Where R They Now: Mike Teel
Nov 19 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Regarded as one of the top signal callers in Rutgers football history, Mike Teel played quarterback for the Scarlet Knights from 2005-08. Teel led Rutgers to three consecutive bowl victories from 2006-08, which included RU’s first-ever bowl victory – a 37-10 win over Kansas State in the 2006 Texas Bowl. The Oakland, New Jersey, native would go on to be drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round (No. 178 overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Teel finished his collegiate career as the program’s all-time passing leader (9,383 yards) and ranks second with 59 touchdown passes. Teel threw for 3,000 or more yards in each of his final two seasons, including 3,147 yards during his junior campaign in 2007, the first and only time in NCAA history a team had a 3,000-yard passer, a 2,000-yard rusher (Ray Rice) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood) in the same year.
After his playing career, Teel went into coaching, which included a two-year stint as the head coach of his alma mater Don Bosco Prep from 2017-19. Now enjoying a successful career in sales, Teel spoke to ScarletKnights.com about his current life and the great memories he had of competing for Rutgers and head coach Greg Schiano.
ScarletKnights.com: What are you up to now in your professional life?
Mike Teel: I recently left coaching high school football. I was the head coach at Don Bosco Prep for two years. I transitioned out of coaching and being in the classroom to working in the sales profession out of Manhattan. It’s been an exciting transition. It is different being away from football, but at the same time, I now get to actually watch a lot of football and pay attention to Rutgers football. It’s an exciting time for them right now.
SK.com: How did learning under head coach Greg Schiano help you once you left college?
MT: I think when I arrived at Rutgers, like the rest of my teammates, I was a young 18-year-old kid who thought I had everything all figured out. You’re between 18 and 22 years old when you’re around coach Schiano, and those are really important times for a young student-athlete. You learn a lot from coach about sacrifice, discipline and adversity. The same tactics you apply to third-and-10 can work for something that is due an hour and a half before a deadline or a relationship you need to rekindle because it’s an important part of your business. You learn things that you don’t necessarily carry over once you leave, but the lessons he taught us as players translate to the real world every single day.
SK.com: What would be the message to New Jersey players who might be looking to make the same decision you did in staying home and playing for Rutgers?
MT: It’s a 40-year decision, not a four-year decision. The things coach Schiano does to prepare his players, not for the games on Saturday, but to be a good father, husband and a successful part of society – those are things you cannot put a tangible number on. You can’t quantify just how important he has been for so many people. Those are the reasons why you go to Rutgers. The football program is going to win and compete for bowl championships and Big Ten Championships. It might not be this year or next year, but it’s going to happen. It’s the pieces of life he is going to prepare you for that is the reason you want to go to Rutgers. No matter what you do after football, you’re going to have the blessing and the knowledge to go out and be successful every day.
SK.com: What does Rutgers mean to you?
MT: It means a lot. I had some options out of high school and could have gone to other places. At the time, I didn’t know the impact it would have to stay home and play for New Jersey in front of my family. I think all New Jerseyans are extremely prideful. We believe in one another and believe in this university. We believe in Rutgers, and being able to be a part of it and grow it from when we were first there – it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life and frankly, the people in New Jersey still remember me for. So that’s pretty cool. It’s going on almost 15 years since I last played [at Rutgers] and people still talk about the 06 Louisville game or the 07 South Florida game or the 08 Louisville game on senior night when I threw seven touchdowns. People still remember that stuff because they’re Jersey people and they’re proud of New Jersey and proud of Rutgers football. It’s exciting to be a part of that.
SK.com: You mentioned those iconic games. Are there any other times that stick out to you during your time at Rutgers?
MT: Whenever anyone talks about the teams I played on, they always talk about the 2006 team because that was really the first time we were on the national stage. We had that spotlight behind us with what seemed like every news channel at practice watching us get ready for that Louisville game. But the 2008 season, as disappointing as it was at the start of it, is a testament to the CHOP, coach Schiano and the adversity you face when you’re a part of a program that he runs. We started that year 1-5 and we found a way to rally off seven straight wins. We were able to go to our fourth consecutive bowl game and win our third consecutive bowl game, the first time in program history that was done. So for me, that was an important year. It was my senior year, so obviously I wish we would have played better to start the year because we would have probably played in a BCS game, but it is what it is. The fact we continued to stay the course, continued to CHOP and continued to do the things we were coached to do and turn it around, I believe toward the end of the year we were as good as any team in college football.
