I Never Missed a Football Practice…Until My Cancer Battle in 2019 - NMU Blog

It was December of 2018 and I was the Special Teams Coordinator at the University of Nebraska. My wife and I wanted to take our three kids back to Florida for the holidays and spend time at Disney World. When we returned, my neck started feeling stiff and I could feel something…like a lump…in my throat. I wasn’t too concerned, but I went to Urgent Care and when my bloodwork came back normal, I didn’t think much else of it. It wasn’t until I was sitting at the airport in Dallas after a delayed flight that I realized something was really wrong. My friend and the defensive coordinator of Nebraska at the time said, “That lump is getting huge.”

I called the team doctor who referred me to a specialist, and I heard the three scariest words of my life: you have cancer. I was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer and given six months to live. I underwent 38 rounds of radiation and three rounds of chemotherapy to get me back to doing what I loved…football.

I started playing when I was seven or eight years old when my dad signed me up for the Youth Football League. I almost quit my first year on the team, but my dad told me I had to stick it out because of the commitment I made. I finished the year falling in love with the sport that has given me so many incredible experiences since then, including at Northern Michigan University. I was recruited to NMU out of high school and absolutely loved my time there. The coaches, players, and professors really set the stage for me to pursue a career in coaching from the connections in the business to the mentorship I received.

After getting hurt to the point where I could no longer play, I went to California to put my degree to use and became a mortgage broker. While I loved the money, I hated the job. But I had no intention of getting into coaching…at all. Within 48 hours of deciding to quit and pursue something else, the first “act of fate” happened that kick-started my career in coaching - and it came from NMU. I received a call from the head coach at NMU letting me know about a graduate assistant position that was opening up…I was on a plane back to Marquette three days later.

Already passionate about football, I fell in love with coaching. Those who can do…do, and those who can’t…teach. I’ve had the opportunity to coach at many colleges and universities since then and I never missed a practice or a game…until my cancer battle in 2019. I always tell people that any dramatic picture you can imagine of someone battling cancer, that’s what I looked like. I lost over 100 pounds, I couldn’t walk anymore – I looked like I was already gone. But I pulled through and slowly but surely regained my strength. Once I finished treatment and there was no evidence of disease, I took the month of July off and put myself through three-a-days to get back into the game. I wanted to coach again in the fall of 2019, but I didn’t want to go into the season and not be able to finish it. I lifted and ran three or four times a day for the entire month so when I reported to camp, I was ready to go.

Looking back now, it was such a surreal experience. I often think, “did that really happen to me?” I really want to use football as a vehicle to help others. At North Carolina, we were able to organize Zoom meetings with our players and the kids at the cancer hospital. We even were able to set it up so they could Zoom in through our scoreboard to watch the game. This was during COVID, so it was our way of helping them feel like they were involved in the world again. With my history of health issues, I’m always racking my brain for ways to use football to create more awareness and fundraising for pediatric cancer. I’ve had great coaches and great doctors – I want to pass along some positivity and help give these kids who are struggling positive experiences and help them grow up to have the chance to pursue their own dreams.

My advice to NMU students: Do what melts your butter. I don’t ever go to work. I get to do something that I genuinely enjoy doing every single day. Every time I’ve ever thought about not doing it, something crazy happens that tells me it’s what I’m supposed to do.

Like after my third year at St. Norbert, a former coach offered to help me get a job at Merrill Lynch. I was sitting in my car and decided I was going to pursue that opportunity – within 30 seconds of making that decision I had a call from the Packers asking if I wanted to intern with the team for the summer. Or whenever I’m feeling exhausted, I get a thank you letter from a former player that keeps me going. This is why I do what I do.

Plus, I get to hang out with college kids every day – and that keeps me young! I learn as much from them as I hope they do from me.