Darren Fells Keeps UCI Undefeated in Football

"Undefeated since 1965." 

That's the rallying cry from any fan of UC Irvine sports. One of the first things someone might say when you ask them what they know about UC Irvine is just that, that they don't have a football team.

Up until this year, UCI was the lone Big West school that had never had a football team (thanks, Bakersfield). Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, UC Santa Barbara, all have fielded football. CSUN won 3 games in 2001 and have played in the “Junior Rose Bowl”. UC Riverside had a football team for 21 years until stopping in 1975.

The Big West Conference was a Division I football conference up until 2000 and had tie-ins to bowls that include the Humanitarian, Las Vegas, and California Raisin. The history of football in the Big West Conference is long and storied, but has never included UC Irvine. Nonetheless, UC Irvine Anteaters have infiltrated the National Football League. This Super Bowl LV will feature a UC Irvine Anteater. Head referee, Carl Cheffers, is a UC Irvine graduate. He has been in the league since 2000 and was the head official in Super Bowl LI where the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime in Houston.

Houston remains the hotspot for Anteater activity in the NFL as the current spot for NFL player and Anteater alum, Darren Fells.

That's correct, UC Irvine which has never fielded a football team and remains “Undefeated since 1965” lays claim to NFL talent.

Fells himself is 1 of 10 players to even reach the gridiron from a school that never had a football team past or present. Six of those players came from international schools where American Football is not often part of the curriculum. The three that remain are Ron Howard, hailing from Seattle University, Mo Alie-Cox, lining up in the same division as Darren on the Indianapolis Colts from the prominent mid-major basketball outpost VCU, and three-time Super Bowl winner Stephen Neal, a wrestling grad from our new Big West Conference friends at Bakersfield.

An elite class of basketball stars, wrestlers, and assistant principals. Fells has risen to the top of his game now finishing up his seventh year in the league having played over 100 games now and scored 21 touchdowns for four different teams.

But this rise and success should not come as a surprise for anyone that knows Fells.

“Sports has played a huge role in my whole life actually. I’ve been playing sports since I was four years old," noted the 6-foot-7, 270-pound, 34-year-old, tight-end-slash-power-forward.

He and his brothers lived nearby to a park so a lot of their time would be spent there playing anything from hide-and-seek to soccer to his first love, basketball

“Basketball was the first sport I ever got into. We would play two-on-two basketball. We played a lot of soccer with family as well. It’s always been something that me, my brothers, and my family have always tried to incorporate into every single day in our life.”

Football came a little later. For one, Fells was a “massive kid” so he was never able to join the Pop Warner circuit that assigns players by weight as opposed to age. It wasn't until high school that he could really play any competitive football which he did along with basketball and track & field, things he had been doing his whole life up until that point.

Fells excelled on all fields in high school. Two-time All-CIF on the court averaging a double-double as a junior and league MVP. All-State and All-CIF on the football field for Fullerton Union High School. As the colleges came calling, football looked like the top option for the star.

“I got a lot more offers for football than basketball. Looking back on it, it had a lot to do with both high school coaches. My high school football coach had a lot more connections to people all around the U.S., and was able to talk to and have people come to my game. On the basketball side, my coach didn’t have quite as many contacts to try to get people to come see me in the gym."

Despite the disparity, Fells leaned heavily on his first love of basketball and was looking to continue doing that even with the limited offers. Assistant coach Tod Murphy came around ready to tap into that desire to continue his college basketball career.

“He was pretty quiet in the recruiting process. You couldn’t get more than a word or two out of him. The other assistant during the recruitment process, Terry Boesel, literally told me this kid doesn’t say anything. It’s only yes or no and that’s it, all one-word answers. He definitely opened up in college, but was always that quiet presence."

That quiet presence perked up when fellow big-man Murphy came around and made a quick connection with him and head coach Pat Douglass. And off to UC Irvine went the newest Anteater power forward.

