While the NFL season doesn't kick off until September, one former Bears player is busy putting his game face on.
Jason McKie, a Bears fullback for seven seasons from 2003-09, is excitedly preparing for his first year as head coach at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, which is located about nine miles west of Halas Hall.
Because of the pandemic, the 2020 Illinois high school football season was pushed back to this spring, with the first games scheduled for this weekend. Carmel is scheduled to play its first contest a week from Saturday at St. Patrick High School in Chicago.
It was unknown whether there would be any high school football at all. But in late January it was announced that teams could resume practicing March 3 and play up to six games from March 19-April 24, with no state playoffs being held.
"When we found out they were going to have a spring season, we were thrilled for the simple fact that the kids would have an opportunity to play some type of football," McKie said. "I'm really excited. I'm excited for the kids. The kids are excited. The funny thing is we're just excited to be out in full pads and practicing. We've only had six full padded practices and then we play next week. The kids are just happy to be practicing, let alone playing a game. It's good to get back to that type of normalcy."
Things were anything but normal last summer when IHSA teams were permitted to practice—but were prohibited from using footballs or conducting contact drills.
"We were running a football practice without a football," McKie said with a laugh. "As coaches, we were developing practice plans that have never been done before. We did a lot of individual work, a lot of conditioning. We had receivers running routes without a ball. When we were finally allowed to use a ball, every ball had to be sanitized between each period."
Practicing without a football wasn't the only challenge facing McKie and his coaching staff, which includes former Bears teammate Rashied Davis, a volunteer assistant. With school buildings closed and sports seasons on hold, concerns about students dealing with mental health issues became a top priority not only at Carmel but at high schools throughout the state.
"We looked at it in terms of the kids, the seniors especially, and what they were going through, not just physically not being able to play the game but mentally," McKie said. "This is an outlet. This is a way for some of these kids to get into college. Some of these kids are banking on getting an athletic scholarship to get into college. Some aren't, but they've been in the program for four years and they want to play their senior year of football."
“The kids are just happy to be practicing, let alone playing a game. It’s good to get back to that type of normalcy.” Carmel coach Jason McKie
The severity of the mental health issues hit close to home for McKie and his team in January when Glenbrook North quarterback Dylan Buckner passed away by suicide. His parents revealed that isolation from the pandemic was a factor.
After that tragic incident, McKie met with his players to remind them that he and his assistant coaches care about them as people and are available to support them.
"Our kids really trust us and they come to us with a lot of things," McKie said, "a lot of things that don't involve sports, a lot of things that may involve things at home or girlfriend issues or just a lot of different things they bring to us. We're not [just] coaches; we're mentors. Some of us are father figures, or we're like an older brother. So our kids know they can come to us with anything."
With IHSA football kicking off this weekend, we bring back senior writer Larry Mayer's ranking of the top 10 Bears players who played high school football in the same state where they played NFL ball.
10. Emery Moorehead
The Evanston High School product played eight seasons with the Bears from 1981-88 and was the starting tight end on the famed 1985 championship team.
9. Tom Thayer
The Joliet Catholic graduate played guard for eight seasons with the Bears from 1985-92 and was a key member of the offensive line that helped the team win Super Bowl XX.
8. Mike Pyle
A football player and state wrestling champion at New Trier High School, Pyle played center for nine seasons with the Bears from 1961-68 and was part of the 1963 NFL title squad.
7. Ed O'Bradovich
The defensive end, who attended Proviso East High School and the University of Illinois, played 10 seasons with the Bears and was an integral member of the 1963 NFL championship team.
6. Gary Fencik
The Barrington High School graduate, who played his entire 12-year NFL career with the Bears, was a two-time Pro Bowler who remains the franchise's all-time leader with 38 interceptions.
5. George Connor
The Chicago native, a linebacker and tackle who attended De La Salle High School, was voted to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1940s and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
4. George Trafton
The Hall of Fame center, who attended Oak Park High School, was selected to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1920s and was voted first-team All-Pro six times.
3. George Halas
Papa Bear, who grew up in Chicago and attended Crane High School, was better known as the Bears founder, owner and coach. But the Hall of Famer was selected to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1920s as a player.
2. Red Grange
The Hall of Famer, who went to Wheaton High School (now Wheaton Warrenville South High School), helped popularize pro football when he joined the Bears in 1925 after an illustrious career at the University of Illinois.
1. Dick Butkus
A Chicago native who attended Chicago Vocational High School and the University of Illinois, Butkus was selected to eight Pro Bowls and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