SK.com: What’s it like knowing you were part of putting Rutgers in a position to join the Big Ten Conference?
MT: That’s one of the reasons why I went there. The BIG EAST was a great conference when we played in it, but I wish I had the opportunity to go play against Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and some of these historic programs that are a part of the Big Ten Conference. To play any little role in turning this program around and creating success to open future opportunities for the program and the school, it’s why I went there. I’m a Jersey guy born and raised here, so to see us become a member of arguably the most prestigious conference in all of college athletics is pretty neat. Knowing a little piece of work we put in to have that chance is pretty cool.
SK.com: What was your first interaction with Coach like?
MT: It was a lot different back then because it was a lot harder for him to pitch to recruits. He was selling a vision and one that never had really happened before [at Rutgers]. So there was not concrete proof like he has now that he can come in and build a program. He grew up in Wyckoff and I grew up next door in Oakland, so the towns were rivals in youth football. I remember him telling me that we’re two Bergen County guys and it’s going to take both of us to get this thing turned around and to make New Jersey proud. And then the next week after that first meeting, Rutgers went to West Virginia and lost 80-7. So it was the belief that he had and the vision he had. Back in the beginning, there was no track record of success, so it was truly a belief in coach and what could be for New Jersey and Rutgers football. He was so passionate about it that you believed in it. It was the biggest reason why I decided to stay home and play at Rutgers.
SK.com: Coach Schiano is known for a lot of sayings. Which one sticks out to you?
MT: Jeez, there’s a lot. Everyone talks about CHOP and there are so many and so many that I still use. There’s actually one that no one knows except for him and myself. When I struggled my senior year, I met with him and we had a sports psychologist come in. He came up with an acronym – GRA. What that means is Get, Read, and Act. It was a cadence to play each play and not worry about prep, the past or the future. It meant to worry about strictly focusing on the present. It was never really talked about with anyone beside him and I, and we had little cards made up for me that simply said GRA. Get the play from the sideline, read it and then act. So that is the one saying that I think about most and use every day of my real life. But there are so many others – Forget About Me I Love You, CHOP, Trust Believe Accountability – all of these sayings hold a special importance in my life. But that GRA one is something that was unique to me.
SK.com: How would you describe your teammates at Rutgers?
MT: They were all just blue-collar, hard-nosed, tough Jersey kids that just wanted to work every day. A lot of us were not the most highly-recruited players and we may have been passed by the other schools or have the highest rankings, so we all kind of had a chip on our shoulders. We wanted to get Rutgers football to where it should be and we didn’t want to take any B.S. from anyone. That showed in the way we played, the way our defense got after the ball and the way we ran the football. I formed so many relationships that I still have. The best friends of my life are those guys that I played with. You develop a special bond when you go through wars each week game in and game out. You go through offseasons and training programs together. You develop relationships with guys that last forever and those relationships are still as strong as they have ever been for me.
SK.com: What were your first thoughts when you heard Schiano was coming back to Rutgers?
MT: I was excited. I think there was only one man for the job. I know I might be biased because I played for him. Coach and I have always been close and have stayed in touch, but when you’re off doing your own things, you just don’t get to talk as much as you once did. When I took over at Don Bosco and he was at Ohio State, he would recruit New Jersey. He and I became close again because he was recruiting my guys and he would always keep in touch. That was the first time I got to see coach as Greg Schiano, not necessarily coach Schiano, so that was pretty cool because the relationship we have would come full circle. It went from being recruited, to playing for him and now being his friend. It was really special for me hearing that he was coming back.
SK.com: What’s it like seeing him back on the sideline this year?
MT: He’s been able to cover up a lot of the yelling with his mask, which is probably good for TV. But in all seriousness, when you look at him on the sideline, that’s where he belongs. He’s supposed to be the head coach at Rutgers University and he’s supposed to lead Rutgers football. You see it with the effort the team has put out. They went out on the road and won the opener against Michigan State. They played two Top 20 teams in the country. We’re not there yet, but we will be. We will be able to compete and beat those guys. You see the effort and the will to play to the final whistle. Those are all trademarks of a Schiano coached team. It gives you home and excitement and hope for what the future holds for Rutgers football.