Fells was a fixture in the lineup from day one starting as a freshman. His second and third games dropped him into hostile environments at USC and UCLA. He started 16 games that year and played in all 29 helping push the 'Eaters to a Big West Tournament Quarterfinal appearance.

“He was our enforcer for four years," praised Murphy. "He’d have no problem rattling some teeth, but at the same time, he always had a big giant smile for you. He and Patrick Sanders were there at the same time and really contributed to the program's success. He was the enforcer in the paint – rebounding, shot blocking, taking charges, bumping cutters – the teams always knew he was on the court. We couldn’t have had the success that we did without him and Sanders.”

Fells' enforcer mentality was seen throughout the roster in a rough-and-tumble era of basketball in a Big West Conference that never gave an inch. One of the memories that stood out to Fells the most came at a considerably tough practice.

“I remember Coach Douglass was upset with guys flopping and everything. Back then, they didn’t really call those kind of fouls. There was a day where he said you can no longer call your own fouls, the defensive guy has to call the fouls. That was just a day where no one was calling fouls and everyone was getting hacked and slapped and mad at each other. It was one of those that’s memorable to me because everybody got so mad at each other for fouling and then the fouls got harder and harder throughout the day. But then looking back, we all started laughing at that day because it was really frustrating and funny and just a fun day.”

“Fun” for someone of Fells' stature bruising and elbowing his way to the top of the conference. The 'Eaters finished second in the Big West in his sophomore campaign which included an upset victory of 13th-ranked Stanford. He was honored on the All-Big West team, but the season ended on a brutal note after UCI's tournament run was cut short on a memorable buzzer-beating loss to Long Beach State in the semifinals.

Fells and the program forged on with him in the lineup putting up two more All-Big West seasons with 10.2 points per game and 6.1 rebounds as a junior, and he followed that up with 14.4 points per game and 7.2 rebounds in his senior season. They got a big win over South Carolina from the SEC, took on Jeremy Lin and Harvard twice coming away with victories in each, and had the 'Eaters on the brink of its first NCAA Tournament reaching the Big West Final in his senior season, but falling just short.

Upon graduating, the power forward was 10th in Anteater history in scoring and third in rebounding. He had his Anteaters in the conversation among the Big West's best on the heels of the Jerry Green and Adam Parada squads earlier in the decade. Fells and the ‘Eaters’ constant deep runs in the Big West Tournament bridged the gap and laid the groundwork to the Adam Folkers, Will Davises, and Jonathan Galloways controlling the paint and raising the program to today's heights.

“It was all a positive experience for me. Obviously, there’s a few heartbreakers there, but overall I had a great experience and some great teammates and friends”

From there, the decision had resurfaced - continue the basketball career or jump back into football?

“I really didn’t even know there were overseas professional basketball teams and countries at first. Knowing that most of us from UCI didn't have much of a shot at the NBA, continuing my professional career would have to take place overseas. I talked with coach Murphy who was really my mentor, and he told me it’s actually a great experience going over there and playing. He had been in contact with four or five teams already, and they were ready to sign me if I was interested. The whole process was really interesting.”

Interesting when you mix in an NFL team that was ready to give Fells a shot right out of the gate four years removed from his last snap.

“My senior year, right after I signed with my agent, Coach Douglass called me saying that the Vikings wanted to give me a trial. So I actually flew out there and did a mini combine with them, and they wanted me to go through the training camp, but I told them I already signed to go overseas."

Fells weighed his options between going overseas with a practically guaranteed contract and travel around a bit, or jump back into the football ring after his lengthy layoff.

"It was one of those things that’s always been in my mind if I wanted to do it, but I just didn’t know how to go about that process. I didn’t really have the confidence in the beginning to give up a sure thing for that gamble.”

So the NFL had to be put on hold for the international basketball circuit. Five years, six teams, five countries starting briefly in Argentina before settling in Belgium with the Leuven Bears, the only spot he would stay for two seasons. He played nearly every game averaging 8.7 points per game and 4.8 rebounds with the Bears.

