Cypress Bay
Miami Dolphins honor assistant coach Carlo “C.J.” Ullysse Jr., who was killed in hit-run.
DAVIE — The Cypress Bay football team is still recovering from the death of assistant coach Carlo “C.J.” Ullysse Jr. after he was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Interstate 95 on Aug. 5.
To ease the grieving process, coach Josh Shapiro says he has tried to foster a family atmosphere for his team. Tuesday, the team took a trip to see the Miami Dolphins at their training camp in Davie.
Shapiro was excited to give the Lightning a chance to see how the professionals prepare, but they left with more than just lessons on hard work. At the end of Miami’s practice, Cypress Bay congregated under the goalpost for a team picture, where they were presented with a No. 21 Dolphins jersey with “Ullysse Jr.” on the back.
“It was awesome bringing the boys out, letting them experience practice,” Shapiro said. “You know, it was a phenomenal gesture. They’re a first-class organization.
“This is awesome,” Shapiro said of the jersey. “We’re gonna put a memorial up of Coach C.J. in the weight room — he was one of our strength and conditioning guys — so this just
means the world to us.”
Shapiro found out about Ullysse’s death from linebackers coach Anthony Guerra, who was best friends with Ullysse. Shapiro says he immediately asked himself, “What are we gonna do with the boys?”
The next day, Cypress Bay gathered as a team, along with counselors, support staff and their Fellowship of Christian Athletes chaplain. Shapiro waited for every coach to arrive before addressing the team.
“Hands down, the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do was standing in front of the team,” Shapiro said. “You know, we kind of just created more of a family atmosphere and kind of explained to the boys that it was OK to grieve in whatever manner they so choose. It was a lot harder than I thought, but the boys have bonded together behind it.”
Ullysse was a Cypress Bay grad, playing cornerback for the Lightning and at Indiana State in college.
For that reason, and others, Shapiro says Ullysse would have loved Dolphins training camp. He said Ullysse would have been pointing out how the Dolphins were hydrating and taking care of themselves and hustling between drills, staying true to the things Ullysse preached.
“Coach C.J., you know,
was a huge fan favorite, so to speak, with the kids,” Shapiro said. “He was so lowkey, young, energetic guy around them. It was never anything negative, so, you know, they kind of carried that spirit with them, and they’re trying to work hard in his memory.”
Cypress Bay’s visit to Dolphins training camp was planned months in advance, as part of an initiative to develop high school and youth football in South Florida.
The Lightning players stood out in the sun on Tuesday, laughing while getting autographs and advice from the likes of running back Kenyan Drake and offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James.
“I think as young men, the hardest thing to get them to realize is, obviously life is so precious, and you can’t take anything for granted,” Shapiro said. “I think they’re making the most of their opportunities and not taking anything for granted and they need to do the best they can now. There’s not always a tomorrow. For the seniors, you know, we always speak that there’s not next season. We’ve gotta get it done now, and I think they’ve really done a great job.”