TORONTO – College football is all about speed, agility, athleticism and the ability to react quick and make a play before your opponent can.
Boone Thorgesen isn’t graced with any of those qualities at an elite level.
But every day, the Kaneland graduate comes to Northern Illinois football practice and gives everything he has.
The 6-foot, 191-pounder plays safety on the Huskies’ scout team and his job is to prepare the NIU offense for what they will face today against South Florida in the International Bowl.
While Thorgesen never will match the speed or quickness of the Bulls, he hoped to play hard enough so the offense could get a feel for the speed of the game. With more than a month off before playing in today’s game, that scout team was even more important.
When Thorgesen was accidentally hit from behind by a receiver in Sunday’s practice at Northwestern, his scout-team duties should have been done. Thorgesen dislocated his right knee cap for the second time this season and hobbled off the field.
“In this day and age, most kids are going to take a month off,” NIU coach Jerry Kill said. “Not that kid.”
Instead, Thorgesen was back at practice Monday. Some of it was denial. The rest was a will to compete.
He didn’t want to sit at home while his teammates headed to Toronto to compete in a bowl game for the second consecutive year.
“I just didn’t want to be hurt again,” Thorgesen said. “I hate being hurt and hate sitting out.”
So he just chose not to.
He wrapped the knee, taped the knee and put a sleeve over it before taking an Advil.
Then he came back like nothing was wrong.
“There are guys that God gives them tremendous talent and they don’t give you any of what Boone gives you,” Kill said. “He’s not blessed with God-given speed that other kids have. But the kid comes every day and works at it.”
As the Huskies finished up their final practice before the International Bowl on Thursday, Kill didn’t have much to say. He left the talking to former coach Joe Novak and Novak’s former players from Canada.
But Kill did step forward and reminded his team of one thing after a warning about being smart on New Year’s Eve in the big city.
Kill talked about Boone, and his knee injury, and the fact that he kept coming to practice and playing. And Kill told his team that was the type of commitment being a Huskie was all about.
Kill attributes that work ethic to what Boone’s father, legendary Kaneland coach Joe Thorgesen, taught him growing up.
And Kill said that kind of dedication is completely uncommon today.
“He loves the game and he doesn’t have to be the superstar,” Kill said. “You just root for the kid.”
Occasionally Kill will talk with special teams coach Jay Sawvel about one day putting Thorgesen in on his kickoff team. And, even though it doesn't make sense, he truly believes Thorgesen will make a play.
He's not fast enough to run away from players like kick returner Tommy Davis.
But Kill thinks Thorgesen has something bigger than that.
“He’s probably going to make a play,” Kill said. “We just haven’t done it yet.”
Someday, somehow, Thorgesen will get his chance.
Even if no one else believes it, Kill has faith something good will happen.