Fells' next stop was his most documented stay, Finland. Kataja Basket Club in Joensuu on the eastern edge of Finland where he dominated with 13.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game over a 55-game season where they took home the Finnish Cup.

The briefest of stops in France with Etendard de Brest for just three games before heading back to this hemisphere to Mexicali with his third squad in a calendar year. Soles de Mexicali got him back in the groove for 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game in 25 contests.

And ending up back where he began in Argentina with Obras Sanitarias putting up 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds a game and a short stint with Libertad de Sunchales.

“Being able to see all the different countries, experiencing different cultures and foods, that’s always been something I enjoyed."

Fells continued on with the game he loved getting out there to see the far reaches of the basketball world and continue to put up some solid numbers. His home continued to call him though even from thousands of miles away.

“There was a teammate of mine that was Skyping with his son, and the whole time his son is crying and trying to get him to come home. All he could say was I’ll see you when I get home pretty much, and that hit home. I was at that age where I wanted a relationship and wanting to build a family. If I continue to do this career for another 10 years, how is that going to work for me and my family. I didn’t want to be far away from my kids and my wife for that long. So that part started wearing and tearing at me mentally.”

The desire to start his family life coupled with the realization that winning was secondary on the international level.

"A teammate's agent said the only thing you really need to worry about to get another job over here is scoring and putting up points. Don’t worry about winning games, just make sure you’re putting up points and I can get you another job. So that took away the enjoyment of the game now that it’s turning into a business instead of the love and joy that I grew up with playing since I was four.”

It all added up to the right time to hang 'em up. Fells, however, still had an untapped reservoir he could still look into with the possibility of giving football a go, and luckily, his family connection was able to prepare him.

“My brother Daniel played in the league for 10 years. I was talking with him, and he explained to me the whole process and got me in contact with his agent who is now my agent. He explained the whole process on how I’m going to have to go through all these trials, and it could take a while, but just try to get my foot in the door and show them what I can do.”

While Fells was making things happen on the basketball court, his older brother Daniel was holding his own on the gridiron. He went up north to play football at UC Davis, broke into the NFL as an undrafted free agent, and played 10 seasons on multiple squads. Around 2013, as Daniel was starting a multi-year contract with New England, Fells came calling to see how he could break in. Concerned he might not stack up in the skill and physicality department, his brother assured him there was only one thing he needed to focus on.

“The hardest part about football was the playbook. I didn’t realize that because my knowledge of the game prior to the NFL was high school. The high school playbook is nowhere near as complicated as an NFL one. When I went in there, my brother told me the biggest difference isn’t necessarily the physicality of the game, it’s more the mental side."

Instead of trying to put on weight or improving his speed, he needed to work on the mental aspect of the game.

“The physical part I can develop over a couple years, he said, it's more the mental part that once you get that down, you'll be able to succeed.”

And so Fells started out on that road quickly getting his first look from Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks. His training camp stint saw him waived and re-signed multiple times, but ultimately he did not crack the roster. The next year, he would get his shot.

He entered camp with the Arizona Cardinals under head coach Bruce Arians battling for a spot in the tight end group. He made the cut, even as a fifth-stringer, but nonetheless was over a major hurdle.

His size, footwork, and physicality he brought over from the basketball court set him up as a prime blocker early on. He didn't see his first action until week three and didn't catch his first pass until week 14, and finished the season with five catches. The Cardinals were headed to the playoffs and out popped Darren Fells. Even Jon Gruden, who was part of the broadcast team, was raving about Fells and his college basketball career at UC Irvine. The talk turned into action as Fells found himself wide open in the end zone to catch his first career touchdown pass in that playoff game.

Fells returned to the Cardinals the next year another year better and now the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart. He would start 12 times that season, catch 21 passes, and score three more touchdowns. The Cardinals would return to the postseason and again Fells scored a touchdown helping Arizona win its first round game.

