Why He Didn't Play: Santonio Hill

It’s another Sunday morning in North Philadelphia and Santonio Hill is getting ready to go to the Newman Center, Temple’s Catholic Center on campus, for Sunday mass.

If you were to ask Hill seven years ago how he would be spending his Sunday mornings when he was 25 years old, he would have told you that he would be getting ready to play in an NFL game for whatever team drafted him.

That was his goal, and as a senior in high school he was on the path to make it a reality.  

Then he had a dream.

Going into his senior year, Hill only had one year of high school football experience after having to sit out his sophomore and junior years because of injuries. He was coming back to a team that hadn’t won a game the previous year; things weren’t looking very promising. But Hill wanted to change that, and he did.

With Hill back on the roster, Great Mills High School started its season 3-0 and sparked interest from everyone in the area, including Townson University scouts.

“Towson had been looking,” Hill said. “We sent them tapes and everything. My coach calls me in the office and lets me know that they are considering a scholarship to cover it all, my whole college tuition.”

That was the moment Hill had worked for and dreamed about ever since he first heard his cousin tell him that football was the only way out.

“I looked up to my cousin a lot,” Hill said. “He would always talk about football and how that is the key to being successful if you don’t really like academics. And I wasn’t bad at academics, but I definitely didn’t like it. And so what he said I took it as gold.”

My coach calls me in the office and lets me know that they are considering a scholarship to cover it all, my whole college tuition

Hill had his life planned out. He was going to go to Towson and play football while majoring in physical therapy. One day he would make it to the NFL, but if he didn’t he would have physical therapy to fall back on and either way he would be able to support his future family.

That is exactly what Hill told his priest, Fr. Scott, after mass one day when he asked Hill what his plans for after high school were.

Scott asked Hill if he ever thought about entering the seminary and becoming a priest. Hill laughed in his face.

“I said ‘yeah that’s funny, cool for you and the Pope,’” Hill said. “But not me, yeah this is not for me, thanks but no thanks.”

Scott suggest Hill pray about it.

“Yeah I’ll sleep on it,” Hill replied.

That night, Hill had a dream. He was standing in a long line in a castle with a bunch of boys who were ready for a football game, but he didn’t have any equipment. When he finally got to the beginning of the line there was a group of men sitting at a table. The men at the table held up a piece of paper and asked Hill to sign it.  

“It looked like some contract or agreement or something like that,” Hill said. “I was really cocky at the time, so I was thinking maybe they want my autograph or I’m about to make it big time this is something for the NFL.”

After Hill signed the paper the men at the table said, “Congratulations, you’re a priest.”

They handed Hill a couple outfits and told him to go to his locker where he would have everything he needed. After he got to his locker, Hill woke up.

Hill woke up and thought, “Yeah right, the day I become a priest is the day I become terrible at basketball.”

That next night, he had another dream. This time he was playing basketball in front of a full arena and missed every shot he took.

“I woke up and thought, ‘No, I’m going to be a priest now?’” Hill said. “’This is crazy. I don’t want this.’”

He took Scott’s advice and prayed about it. And as he was sitting on his bed starring up at the Crucifix that was hanging on the wall he made his decision: he was going to forego his scholarship and enter the seminary.

 I wanted to give him the first opportunity at my life to see what it is that he wants me to do with it

“Further reflection upon Jesus Christ and how he died for me on the cross really made me want to be selfless and think about God first,” Hill said. “If Jesus really did die for me, he gave me an opportunity at life and I wanted to give him the first opportunity at my life to see what it is that he wants me to do with it.”

After spending four years in the seminary, Hill felt God was calling him to something else.  So he became a theology teacher, but that didn’t fulfill him, so he started looking into becoming a missionary.

“I was living with the FOCUS missionaries at the university of Maryland,” Hill said. “And I compared what I did to what they are doing and I said, ‘Wow you guys are just teaching, but outside of the classroom and you seem to be having a more authentic time.”

Becoming a missionary seemed to be the perfect fit for Hill.

The boy who had a full-ride to play football and a future that could have included the NFL was now going to be fundraising for his salary.

“But God provides,” Hill said.

He went to his local churches and talked to the parishioners about what he was doing as a missionary and asked them to support him.

The money Hill fundraises pays for all of his expenses, from rent, to phone bills, to food, to toilet paper, to mission trips.

“The reason we fundraise is because Jesus Christ basically fundraised as well,” Hill said. “He didn’t have money, he begged and relied on people to take care of him. People gave out of their own poverty to him. So we said well if Jesus did that then we want to do it too because we model other things from him as well.”

I’m so glad that God gave me those dreams and that I had enough grace to say yes to him.

As a missionary, Hill leads bible studies, mentors men and goes on mission trips all over the country, 

also inviting students along.

“We just try and invest as much as we can,” Hill said. “We like to invite students and invest in them deeply in ways of authentic friendship and showing them all about Jesus Christ and trying to empower them to truly live on divine intimacy and prayer life.”

Even though he isn’t playing in the NFL like he once thought he would, Hill hasn’t abandoned his love for sports. Instead of lacing his cleats and putting on his shoulder pads before stepping out in front of a sold out crowd on Sundays, Hill slips on his basketball shoes and throws on a pair of shorts, before he walks to one of Temple’s recreation gyms.

“When I play basketball and I do well people are impressed,” Hill said. “People ask me what I study and what year I am and I say I’m a missionary and they say, ‘you’re a what?’ And that’s a great conversation starter.”

Instead of using sports to fulfill his dream and support his family, Hill is now using sports to fulfill his mission.

And he wouldn’t change a thing.

“The way I am now,” Hill said, “I’m so glad that God gave me those dreams and that I had enough grace to say yes to him.”