Heading into the 2023 European League of Football (ELF) season, Reilly Hennessey figured he was ready to retire from professional football.
But the 2020 CWU graduate enjoyed playing for the Stuttgart Surge so much that he decided to come back for one last hurrah this summer.
“I got a taste of what it’s like to walk off the field, thinking you just played your last game, and it’s wasn’t what you might think,” said Hennessey, who set multiple records playing quarterback for the Wildcats from 2017-18.
“It’s not about the wins and losses. The things you carry with you are the bus rides and hotel stays with your teammates; spending time with guys you have grown incredibly close to. That’s what it’s all about.”
Hennessey has enjoyed five successful seasons playing in Europe, winning the 2022 German Bowl with Schwabisch Hall Unicorns and the 2021 Italian Football League title with the Parma Panthers. The former German Football League MVP brought his talents to Stuttgart last season, leading the Surge to a 10-2 record, a Central Conference title, and a spot in the ELF championship game.
All Hennessey has done since arriving in Europe six years ago is win.
“I’m very proud of the career I’ve had and the goals I have accomplished,” said the 2013 Washington High School Player of the Year from Camas, who spent his first three college seasons at Eastern Washington. “I love playing football, especially in the European realm because it’s the purest form of the game. I’m really going to miss it.”
Once the ELF season wraps up in September, Hennessey plans to return to the States and pursue a teaching career. He spent the 2023-24 school year as a substitute teacher in his hometown, and he could see himself coming back to the Northwest for the next chapter in his life.
“It’s been nice to get a head start on my career after football,” he said. “The nice thing about an education degree is that it will always be there. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead, but I’m also looking forward to having one last shot as a pro quarterback.”
Hennessey added that he looks back on his time at Central as being the catalyst for his post-college success. Former coaches Ian “Shoe” Shoemaker and Chris Fisk (now the Wildcat head coach) taught him the nuances of the run game and how to manage the offense from behind center.
“It wasn’t until I got to Central that I completely grasped the game of football,” Hennessey said. “The skills I learned from Shoe and Fisk are what allowed me to enjoy success as a pro quarterback.”
Hennessey also left Ellensburg with valuable off-the-field skills like how to manage success and failure, and how to conduct himself in a way he wanted to be viewed by others. The character traits he developed at CWU taught him who he was as a person—and he will be forever grateful.
“The close-knit culture at Central teaches you how to carry yourself in all phases of life,” he said, “and being there really helped me grow into the man I am today.”
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