances and caught 47 passes for 578 yards---a 12.3 yards-per-reception average---and five TDs (2002-04).

“The Buffalo tight end coach (Mike Miller) called during the fifth round of the draft,” Cieslak said. “They (Bills) thought I was a good fit for them. They don’t really have a blocking tight end who can catch the ball. They want me as an intermediate receiver and maybe on special teams wherever I fit in. Buffalo is looking for a physical tight end.”

Cieslak thinks that it’s “cool” to have a teammate such as Lee in the same training camp, “It’s cool to have somebody to go through the entire process with,” the former wearer of Huskie jersey No. 89 said.

If Cieslak has been thinking about the NFL for years, then it’s only been on Lee’s radar screen for five months.

“Ever since we got off the plane from our bowl, I’ve wanted this to open,” Lee said. “Being an NFL free agent is a career option that doesn’t happen to a lot of people. I’m just excited that the opportunity came to me.”

The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Lee ranked as one of the top pass defenders in the MAC the last two seasons with 17 deflections and six interceptions in that time period. A three-year Northern Illinois letterman, Lee produced 119 tackles and 21 starts in 37 varsity appearances (2001-04). As a senior, he repeated on the College Sports Information Directors of America District V All-Academic team and made the national CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot with a 3.64 cumulative grade point average on a 4.00 scale. Lee collected a career-high 10 stops, three tackles for loss, and one deflection vs. Ball State last fall.

As a junior, Lee tied for the No. 4 spot in Mid-Am interceptions and No. 29 in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (0.42 per game average), plus finished No. 10 in MAC “passes defended” with five “picks” for 17 yards and eight deflections in 2003. Lee’s top single-game performance came against Tennessee Tech with a season-high eight tackles, one QB hurry, and his first career interception in 2003. In his first career start, Lee produced six stops, two deflections, and a fumble-cause hit vs. No. 15-rated Maryland. That same autumn, he added five stops, a QB hurry, and a deflection vs. both No. 21 Alabama and vs. Iowa State on a Huskie eleven that started 7-0 and ranked as high as No. 12 nationally.

“I had the opportunity to go to a couple other teams, but Buffalo was the best option for me,” Lee said. “So, we’ll see how it goes. I’m fortunate. (Ex-NIU teammate) Nick Duffy deserved to have this opportunity. The last couple years, our program has really made some big steps. It’s cool to be on the same team with Brad.”

The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Hickenbottom heads to the Browns after starting all 33 games in his three-season career at Northern Illinois (2002-04). Better known by his nickname “Boogie,” he concluded his Huskie tenure with 11 career interceptions for 171 yards, 16 twin-digit tackle games, and 309 tackles in 33 appearances. In 2004, Hickenbottom made First-Team All-Mid-Am, led Novak’s team with five interceptions, plus added 111 stops, nine deflections, and three tackles for loss.

In 2004, Duffy had a tryout with Buffalo while wide receiver Frisman Jackson rates as the last Northern Illinois product to play for the Browns.

(For further information, please contact Mike Korcek)


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