Caleb Callahan, following family's military line, latest Viking headed for Merchant Marines

A long line of military men in the Callahan ancestry pool just got longer, with the acceptance of North Kitsap senior Caleb Callahan to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

Callahan, son of Chris and Selena Callahan, is also third in recent years to go from North Kitsap's football program to the Merchant Marine Academy, following in the footsteps of Tyler Sloman and Clayton Williams. Williams is currently a senior at the academy and, according to USMMA football coach Jameson Croall, will head to U.S. Navy Flight School in Pensacola, Florida, after graduating in June, aiming to become a Navy pilot.

It’s an exciting announcement for the family due to Chris Callahan's nine years of military service. During his stint in the Navy, Chris earned a degree in IT Management and a masters in cyber security management, and it cost him nothing.

“It took me eight years, but I have zero debt,” says Chris. “The military has its advantages and you've got to take advantage of it.”

That is what he hopes for Caleb. It’s a good way to get a primo education with zero debt. Not that Caleb isn’t wanted for his football ability. He is. For all of his senior year, James Kikel, offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator was in constant contact with Caleb, a wide receiver for the North Kitsap Vikings.

”Coach Kik spoke to me weekly during football season and even wrote some hand written notes sent to my house,” says Caleb. “We texted and emailed every day.”

Recruiting for a military academy is different than it is for a major football power. The Washington Huskies, for example, are looking at athletic talent first, with offers going to high school players who are ranked high nationally. But for a Division III school, which is what the Merchant Marine Academy is, academic standards also matter, and for a military school the prospect's profile involves regiment as well. Can he handle a military life that includes wearing the uniform, physical training, academics, and does he have an appointment from a member of Congress? And then, can he play college football?

“I think he’s a good kid,” says Croall. “He fits what we are looking for at the Merchant Marine Academy, a leader for the future who understands what this academy can provide him and what it can do moving forward for him.

“We think he’s a talented player, but again we recruit based on what kind of student he is.”

Caleb visited the academy three times. Once in December, when he got a tour from Williams, the second as an official visit and a third trip with his mother.

“We both were convinced that USMMA was for me,” Caleb says. ”It checked all the boxes — play football at next level, paid education in college and be an officer in a military branch after graduation.”

Caleb is a very good student, carrying a 3.7 GPA, and has one year of college credits behind him thanks to Running Start Program through Olympic College. His senior year at NK he’s been concentrating on it as prep year geared for college.

After Caleb was born at Naval Hospital Bremerton, Chris and Selena decided it best to get out of the Navy and move to civilian jobs. But that meant a lot of moving, from Fort Huacuca, Arizona, to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Heidelberg, Germany, and Vicksburg, Mississippi.

“I have been to six different schools, grades 1 through 12,” says Caleb. “What helped the most was being on sports teams and making friends with the other guys on the teams.”

He played four sports — football, basketball, baseball and soccer — at Central Hinds Academy in Raymond, Mississippi, from his freshman year to his junior year, when the family moved to Poulsbo.

Family life is more stable now with Chris being chief of cyber security for Homeland Security, covering Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and working out of Seattle.

The line of military men in the family started with Clarence Bosler, Chris’s grandmother’s father, who went into the Navy in 1941. He’s Caleb’s great-great grandfather.

Next was Jack Callahan, who joined the Navy during the Korean conflict in 1952. He’s Caleb’s great grandfather. Then came Chris’s dad, Stephen Callahan (Caleb’s grandfather), who joined the Army in 1972 during the Vietnam War.

Chris and Selena were both born in Kansas City, Kansas, and Chris, 45, graduated from J.C. Harmon High School in Kansas City in 1996 with a 3.83 GPA, third in his class. He enlisted in the Navy in 1996 and was stationed in Bremerton with the Naval Station on a ship for five year and then for four years at the Bangor submarine base.

Caleb played baseball and basketball at NK along with football last season. He was a late enroller at the school (December of 2021 from Mississippi), but was able to join the basketball team. He is not playing on the NK baseball team this spring so he can prepare for boot camp and football at the Merchant Marine Academy.

Now 6-foot-3, and 180 pounds, Caleb is definitely a threat on the football field as wide receiver. He had 32 receptions for 350 yards and four touchdowns last football seasons, including a 15-yard touchdown in the state championship game, a 31-24 loss to Lynden.

”Football has always been a sport I excel at,” says Caleb. “I have played most everything else but have had the most success at football growing up playing since pee wee league 1st and 2nd grade in Arizona.”

Chris coached Caleb until middle school, when he figured his own ability to teach didn't match Caleb's talent.

“It was beyond my ability,” says Chris. “I think he’s good. He reminds me a lot of the wide receiver from Eastern Washington (Cooper Kupp, now with the Los Angeles Rams where he is a star). He’s good at getting open. He’s got a quick release and a swim move.”

As the fifth in his family’s ancestry to become a military man, he will be the first to do it through school and become an officer. But  he’s still a lot like his dad in one regard — financial.

“It’s a full ride scholarship worth $290,000 over four years,” said Caleb. “I feel like I hit the lottery.”

He reports to 18 days of boot camp on July 7, then its football practice and classes at Merchant Marine Academy. Part of the education at the school is spending a full year at sea, so it could be interesting as well as exciting.

"I chose the Merchant Marine Academy because of the coaches and culture there,” he says. “They really seem to care about each student’s success beyond sports and it should give me the opportunity not only in sports but life as I go into the next chapter of my life.

“The year at sea with the Merchant Marines is appealing because it will allow me to learn on the job the things taught in the classroom while traveling all over the world which I grew up with in that adventurous household.

“My dad always said those who wander are not always lost. I have an adventurous spirit like him and want to see all this world has to offer (like) standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, Roman Coliseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa.

“I know there is more to offer us than the 50-mile radius bubble most people live in. Travel has made me brave and bold and at the same time thirsty for more adventures. “

Terry Mosher is a longtime sportswriter for the Sun who writes a regular column on sports personalities. Contact him at bigmosher@msn.com.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: North Kitsap's Caleb Callahan headed to US Merchant Marines