Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo, only the second Dominican player to be drafted and start in the National Football League, has become an international superstar. In March, he was one of three NFL players invited to spend a week visiting with U.S. troops stationed at military bases throughout the Persian Gulf. Castillo, Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tommie Harris, Carolina Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King visited military bases in Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan. Castillo kept an internet blog of his travels on Chargers.com and NFL.com. Following the tour, Castillo spent some additional time abroad, visiting Egypt and Greece. The trip overseas was a much-needed distraction for Castillo, who for the second year in a row battled through an injury-marred season. In a Nov. 4 game at Minnesota, Castillo rolled an ankle and ended up missing six games. Almost exactly a year earlier on Nov. 5, 2006, he rolled an ankle in Kansas City that cost him four games of that season. Castillo fought back this season as he did in ’06 and collected a sack in a Monday Night Football game against Denver upon his return. He finished the year strong and had a solid postseason, leading the team with two sacks.



Castillo is fluent in Spanish. He was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to the Dominican Republic with his mother, Maria, when he was a child. They returned to the States when he was 5, and the family settled in New Jersey. Luis returns to the Dominican Republic every offseason where he is revered as a national icon. During his trips to the Dominican, Castillo hosts a youth football clinic and does many community appearances. In 2005, he was honored with the Youth of the Year Award for excellence outside of the Dominican Republic.



Castillo has also emerged as a community leader in San Diego. Last December he hosted Shop with a Charger for abused and neglected children, some of whom were homeless as well. Each child who participated in the event enjoyed dinner with Luis and his teammates and received a Holiday Gift Card from WalMart. And last November, Castillo surprised San Diego resident Dave Buckles with tickets to a game after Buckles, the golf superintendent at an area resort, and some of his co-workers helped save more than a half-dozen homes from the wildfires that ravaged San DiegoCounty in October. Castillo, who resides in Poway, was among more than 50 Chargers’ players and staff that were forced to evacuate their homes because of the fires.



Luis’ mother is his inspiration. She was raised in a small village in the Dominican that had no running water or electricity and few educational opportunities. Today, she runs a multimillion-dollar company in New York that imports hair-care products from her homeland. Someday, Luis hopes that he too can emulate his mom’s success in the business world. In 2007, he returned to his alma mater and enrolled in the NFL’s Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The four-day program focused on developing and selling a brand and evaluating franchise opportunities. He attended the program with teammate Shaun Phillips.