Former Cathedral and St. John's University football player Tommy Auger has found an unlikely place to continue his career on the gridiron. Auger recently caught on with the Cineplexx Blue Devils in the Austrian Football League.

Auger graduated from Cathedral in 2015 and St. John's University in 2019. After spending a year in the workforce, the pandemic made him realize that he wasn't ready for his football career to end just yet.

"Right after college I had a job that I had set up, an accounting job," Auger said. "I did that for basically a year but when quarantine hit I wasn't really liking my job as much and I found myself thinking about football every day still."

Auger's collegiate career came to an abrupt end when SJU fell to Mary Hardin-Baylor in the NCAA Tournament after a late interception. That bitter taste, combined with ten-hour days in his room during quarantine, motivated him to find a new ending to his football story.

"I was like, okay... I have to see if football is still an option," Auger said.

He reached out to a few teams around the globe and ended up agreeing to play in Austria. Former Johnnie Josh Bungham had previously played for the team which helped him make his decision.

Unlike baseball, hockey, soccer, basketball or golf there really isn't a place to continue playing after college. That's where the European leagues step in.

"(Football) is growing in Europe and other parts of the world," Auger said. "But it's still tough to find a spot and I am very lucky I found a place to play."

Auger isn't sure what the future holds for him or his football career and says he is just taking the experience game-by-game.

"I think as long as someone is willing to pay me to play a sport that I love, I would have a hard time saying no to that," Auger said. "I am trying to do as much as I can and if it takes me to an even higher level then I would love to do that and I am definitely interested."


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