Fusco lands spot on Vikings roster

Solid play in his final attempt to make the 53-man Minnesota Vikings roster was exactly what Brandon Fusco needed on Sept. 1 against the Houston Texans.

Fusco played a majority of the game against the Texans and evidently showed the Vikings what they wanted to see as he received word Saturday night that he was going to be a part of their active roster.

"It was up in the air in that final game on Thursday," Fusco said. "I just came out and played as hard as I could. I knew it was going to be a tough go as an offensive lineman, but I made it."

Fusco was drafted in the sixth round of the April draft and will accompany John Sullivan and Jon Cooper as one of three centers on the active roster.

During the draft, Fusco said that it was a stressful experience, but he was pretty sure that he would get drafted so he remained calm with his family and friends.

"I wasn't sure exactly when I would be picked, so I did a lot of waiting," Fusco said. "When I finally got the call that I was going to the Vikings, man, I can still remember that exact moment, it was amazing."

He credits his hard work and drive to improve every chance he had since hitting the field for the first time with the Vikings.

"My improvement every week was something that I focused on, and the coaches saw how hard I was working," Fusco said. "I focused on getting used to the speed of the game and did what I needed to do to make the roster."

Fusco's former head coach, George Mihalik said that he was extremely excited when he saw Brandon get drafted in the sixth round.

"I was ecstatic," he said. "When you can get drafted to the NFL it's a huge deal. Being drafted is a dream come true."

Mihalik worked with Fusco to help him find an agent and get him prepared to compete in the Senior Bowl and NFL combine.

"We had to find an agent that Brandon was comfortable with," Mihalik said. "Allen Herman ended up being the perfect fit, and then we focused on the possibility of being invited to the Senior Bowl. That's where Brandon could show he was able to compete with Division I talent."

Fusco was the first SRU player to compete in the Senior Bowl and was also the first player from the University to be a part of the NFL combine.

Fusco was also part of a small number of standout Division II athletes to be invited to the NFL combine this season.

Abilene Christian's wide receiver Edmond Gates, West Texas A&M's wide receiver Stephen Burton, and fellow PSAC member, Tommie Campbell from California University of Pennsylvania all joined Fusco as Division II standouts at the NFL Combine.

After the Senior Bowl and NFL combine, Fusco held a pro day, which 14 teams attended. One of those teams was the Minnesota Vikings.

Mihalik said that he has kept constant communication with Fusco since he was drafted and that the Vikings are getting a player that will fill in a key role in the future.

"The Vikings realized that they had to keep Brandon on their active roster if they wanted him for the long term," Mihalik said. "They knew if they put him on waivers that another team would have claimed him."

As the first Slippery Rock athlete to be on an active NFL roster since Greg Patera was on the Atlanta Falcons in 1989, Fusco said the thought of being an NFL player finally started to set in as he prepared for his first practice since making the team.

"I had to pinch myself when I first heard the news," Fusco said. "When I got back to the facility and everyone started to congratulate me was when it finally set in. I've wanted to be an NFL player my entire life, and now I just have to work hard to keep my dream alive."

The only other former Slippery Rock University player that has made efforts to get in the NFL was offensive tackle Mike Butterworth, who was a member of the Atlanta Falcons practice squad in 2008 and 2009.

Fusco is definitely on a much bigger scale with the Minnesota Vikings then when he was at Slippery Rock, as he joked about the confusing looks he received when he told people he went to SRU.