Every once in a while, Claudius Osei would close his eyes and dream about it. He’d imagine playing football – no, not the sport his German peers played with their feet – but the one with the oblong pigskin that sent American fans into a frenzy.

Sure, his German friends tossed a football with him. But it wasn’t the same. There were no organized school teams or youth teams. When he joined a club team, he’d have practice only once or twice a week. The opportunity to make a living playing football in Germany wasn’t there. He might as well have given up.

Until, finally, the NFL Futures program came calling and put Osei’s dream into motion. An all-expenses-paid flight to Tallahassee, Fla., awaited him, along with a host family and a year of high school football eligibility. But he had to leave behind everything that meant something to him: his family, his friends and his comfortable lifestyle.

‘It was tough leaving everything behind,’ Osei said. ‘I was homesick at times, but I had to do it. I think I made the right decision.’

It’s been five years since Osei arrived in the United States, and he’s still living his dream as a senior defensive back for Florida State. Osei might not see much playing time when the Seminoles face the Orange on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. He’s made six tackles and broken up one pass in four games playing as a rover in the backfield. But Osei is just thankful he’s on a college team, considering how far-fetched the idea seemed a decade ago.

During that time, Osei’s older brother, Padmore, was teaching him the game back in Hamburg, Germany. But Germany had no organized football for anyone under 15 years old, so his participation was limited to a game of catch on the sideline of Padmore’s games.

After Padmore’s football career ended, 15-year-old Osei’s took off at the junior level (ages 15-18). But once he reached the senior level at 18, he didn’t know how much further his career could go.

Luckily for Osei, his teammate, Constantin Ritzmann, blazed the perfect path for him when several NFL Europe scouts gave Ritzmann the chance to take part in the inaugural NFL Futures program. Ritzmann jumped at the chance, flew to America, became a star at North Florida Christian High School and later got a scholarship to play defensive end for Tennessee.

‘If you want to make a living playing football, you have to come to the United States,’ said Ritzmann, who’s now in his rookie season with the Buffalo Bills. ‘(Football) just isn’t as big in Europe. It’s more like an activity than a job.’

Osei knew it, too, and that’s why he didn’t think twice about following in Ritzmann’s footsteps when the NFL Futures program offered him one of four positions reserved for the best European football players the following year.

‘It was my dream to come to the States,’ Osei said. ‘It was my brother’s dream, too. But we’d have to pay for school, and my parents had no money to afford it.’

This invitation was free, though, since the NFL program paid his tuition at North Florida Christian. The only thing Osei had to worry about was adjusting to a whole new lifestyle.

‘I was excited about the opportunity,’ Osei said, ‘but as soon as I came over here, I realized it’s not just peaches and cream. It was hard adjusting to life and playing football out here.’

Osei got his wake-up call during his first few days practicing with North Florida Christian’s team during the summer, head coach Tim Cokely recalled. On his second or third play from scrimmage, Osei lined up as a wide receiver for a goal line slant across the middle and got hit so hard by the defensive back that his ear pads flew right out of his helmet.

‘I remember thinking, ‘What a first introduction to American football,” Cokely said. ‘But I knew he was going to be fine when he just snapped his ear pads back in and got back in the huddle.’

Osei caught on quickly judging by his 100 tackles, including 22 for negative yardage and three forced fumbles as a defensive back. He complemented those numbers with 10 catches for 267 yards and five touchdowns as a wide receiver. The 6-foot, 197-pound speedster landed a scholarship in the Seminole backfield the year after.

It was bittersweet for Osei because that meant another four years playing football but also being away from his family. Though Padmore has attended two games and his parents visited once during the summer, his family must usually watch a tape of the latest FSU game mailed to them every week.

This year, Osei is enjoying the company of having his ninth-grade brother, Prince, living with him. Osei said his family arranged Prince’s visa and paid for his enrollment at North Florida Christian because the NCAA deemed the NFL Futures program illegal the year after Osei arrived.

Osei said he’s here to stay and rarely reflects on his journey to Florida State. But when he does, he wonders if he’d still be playing football if not for that perfect timing he and Ritzmann had with the NFL Futures program. Chances are he probably wouldn’t even be in the United States. He’d still be standing in Germany, closing his eyes and dreaming the impossible.

‘The program only ran for two years, so I guess I am lucky,’ Osei said. ‘I probably wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for that.’

Published on October 6, 2004 at 12:00 pm