Barrington brothers set sights on NFL

BARRINGTON – Two Barrington brothers and Barrington High School graduates are enjoying success on the football field.

Gus Handler, class of 2009, and Sam Handler, class of 2012, played each other in a game at Rose Bowl Stadium in November – Gus for the University of Colorado and Sam for the University of California at Los Angeles.

“UCLA was really good this year,” Gus Handler said. “It was a really fun time.”

This was the second time the two teams faced each other at Rose Bowl Stadium but the first time both brothers got playing time.

“It’s probably the coolest thing I’ve experienced in my time playing football,” Sam Handler said of playing at the 93,000-seat Rose Bowl Stadium. “The sound of it almost sounds like a rock concert, running out as the home team.”

UCLA won the game, which puts the series between the brothers’ schools at 2-0 in UCLA’s favor.

Gus Handler, who has been playing football since first or second grade, graduated from the University of Colorado in December with a degree in history and is training for NFL tryouts at Velocity Sports Performance in Irvine, Calif.

“It’s a lot of fun and it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s all going to pay off in the end,” Gus Handler said, adding he has no team preference. He just wants to make an NFL team.

Training has included cardiovascular and weight lifting workouts to get him in optimal shape, he said.

“As a kid growing up, it’s always been one of our goals,” Gus Handler said of making it to the NFL. “It’s always been a dream and goal of mine.”

Gus has two tryout opportunities, through the NFL combine in February or through the Colorado pro day in March. After tryouts, he’ll have to wait until the NFL draft in May to learn his fate.

Brother Sam Handler also will be anxiously awaiting the verdict.

“Ninety-percent of [my love for football] is because of my brother,” Sam Handler said. “He’s been a role model my whole life. I’m his No. 1 fan, so I’m going to be right by his side.”

Sam Handler is in his second year at UCLA as a business major and film minor. He’s been playing football since he was 5 years old. Since he is on the smaller side for his position, he always had to work hard to be his best. He’d wake up early, be the first on the field and the last one off, he said.

“Sam is the hardest working person I know,” Gus Handler said.

All of the hard work paid off, though, as Sam Handler recently played in the Sun Bowl with his team.

“It was my first time playing in a bowl game,” he said, adding it was cool to have a West Coast team play an East Coast team. UCLA dominated the Sun Bowl 42-12 against Virginia Tech.

He, too, has NFL aspirations but still has a college career to finish. After college, if the NFL doesn’t work out, he’ll go into the business, he said.

“In my family, if we’re going to do something, we’re going to do it 110 percent,” Sam Handler said.

Making sure their sons got a solid education has always been a priority for the Handler parents.

“It’s a means to an end as far as going to an interesting college and meeting people who will help them go further later in life,” said father Fritz Handler of his sons’ football success.

It’s been fun for him to watch his boys play, Fritz Handler said. “It’s a lot of fun, because every weekend from Labor Day to Dec. 1, we’re on the road going to see either of the boys play.”

Joe Sanchez, head coach of the Barrington High School varsity football team, still keeps in touch with the Handler brothers via text and sometimes phone calls. The boys also try to visit him when they are home from school.

“We’re very fortunate that we’ve had several players go on and play in college,” Sanchez said. “When [the Handlers] both came in, we knew they were both obviously tremendous athletes. Once they really committed to football, their work ethic is what really distanced them from others. They did everything they possibly could to do well.”

Even when the boys were still in high school, Sanchez said their bond was obvious.

“It’s neat to see their strong bond and how they push one another and are there for each other and they’re each others biggest supporters,” Sanchez said.