However, in his sophomore year, he was named J. C. Gridwire All-American and first-team All-Western State Conference.
[4][5] According to Bakersfield head coach Dallas Grider, Cercone "was a typical Kern County kid: a hard-working, tough son of a gun" who "had good agility for a man his size and he could run.
[5][6] He was used as a spot start tight end and was noted for being good at run and pass blocking.
[6] After going undrafted in the 1999 NFL draft, Cercone was signed as a rookie free agent by the Minnesota Vikings on April 26, 1999.
He was inactive for a November 30 game against the Detroit Lions,[13] and resigned to the practice squad on December 6.
[5][13] Cercone was promoted to the Vikings' active roster on September 5, 2002,[15] but was inactive for the first game of the season.
[16] He went to play for the Dragons in the spring of that year, but his contract with the Jaguars remained in effect until August 30, 2003, when he was waived by the team.