ALTOONA, Pa. -- I'm from Arkansas. Peyton Hillis is from Arkansas. But no, despite whatever redneck joke you want to make, not everyone from that state is related.
In this case, however, it just so happens to be true that I am related to Hillis, the former NFL running back who's famous for two big reasons from his playing days with the Cleveland Browns and other teams.
And now, Hillis is trying to become famous for something else -- as an actor. His first movie, "The Hunting," about a werewolf in a small town, was just released in select cities and is streaming online. More on that wild little story in a bit.
Hillis is my first cousin, once removed. His mother is my mom's niece. So, his mother is my first cousin, and that whole once removed thing is how the relative chart goes for your cousin's child.
I'm 48 years old, and Peyton is 36. I'm from Bryant, Ark., 15 miles outside of Little Rock, and he's from Conway, 35 miles away from Little Rock on the opposite side. Now, because of our age difference and growing up a bit far apart, I actually have never met Peyton. But my mom and sister have been in contact with his mother a lot over the years, and they have always spoken so proudly about my cuz.
In 2010, Hillis rushed for 1,177 yards for the Browns. He became the first white running back to rush for 1,000 yards in the NFL in 25 years, going all the way back to Craig James in 1985.
About a year later, Hillis had something amazing happen. Out of all the stars in the NFL, the workhorse running back was chosen to be on the cover of the Madden NFL 2012 video game. Electronic Arts held a fan vote contest to pick the cover player that year, and the nation just seemed enthralled with the kooky idea of having Hillis on the cover. As this story points out, he advanced to the final round and easily beat out Michael Vick for the cover with 66 percent of the votes.
Of course, the Madden curse bit Hillis, as it has so many players, and he never had another huge season in the NFL. He rushed for 587 yards in 2011, then dipped to 309, 247 and 115 yards his final three seasons.
But hey, for a while, Peyton Hillis became a household name in the NFL, and the Madden cover has guaranteed him at least some recognition for the rest of his life.
For Steelers fans, Hillis never was a major factor in any head-to-head matchups, even during his 1,000-yard season in 2010. He faced the Steelers five times in his career, four with the Browns and once with the Kansas City Chiefs. Here's how he fared:
* 2010: 6 carries for 13 yards in 41-9 Steelers win; 12 carries for 41 yards in 28-10 Steelers win
* 2011: 10 carries for 30 yards in 13-9 Steelers win; 10 carries for 25 yards in 14-3 Steelers win
* 2012: 10 carries for 30 yards in 16-13 Steelers OT win over the Chiefs
Now that we've got all the football out of the way, let's get to the juicy stuff.
The killer part of this story. Hahaha!
Hillis returned to Cleveland as the star of the werewolf movie "The Hunting," directed by Cleveland's own Mark Andrew Hamer. Hillis plays a small-town detective trying to solve a local mystery. Here's the synopsis from the film's Facebook page:
When a mysterious animal attack leaves a mutilated body in the forest, a conservative small town detective must enlist the help of an eager wildlife specialist to uncover the dark and disturbing truth that threatens the town.
Here's what the director told Cleveland.com about Hills' starring role:
“Peyton is a very interesting character with a big personality. He’s super intense. For what we asked him to do, I think he’s fantastic. He definitely set the stage for himself to do more (acting) in the future.”
Truth be told, I haven't seen the movie yet. It's on my playlist at home, but I have young children, and finding time to watch a werewolf movie can be challenging. Some of the reviews aren't great, but Hillis has been pretty well received.
I have no idea if Hillis is a good actor or not, or if this film will lead to more acting roles for him. Since he's my cousin, I obviously would like to see him succeed. There are a whole bunch of former football players who have gone on to become successful actors -- Dwayne Johnson, Jim Brown, Terry Crews, Ed O'Neill, Merlin Olsen, Fred Dryer to name a few -- and Hillis may or may not be able to do the same, if he pursues that path.
Either way, when it comes to interesting NFL players over the past decade, Hillis' name has to be on the list for how he came out of nowhere to become a success and gain a level of legendary status thanks to the Madden cover. We'll see if his movie adds a new chapter to his fascinating legacy.
