58-year-old college football player Tom Cillo sign NIL deal with Aspercreme, per report

Tom Cillo, 58, made history with a recent NIL deal signed on Friday with Aspercreme, according to a report from the Athletic.

It makes him the oldest college football player to sign an NIL deal. He is a freshman at Division III Lycoming College and is hoping to become the oldest player to play college football since 2009, since 61-year-old kicker Tom Thompson, who kicked for Division III Austin College.

His deal with Aspercreme is for an undisclosed payment, but he receives a four-year supply of the over-the-counter pain relief product, according to the Athletic.

“I’m living proof that you are never too old to chase your dream,” Cillo said, via the Athletic.

“At 58, I’m still lacing up, competing, and showing that passion doesn’t age. I may have more aches and pains than I used to, but then I just roll on some Aspercreme and show the younger guys that grit beats pain every time.”

This is Aspercreme’s first reported NIL deal, which came about after Philip Durocher, the chief marketing officer for Opella – the parent company for Aspercreme – learned of Cillo’s story.

“We are always on the lookout for age-defying individuals like Tom Cillo – people who challenge expectations and redefine what it means to ‘act your age.’ While Tom’s story is on a football field, our commitment goes beyond sports, ” Durocher said via the Athletic. “Our mission is to empower those 55 and up who are breaking barriers and proving that age is not a limit.”

In 2024, Cillo – who has been weightlifting for more than two decades – deadlifted 580 pounds, breaking the International Powerlifting Association World Record for his age group. Cillo retired from his full-time job to focus on playing college football.

He is seeking to become the oldest player since 61-year-old kicker Tom Thompson kicked for D -III Austin College.