Abbey CBS student living American dream

LIVING the American dream to its fullest extent is a former pupil of Abbey Christian Brother's School.

Adam McCann Gibbs, who was in the middle of sixth form at the school,  has been afforded an opportunity to study at the University of North Carolina.

Although his intended degree is in business management it was the talent's which the proud former member of Glenn GFC exhibited on the Gaelic field which won him a scholarship to study and play American football at a college level.  

 Whilst having to bid adieu to your family, friends and football team aged only 18  to fulfil what you believe to be your life's true calling would be a tall order for anyone, according to proud mother Cheryl this has always been the trademark level of ambition exhibited by her son since he was just a child.     

Ambition

“Adam was always a very ambitious young fella.” said Cheryl  

“ His nanny and granda live in London. He use to say when he was four, five, six, I am going to move to London when I am 16 and play football professionally.

“We did laugh and say to him well you are doing that but you just changed it slightly and moved to America when you are 18. We are very proud of him.”

 Cheryl explained how her son's trip to the United States has been two years in the making, with Adam's initial appetite to take a bite out of the American football pie being wetted when he first attended a showcase held at St Colman's College by none other than Charlie Smyth.    

 “Just after Charlie Smyth signed his first contract with the Saints,  he was doing a showcase in St Colman's. Adam had never kicked an American football, never knew anything  about it. He was a Gaelic player and then he would have played soccer for Lurgan Town.  

 “He went with a couple of his mates and twin brother, did not say much about it just said it was good craic. They must have been talking to Tadhg who was Charlie's coach and exchanged details and different things about any future camps he may have.  

“It was then two months later and then Adam came down the stairs and asked if I would take him to Dublin on Sunday. I asked why?

He said there was an American Football practice days on.  

“Tadhg probably saw something in him from the start. During that June when he was 16 Tadhg took him on a trip to America to show Adam what the colleges were like. He went to Ohio and Cleveland. In Ohio he did a showcase for a few people. This was probably only his second or third time kicking an American Football. There was a TikTok made of him which went mad because he kicked a 65 yard field goal.

 “Then the specialist team Co-ordinator from UNC contacted Tadhg and asked him to come out. UNC flew  Adam, myself  and his dad James out in November time.   

“ We went over for four or five days and Adam kicked for them, tried  the facilities and had the pleasure of kicking for Bill Belichick which was a bit daunting for him but he done it. Then they offered him the scholarship there and then and asked us to sign the paperwork before we flew home.”   

Birthday debut

Whilst Adam's ultimate ambition may be  to go professional and play for an NFL team, one goal he can set his sight's on in the short-term is bringing the adrenaline laced excitement that is American football to a home audience when he play's in the season debut match between UNC and TCU due to be held in the Aviva Stadium Dublin this August 29. 

As Cheryl explains this just so happens to be Adam's birthday, as nice a present as anyone could give.

“The scholarship pays for his education and expenses. All food is supplied to him. His  accommodation and education is paid for and all the football gear is paid for.  His  position's are    Kicker and  Punter, he is doing both. They initially took him in as the punter. When they saw him kicking  they said they would be coaching him as the kicker as well as the  punter. There is another kicker there, another punter and then two guys who are long snappers. Technically you go over and you compete for every position you can.    

“His long term ambition is NFL. He can do four years for a degree as well as being entitled to a fifth year for a masters. He could do five years at college football. Then he would have to declare for the draft.  

“With the draft you basically put yourself forward  your name is in the pot and then when it comes to the draft in February or March it would be a team coming along.

“ You would be competing against other college players, against  some of the American kids or some of the Irish boys who are also out there.

“UNC's first game is in the Aviva in Dublin. This is another sort of fun thing to look forward to. There are college teams that start the college football league of each year and this year it happens to be UNC and TCU.

“He gets a week of at spring break but will be heading to Florida  with Tadhg and a few of the boys to practice. He is not really coming home or taking any breaks for a while.

“He is just putting his head down. He will be home for his first game on August 29 which happens to be his birthday.”