Three years he would spend with the Cardinals putting up consistently better numbers. He would also find that family he had been hoping for setting up home base in Arizona and welcoming his first child. While his roots were taking shape in Arizona, his NFL career was off to his next stop.

Fells was off to Detroit signing as a Lion for his first free agent contract. Another solid year playing in all 16 games and scoring three more touchdowns.

The following year the Cleveland Browns came calling and his first multi-year contract. Another full season played and three touchdowns scored connecting with his new TE partner, David Njoku, and No. 1 overall draft pick at QB, Baker Mayfield.

Then it was off to his third team in three seasons signing a little bit closer to home with the Houston Texans. Two years with the Texans now and he continues to get stronger and stronger in his position. His first year in 2019, Fells' named was in the conversation of league leaders scoring seven times hooking up with another star quarterback, Deshaun Watson. He's caught 55 passes with 11 touchdowns over these two seasons. The team returned to the postseason as well, and Fells was right in thick of their playoff game against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs hauling in a touchdown to put the Texans up 21-0, just before the eventual-Super Bowl-winners would reverse that and continue their own magical run.

“It’s been a long, long road and process trying to prove myself. To this day, I still get interviews of me being a basketball player and it’s already been eight years.”

Basketball players have made the jump before. Antonio Gates, Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez are all household names that were big on the hardwood in college. Fells' additional trek across continents adds more mysticism to his tale, but his coaches and teammates knew he had what it took.

“It’s interesting, I’m not surprised at Darren’s success to be honest," confirmed coach Murphy, who has set up a solid head coaching career of his own in year 12 with Division III Gordon College just outside of Boston. "He was such a big kid, not necessarily the tallest. He moved well on the floor, he had very good feet and hands, and he did play football in high school. I remember talking to him about his football career, but he really wanted to play basketball. I thought, man, if he ever got serious about football, he’d be a great player because just the size and strength, hands and footwork.”

His basketball training at UC Irvine set him up for success in the NFL, and he's showing that even as an elder statesman in terms of football age, he's growing better and better every season.

“I think its funny, I’ve seen the Deshaun Watson commercial about the science of sports and Darren's the one catching the touchdown pass and I absolutely love that. I stop it all the time and show my kids and say here’s Darren again!”

Fells has his family as well flourishing in Arizona. Especially in an unorthodox season like 2020 presented, he really enjoys the time he can have with them and be together wherever they may land.

“It’s definitely something I’ve taken advantage of and enjoyed the most. Being able to spend time with my kids and whenever they want to see me, hug me, jump on me, message me, they can. COVID obviously shut a lot of things down. Everything is starting to slowly get better and we’re understanding the virus better. We’re trying to get our kids more involved in things and getting outside. I’m taking a little bit longer break to enjoy my family time and get back at it and try to have another good year.”

It isn't always set in stone what will happen from season to season for Fells in the NFL. A lot like his international basketball travels hopping from team to team and country to country, he has had the same route in the NFL, and he and his family have needed to pick up and rent a place in his new city for the five or six months of the season.

“Just having great friendships on and off the court. The guys are the one thing I miss, and it’s a huge difference between professional and college sports. You build the friendships over four years compared to you never know where everybody’s gonna be that following year in the NFL or overseas.”

And through it all, he's got UC Irvine and 'Eater Nation on his mind. The practices, the teammates, the friendships, and the Anteater culture it molded him, has stayed with him, and will continue to drive him through the rest of his career.

“I let people know I’m an Anteater every single time. I’ve shown a few teammates how to do the ‘Zot-Zot-Zot!’. I let them know because they’ve tried to do the hook ‘em horns and I’m like nope, nope, you got to pull the thumb back and little more to make the Anteater nose. Got to get it perfect. Just the other day, I took my daughter to the zoo and they had a little anteater exhibit. He wasn’t out and about, but I was trying to get a picture with it and hold up my sign and post to represent UCI. It definitely brought me to where I am today so I’m not going to change anything. I let everybody know my college football team is the only undefeated team in the NFL.”