HOOVER, Ala. — There were few expectations on Tony Papley when we walked on to the Slippery Rock University football team five years ago.

He was merely average when he played across the street at Slippery Rock High. He received only tepid interest from other colleges and had no scholarship offers on the table.

“I knew if I wanted to have a college career, I had to put my head down and put the work in,” said Papley, a 6-foot-1, 260-pound defense tackle who just wrapped up a first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference season with The Rock.

The work paid off. He went from walk-on, red-shirt freshman to an anchor on the defensive line.

“Tony Papley is a self-made player,” said SRU coach George Mihalik before the season. “He came into this program as a walk-on and turned himself into a scholarship player. “It's been all him. He is all about total effort all the time, in the weight room, on the practice field, in the film room, in the classroom and, absolutely, on game days.”

And now he's an all-star.

Papley, along with teammate Quindell Dean, was selected to play in the USA Football Bowl, which will be played Monday.

The USA Football Bowl began in 1995 as the Division III Senior All-Star Classic and later became the Aztec Bowl.

In 2010, the Division II Cactus Bowl and the NAIA, NCCAA and USCAA merged with the game.

In 2012, FCS seniors were added to the talent pool and this year, FBS players joined.

The game is just one of four nationally recognized senior all-star games along with the East-West Shrine Game, the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and the Senior Bowl.

That puts Papley and Dean in rare air.

“It's a great honor,” Papley said. “I get to play another game, the game that I love.”

It also affords Papley another opportunity, one that is most important to him.

“I'm just excited to wear that 'S' on my helmet one more time,” he said.

Papley had a monster senior season for The Rock with 65 tackles (12 for a loss), four sacks, and interception and a recovered fumble.

Papley said his success was a perfect blend of work ethic to system.

“I wouldn't be anywhere without Coach Mihalik or (defensive coordinator) Shawn Lutz,” Papley said. “It was the best decision of my life to go to Slippery Rock.”

Papley is hoping the decision to go to Alabama pays off as well.

Scouts from the NFL, CFL and AFL will be there for the two-a-day practices Saturday and Sunday, the game on Monday, and a combine on Tuesday.

The game will be aired on delay by ESPN/U and the NFL Channel.

“Playing at the next level is everyone's dream,” Papley said. “Your never want to call it quits, to hang up the cleats. I'm taking advantage of that and I'm going to enjoy it. If something comes out of it, yeah, that would be awesome.”

Papley intends on operating in Alabama in the same way he operated at Slippery Rock: all out.

“All it takes,” he said, “is one guy to like you.”

Papley has spoken to many high school athletes who are in the same situation he was in coming out of high school.

He tells them his motivational story.

“The biggest advice I can give is buy into the system,” Papley said. “When I came to Slippery Rock, I bought in. I went out and worked my tail off. I went 100 percent in all the drills. I really put the time in. Champions are made when no one is watching.”