Schiller's uncle, Charles Siebert, writes about "The Hard Life of an N.F.L. Long Shot."
In case you missed it, yes, that guy on the cover of the Nov. 21 New York Times magazine is none other than Geneva's very own Patrick Schiller. The cover story, titled "The Burden of Dreams—Hanging on to the fragile hope of an NFL career," was written by Schiller's uncle, author and NYT contributing writer Charles Siebert, and it's a wonderfully told tale of The Hard Life of an N.F.L. Long Shot. We all know Schiller's story, from Geneva Viking to Northern Illinois University standout linebacker, to his selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL draft. But we don't know about the struggle to get there and the sacrifices and tough times his family went through. This story is nothing short of excellent. It's 13 pages of online reading, …
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Really nice articles by Rick Armstrong and Matt Trowbridge as well as some other kudos for the NIU linebacker who's got an All-Star invite and a shot at the pros. He's also training in Batavia.
NIU lineback Pat Schiller of Geneva is going to start training for the pros by doing some yoga and pilates at Pro Force in Batavia. That is, after he plays in the 2012 Astroturf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 21 at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. Rick Armstrong of The Beacon-News has a great story on the former Geneva Viking, who was NIU's last scholarship pick in 2007. During his senior year, Schiller had 115 tackles for NIU's Huskies—the 11-win team that won the Mid-American Conference title and beat Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Matt Trowbridge of the Rockford Register Star has an equally great article on Schiller. I knew Schiller had been an underdog, but I had no idea just how far under until I read that story. Former …
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On the Web: Here's a really nice interview with Pat Schiller of Geneva, the NIU senior linebacker who leads his team in tackles and is now ready to tackle Arkansas State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.
