Sachem Alum Chris Manno Signs with KC Chiefs

Chris Manno must like football helmets with arrowheads.

After all the Sachem football logo was designed with the Kansas City Chiefs logo in mind and now he'll get to experience both.

The Sachem alum, from the Class of 2003, signed a free-agent contract with the Chiefs Monday.

Manno, 25, did not immediately return a call for comment. One family member said he signed a three-year deal, but that could not be confirmed.

He becomes the fourth player in Sachem history to be affiliated with a pro football team. was in the NFL for 14 seasons split between the New York Giants and Jets, Brian Bravy was on the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons, and Doug Shanahan made it to the last cut in training camp with the New York Jets.

A baseball player first growing up in Holbrook, N.Y., it wasn’t until Manno played a game of flag football and made the varsity football team as a junior at Sachem did his love for the gridiron really take off.

Manno played college football at Hofstra University on Long Island, spending two seasons as a walk-on before earning a scholarship. He only caught 25 passes for 233 yards (9.3 average) with the Pride, but shined on special teams and became one of the hardest working individuals on the roster. He was surrounded by future NFL receivers Marques Colston (Saints) and Devale Ellis (Lions) with the Pride.

Manno, who worked out for former NFL head coach Jim Mora Sr. last fall to get some pointers, originally was offered a private workout with the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League in 2009, but the league folded. That brought him to the now-defunct AFL 2, where he caught 70 passes for 10 touchdowns en route to All-Pro honors with the New Jersey Revolution.

All the while he was training at the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

“It’s all I want to do,” he said in February 2011 in an IMG blog about playing football. “I think about it every day.  I think about it every minute of every day.  I come from a background that wasn’t very wealthy. My mom and I, my dad and my sister lived in very small apartment for most of our lives. We just never had a lot of money growing up and I would love to be able to take care of my family.”

At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Manno isn’t going to run anyone over, but his 4.46 time in the 40-yard dash and willingness to outsmart opponents in pressure situations has proven key for him. He also has a gift for marketing, creating his own NFL combine videos and putting them on a customized Chris Manno YouTube Channel to show his ability. (Watch the video in the gallery above.)

The Chiefs have Manno listed as No. 17 on their roster, but he’ll still have to make the squad out of training camp.

He is the second player from Hofstra in as many weeks to sign with an NFL team. Deron Mayo, who hails from Virginia and had his Hofstra career cut short when the school dropped its football program, signed with the Denver Broncos after playing a season at Old Dominion.

Manno is also not the first Sachem alum to make noise with a professional sports franchise this year. Mike Parisi signed a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization last month, and , a goalie who went to Sachem East, signed with the New Jersey Devils.

There are a handful of other Hofstra alums in the league, including Colston, Willie Colon (Steelers), Raheem Morris (Buccaneers head coach), Stephen Bowen (Redskins) and Kyle Arrington (Patriots).

Manno, who earned Academic All-Division honors as a senior in high school, played in the 2001 and 2002 football seasons at Sachem. The Flaming Arrows went a combined 14-5 in those seasons. His final varsity game was also the final game of legendary head coach Fred Fusaro’s career, a 48-20 loss to Patchogue-Medford in the Suffolk County Division I championship at Stony Brook University.

"I couldn't be happier for Chris," said Sachem football coach Dave Falco, who was the offensive coordinator when Manno played in Lake Ronkonkoma. "No one works as hard as he does. He deserves all the success in the world."

Falco said he told Manno that Hofstra "was a little over his head at the time he graduated."

"At the time he was better suited for a Division III or Division II program," said Falco. "He has proved me wrong. I think he uses it as motivation proving me and everyone else wrong. I am very proud of him. If I know Chris, he will continue to prove the doubters wrong again as he makes the team coming out of camp."

The Chiefs won the AFC West last season and selected receiver Jonathan Baldwin with their first round pick in this year's NFL draft. They also have veterans Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston, Terrance Cooper and Jerheme Urban in the receiving core. 

Manno is used to pressure and set backs, so a simple training camp shouldn't be too hard to crack the depth chart.

"I’m just hoping for a chance to get in there and show people what I can do," he said at the end of one YouTube video. "At every level so far I’ve been told this probably isn’t gonna happen, from high school to college.  And at every level I’ve proved people wrong. I started in high school right away and I earned a scholarship after walking on in college.  I’m just looking for another chance to shock people, prove them wrong."

Stay tuned for updates to this story and Manno's progress with the organization.

Sachem Alums in the Pros