When the Chicago Bears decided to fire Harry Hiestand as offensive line coach, some people were shocked. This was a man with lots of credibility. A man who had produced four 1st round picks out of Notre Dame who have all since become successful. Despite the struggles, the Bears line went through in 2019, making a change there felt like a major gamble. Even if the man they shifted to was Juan Castillo.
To be fair, the move makes plenty of sense. Castillo has way more NFL experience and success than Hiestand does. He was in the league from the mid-1990s to 2017, winning a Super Bowl and reaching another in that span. What people don’t remember though is he got his start in the college ranks. Not at a top school either. Castillo started near the bottom in Division II for Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Did that stop him from producing results? Not in the slightest. If anything, it proved he is a man who is really good at his job as he informed Chicagobears.com
“What I pride myself on is developing players,” Castillo said. “I was at a Division II school and I had four kids go play in the NFL. For me, that’s special. I used the skills that those coaches [Castillo visited] taught me and trained them. I learned about the work ethic, about doing something over and over and over, and I think that’s the key.”
Juan Castillo made a career out of overachieving
Sending four players to the NFL from a Division II school by itself is impressive. However, Castillo’s achievement goes even further than that. Earl Dotson was a 3rd round pick and started 88 games for the Green Bay Packers, helping them win the Super Bowl in 1996. Jermane Mayberry became a 1st round pick of the Eagles and became an All-Pro in 2002. He helped the team reach the Super Bowl in 2004.
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Kevin Dogins climbed up through the undrafted ranks to start 17 games in the NFL including eight for the Bears. Jorge Diaz also went the undrafted route and became a starter for Tampa Bay in the late 1990s, helping them reach the NFC championship game in ’99. It’s little wonder Castillo went straight from Kingsville to the NFL after just five seasons.
That is who the Bears now have running their offensive line room. While expecting greatness is a bit premature, it’s clear they’re in good hands. They will get everything Castillo has.
