Alumni: September 2009 Archives

Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints head coach
Alma mater: Naperville Central
Week 2: Payton has an offensive background and his Saints (2-0) are absolutely lighting up the scoreboard. Coming off a 48-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans leads the NFL by a wide margin in total yards (936) and points scored (93).
Coming up: At Buffalo Bills (1-1), Sunday 3:05 p.m.

Owen Daniels, Houston Texans tight end
Alma mater: Naperville Central
Week 2: Daniels caught a one-yard touchdown pass that tied the game 31-31 late in the third quarter in Nashville, Tenn. The Texans (1-1) then completed the comeback against the Tennessee Titans and scored a 34-31 victory. Daniels finished with six catches for 72 yards.
Coming up: At Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2), Sunday 12 p.m.

Chris Brown, Houston Texans running back
Alma mater: Naperville North
Week 2: Brown is becoming a contributor out of Houston's backfield. He carried the ball eight times for 25 yards (3.1 average), though nearly half of that output came on a 12-yard gain, his longest run of the day in Tennessee. With Steve Slaton struggling, the Texans are ranked last in the NFL in rushing yards per game (50.5). That could create more opportunities for Brown.

Naperville North receives spotlight treatment this week in the Chicago Sun-Times. It includes an essay submitted by North defensive coordinator Sean Drendel, a 1990 graduate. It's worth reading. Drendel writes in part:

Football coach Larry McKeon, my mentor, brought in weight lifting. We never lifted before that. If you aren't playing another sport, he said, you better be lifting. I didn't enjoy lifting. So I played other sports.

But coaches such as McKeon, Carl Hunckler, Paul Ryan and Tom Vargos taught us that hard work pays off, that if you put time and effort in, there will be value in it, as an athlete and a person. Character counts, too. And everyone on the team matters. There are no cuts at Naperville North.