Curaçao, a small island on the world map, remains remarkable in its ability to produce sports players at a very high rate. Even though baseball is the most popular sport on the island, we can proudly mention that Curaçao has some local professional football players as well. One of them is Roedion ‘Dion’ Henrique. This past week we had the amazing opportunity to talk with him while he was in Florida for the offseason and to get his body ready for the upcoming season. ‘Dion’ (26) was born in Curaçao and moved to the Netherlands with his parents at the age of 4. From a very young age, he was fascinated with sports. Like most kids from Curaçao, ‘Dion’ began his sports career playing baseball but switched to American Football when he was 16.
American Football is not a popular sport in The Netherlands but ‘Dion’ was always interested in watching the matches on TV and this is how he became interested in the sport. He started playing American Football as a hobby, but it was a matter of time before he started to enjoy this sport to a more serious level. He joined the team called Amsterdam Panthers, and this is where his life took an interesting twist.
Because of his athletic skills at the wide receiver position, ‘Dion’ became a stand-out in the team. “The more I played the game, the more I realized that I wanted to reach the next level. Since the sport wasn’t so popular in Europe, I had to find a way to go to the United States to reach my goal” he says.
At the age of 17 ‘Dion’ was invited to the FBU All European tryouts and was selected to join the European All-Star team. Later he received the opportunity to play in Texas against High School prospects. After showcasing his talent in front of scouts, three colleges quickly approached him but because of his nationality, it wasn’t easy to get the necessary papers for a scholarship in the US. For this reason, he left for the Netherlands for a year to finish his studies.
Even though he was in a different country, ‘Dion’ kept pushing to achieve his dream. He got in touch with Reedley Junior College in California. Luckily enough he was able to get all his papers in order and he could join the team. “I was 18 at that time and this was a big step for me in my career. I left Europe to pursue my goal in the US. It was my dream to play American Football at a much higher level and I did the first step!” ‘Dion’ continues.
“After adapting to the level of the US and getting to play in all games at Reedley, I started to receive attention. It was also a moment for me to reflect on my future steps. I wanted to grow and play in another university team. I was offered a scholarship from New Mexico State and I realized that this was a perfect fit! It is not a big school but they do play in the Division One NCAA, which is the highest level on the University level” he explains.
“Playing in New Mexico State seemed like a battle! I had to compete for the starting spot against Seniors and bigger players. These players have been playing at this high level for two, three years already!” ‘Dion’ tells. He made it. He got the second string behind the seniors and still had the chance to compete in most games. “One thing I will never forget is playing my first game against the University of Florida, in front of 92,800 fans with an amazing atmosphere. It was a different environment than what I was used to. Hearing the fans scream was such a cool experience!” he continues with a huge smile. “New Mexico State was a huge part of my football career as it also thought me the grind, hustle, and discipline.”
In his last year at New Mexico State he was able to join the Pro Day, where you showcase your talent in front of NFL scouts. “I was able to show my talent in front of teams such as Bills, Chiefs, Ravens, Raiders, and Packers. My numbers were good but since I didn’t have enough on-field tape/highlights since I was a second-string player, it influenced not getting enough attention from the pro teams”, ‘Dion’ explains. After finishing school and realizing that he wouldn’t get the call to the Pros, he decided to go back to his family in Florida and spend a year there and work as a personal trainer and keep on working on himself. “During this time, I was still doing some tryouts for the National Football League and the Canadian Football League. But my agent told me that since I don’t have many game-time highlights, it was affecting the interest of the scouts. So, I decided to go back to Europe, join the German Football League and work on my in-game highlights.”
After an impressive year in Germany, ‘Dion’ was invited to NFL’s International Combine. He was able to showcase his talent again in front of NFL scouts. “This combination resulted in an invitation to the European League of Football which was a new experience, but a step higher than the GFL” he explains. The EFL is where ‘Dion’ has been showing his talent right now for the past year. He also just signed a new contract with his team Leipzig Kings.
For the past 8 years, he has been working on this journey, traveling between the US and Europe. “I still have more to give and I would do anything to reach my goal and strive for the next level, in this case, NFL or CFL. I have had some meaningful experiences throughout the years and I can say that I have shown my talent in the NCAA D1 and at the NFL combine in front of pro teams. Right now, my main focus is to dominate the game, show everyone in Europe that I am the best and not just someone who came back to Europe to just play.”
‘Dion’ is eagerly waiting to see what comes next and will continue to enjoy the game of Football and looks for any opportunity that allows him to show his talent on the football field.
