Endicott Football All-Time Captains

BEVERLY, Mass. – First-year head coach Kevin DeWall and his coaching staff are proud to announce that seniors Tyler Calitri (West Hartford, Conn.), Mike Romanelli (Lighthouse Point, Fla.), Spencer Walsh (Melrose, Mass.), and juniors Craig Anderson (Franklin, Mass.) and Joey Picard (Essex Junction, Vt.) will serve as captains for the Endicott football team in 2015.

"Our staff is excited to have these five student-athletes serve as captains for our 2015 Endicott football team," said DeWall. "The players experienced considerable change throughout the winter and spring, and I commend them on how they have accepted the new staff and the expectations we have set for our team moving forward. The team selected these five young men as leaders who will represent our football family and Endicott College the right way on the field as players, in the classroom as students, and in our school and local communities as citizens."

All five captains possess academic, athletic, and service attributes that make them qualified to lead the next era of Endicott football under Coach DeWall. In the classroom, these gridiron stars have been acclaimed for their academic excellence with numerous awards including academic all-conference (3.0 GPA+), academic all-district (3.30 GPA+), and the Endicott Varsity Club (3.50 GPA+) all awhile entrenching themselves into workplace through internship experience which is a focal point of the Endicott College education. Through their hard work on the practice field and on game day, many of the 2015 captains have earned accolades at the conference and national level. In the North Shore community and beyond, Endicott's five captains have made it a point to involve themselves and their teammates with organizations and individuals that need their assistance.

"Each of these individuals brings a unique perspective and playing experience to the team, so in addition to possessing different leadership styles, they will have the opportunity to complement each other in guiding our team this year. As we continue to encourage shared leadership as a team and focus on leadership development for all of our players, I am eager to see these five young men continue to be great leaders for our team and on our campus."

Below is an introduction to the 2015 Endicott football captains and their individual qualifications.

Tyler Calitri '16, Defensive Back – Visual Communications major, concentration in Graphic Design

After a standout career with Northwest Catholic (Conn.) and one year as a student at the University of Rhode Island, Calitri transferred to Endicott for the 2013 season and made an immediate impact playing in 10 of 11 games with 30 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and six passes defended. In 2014, Calitri's season was cut short due to injury after making an interception in week one against Framingham State and starting in a 28-18 loss to then #12 Hobart.

Calitri's expertise, however, is clear in his artistic ability as seen on his website www.tylercalitri.com. Through Endicott's visual communications department, Calitri has learned the ins-and-outs of graphic design with experience in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and iMovie. He has been introduced to several other areas including computer graphics, typography, photography, web design, interactive design, animation, and 3D design. His hard work has helped him obtain and internship with the Harvard University Department of Athletics as a graphic design specialist.

Calitri is on a Presidential Art Scholarship and has maintained strong academic standing with NEFC Academic All-Conference accolades in both 2013 and 2014.

Mike Romanelli '16, Defensive Back – Sport Management major

Romanelli, a product of Cardinal Gibbons (Fla.), made a splash in 2014 in his first full season as a starter for the Gulls with 52 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and three passes defended as he played in all 10 games. Romanelli suffered an injury after two games played during the 2012 season that would keep him off the field.

Off the field, Romanelli has supplemented his sport management classwork with internship learning at Cardinal Gibbons High School working with the athletic director, the Florida Panthers as a marketing intern, and at Zero Gravity Basketball where he served as a site director for local tournaments that hosted over 2,200 participants while preparing marketing materials, negotiating alliances with vendors, and the recruitment and organization of part-time event staff.

Spencer Walsh '16, Running Back – Exercise Science major

A Melrose High School graduate, Walsh is among the most athletically decorated players on the upcoming Endicott football roster.  Walsh was named a NEFC First Team running back in his first season after transferring from Springfield after one semester. He accumulated 1,250 rushing yards and 15 total TDs (14 rush, 1 rec) while averaging 113.6 yards per game on the ground and helping Endicott win the 2013 NEFC Championship. Going into the 2014 season, Walsh was recognized as a USA College Football Preseason All-American Honorable Mention.

Academically, Walsh has been exceptional with NEFC Academic All-Conference honors this past fall and aside from his prowess in the classroom he has completed student-teaching internships in the physical education departments for both Melrose High School and Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School. He has also assisted at both the Rob Gronkowski Football Camp in Melrose working with children about the basics of football and offered guidance on teamwork, commitment, and communication. This upcoming fall, Walsh will tackle an internship with Athletic Evolution in Woburn.

Walsh is also an active member of Endicott's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Craig Anderson '17, Defensive Line – Criminal Justice major

Anderson, a Franklin High School graduate, has been one of the more dominant defensive players in the NEFC since his arrival in 2013. In just two seasons, Anderson has amassed 132 total tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a blocked kick. After his freshman campaign, he was named NEFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and in 2014, Anderson earned a spot on the NEFC All-Conference Second Team after getting NEFC Defensive Player of the Week once.

His athletic dominance has been matched only by his excellence in the classroom with CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team, Endicott Varsity Club, and NEFC Academic All-Conference honors. While pursuing his criminal justice degree, Anderson has completed an internship with the Franklin Police Department where he has experienced ride-alongs with patrol officers,  organized drug testing samples from detectives, and  observed court proceedings with the police prosecutor.

Joey Picard '17, Quarterback – Biology/Bio-Technology major, concentration in Secondary Education

As a freshman and sophomore, Picard served as the backup quarterback to two-time NEFC All-Conference signal-caller Drew Frenette (New Bedford, Mass.) with appearances in 12 games over two seasons.

During this time, Picard has developed into one of the strongest students on campus in the biology/bio-technology major with a concentration in secondary education. A member of the Endicott Scholars program, he has been inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education while collecting numerous other academic awards including Endicott Varsity Club and NEFC Academic All-Conference. Picard returned to his alma mater, Essex High School in Vermont, for an internship with conceptual and honors chemistry where he observed the teaching styles of the instructor, developed and made answer keys for testing, worked one-on-one with students, and taught lessons to the class. He also completed an internship with the Georgia Elementary and Middle School in Vermont as an eighth grade class intern.