The last time Rob Milanese suited up for a football game in Philadelphia was Nov. 16, 2002, as he pulled in nine catches for 139 yards in an Ivy League title-clinching victory over Harvard.
The next time Penn's all-time leader in career receptions and receiving yards puts on pads in the City of Brotherly Love, he will be playing indooors.
Milanese, who signed with the Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul in October, is currently with the squad for training camp in San Jose, Calif.
The team kicks off its season Jan. 30 in Texas, when the Soul take on the Austin Wranglers.
Milanese's first game back in Philadelphia will be on Feb. 13. The Soul will take on the Nashville Kats at 3 p.m. at the Wachovia Center.
The Wycoff, N.J., native is no stranger to professional football. In his two years out of school, he has signed free-agent contracts with the National Football League's New England Patriots and New York Jets. On both occasions, Milanese failed to make the team's roster.
Milanese will not be the only Ivy League alumnus in the AFL. Dartmouth's Brian Mann and Yale's Josh Phillip are also on an arena team's roster.
Noll also makes return
Former Quakers offensive lineman Ben Noll, who recently finished his rookie season with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, made his gridiron return to Philadelphia on Dec. 19, when theCowboys took on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
While Noll was inactive for the game, he did note that it was nice to be back in Philadelphia. He was especially pleased to see his sister, Kate, who is a Wharton senior.
The St. Louis native said that his first season in the NFL has been a flurry of activity.
"I haven't really had time to look back and think about it," he said after the Eagles game.
Though he was not selected in April's NFL draft, the two-time All-Ivy selection was signed by his hometown St. Louis Rams this past spring as a free agent. Noll spent all of training camp and preseason with the Rams before being let go in the team's final set of cuts.
He was quickly picked up by the Cowboys, however, who liked the 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman's size. Noll spent the season backing up starting right guard Andre Gurode.
While he was upset about not getting the chance to play for his local franchise, Noll said that "any time you get the opportunity to play under coach [Bill] Parcells and [offensive line coach George] Warhop, it's obviously a special opportunity."
Noll's frantic season had a happy ending, however, as he replaced Gurode as the starter in the team's final game of the season against the New York Giants.
The 2004 Wharton graduate claims that the transition to the NFL has been as easy as is possible for an Ivy League graduate.
"Obviously the guys athletically are a little bit different, but I take a lot from the lessons I learned from [Penn offensive line coach Andy] Coen and [Penn head coach Al] Bagnoli and apply them to the current situation," Noll said.
"Having that foundation as a Penn football player really helped me out a lot."
Still, Noll said that there are some natural disadvantages that prevent more Ivy Leaguers from entering the NFL.
"We don't have that kind ofnational media attention ... where we could be nationally known," he said.
Noll also said that it is harder for Ancient Eight athletes to get signed because of the low level of comeptition they compete against. He said that it is extra important for Ivy athletes to play well in training camp, when they have a chance to take on the top competition in the country, if they intend on making an NFL roster.
Super Bowl bound?
Only two of the eight squads remaining in the NFL playoffs boast a former Ivy League athlete on their roster.
The Minnesota Vikings, who travel to Philadelphia for a showdown this Sunday with the Eagles, boast offensive lineman Matt Birk, a Harvard graduate and 2005 Pro Bowl selection.
Former Brown wide receiver Sean Morey is currently with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
