Monte Gaddis has a special drive and passion for the game of football. A local Northeast Ohio football product, Gaddis knows what it’s like to be an underdog striving to make a name for himself. Some might remember when he stood outside the Cleveland Browns practice facility back in 2015 asking for a tryout with the team.
Back in April, Gaddis was back standing at the corner of Lou Groza Blvd in front of the team’s practice facility to show that nothing has changed in the last four years. He believes his determination for a tryout with his hometown team is unmatched.
“I did it again to just show my tenacity and consistency,” Gaddis said. “I knew that I would have eyes on me. I’ve been collecting so much content that I knew standing out there for one more time would help.”
A 2010 graduate of Cleveland Central Catholic High School, Gaddis started his collegiate career as a walk-on at the University of Maryland. Due to poor performances academically, he was forced to drop out after his first year. Determined to play college football again, Gaddis transferred to Dean College, a junior college in Franklin, Mass.
There, he was able to get his grades on the right track, later earning himself an associate degree. In 2012, he found himself changing schools again, this time, to Towson University where he went on to become a standout middle linebacker for the Tigers. That included a 2013 season where he accumulated 124 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions in 16 games played.
After going undrafted the following year, Gaddis was still determined to make it as an athlete. The next few summers went by and in 2015, Gaddis got in contact with rugby teams from his different social media posts. In fact, he spent the last three years playing for several different teams across the country.
His first stop was playing in the United Kingdom for the Shaw Cross Sharks, then with the Amsterdam Cobras in the Netherlands before ending his rugby career with the Red Star Belgrade in Serbia.
He went on to explain that the game of rugby has had a big impact on his life. From the culture of the game overseas to the more family-oriented style of the game, rugby has shaped him into the total athlete.
“It has really helped mold me as a man and a role model,” Gaddis explained. “Being across the world on a journey that nobody else can understand. It’s just a blessing.”
Off the field, Gaddis has created an impact for student-athletes around his hometown city with the creation of his organization: Gaddis Guidance. This organization is a mentoring program for student-athletes within the Northeast Ohio football community where Gaddis gives the youth advice on how to succeed both on and off the football field.
“I want to go all over the state, uplifting student-athletes and just making them aware of the real world,” Gaddis mentioned. “Allow them to know about the journey and also letting them know that there’s so much to life that they must get out and see and experience.”
He added that his non-profit organization is something to motivate kids playing high school football to not only attend college but to graduate as well. Gaddis wants to be able to see a higher graduation rate from all of the students he comes across.
His latest appearance in Northeast Ohio was at Mayfield High School. Gaddis talked to the Wildcat football team ahead of its week six matchup against the Madison Bluestreaks and left the students off with a simple, yet effective message:
“If you have a goal or passion…whatever it is, just go for it and fight to the end.”
His message has firmly been heard around the city of Cleveland and his organization is starting to take off because of that. Gaddis recently explained that he has now partnered with Head and Shoulders to launch the first motivational tour for high school football, speaking at 60 local high schools throughout Northeast Ohio. The game of football goes so much more beyond just making plays on the football field.
Gaddis knows that and he will continue to train for the shot at one day making an NFL roster. It’s been an arduous journey up to this point in his playing career, but the 27-year-old will not stop until he gets his opportunity at the next level.
“[At the moment] I’m just working and training hard so I’m ready for when the opportunity comes,” he said. “I’m in the mix of the football and rugby world, so whichever sports or organization comes with the best offer that will help me and my family, I’ll take it. I know my worth and I’ll hold out until the right opportunity comes.”
