McNabb heads list of area's best NFL stars playing today
The doubters and adversity he faced at Mount Carmel helped motivate Donovan McNabb to reach the top
October 22, 2010Donovan McNabb was raised right by Sam and Wilma McNabb in south suburban Dolton. But he grew up on the South Side at Mount Carmel High School.
That's where he learned that his athletic ability didn't give him a free pass. On the contrary, it seemed to pose a challenge to him at every turn.
Mount Carmel grad Donovan McNabb ('94) heads our list of the 25 greatest Chicago-area stars playing in the NFL today.
(AP File)PHOTO GALLERY
RELATED STORIESTelander: Head injuries can't be ignored Seahawks a good bet vs. Cardinals
At Mount Carmel, he wasn't a varsity regular in football or basketball until his junior season. He was a backup to starting quarterback Mike McGrew when the Caravan won its fourth consecutive state title in 1991.
In fact, McNabb never won a state title at Mount Carmel. When he was a junior, the Caravan was upset 13-11 in the semifinals by Joliet Catholic, a team it had whipped 27-6 in its season opener.
In his senior year, Mount Carmel was upset in the second round of the playoffs, losing 9-6 to De La Salle, a team it had routed 33-0 two weeks earlier.
McNabb wasn't one of the top 16 football prospects in the Chicago area as a senior at Mount Carmel. He wasn't named to the Sun-Times' All-Area team. He wasn't heavily recruited as a quarterback. When he chose Syracuse over Nebraska, it was buried in the papers. One of the key factors in his decision was that Syracuse agreed to let him play basketball.
Less than six weeks later, McNabb concluded his athletic career at Mount Carmel in a state tournament game he probably remembers as one of his lowest moments. But I remember it as one of his finest.
In a sectional championship game at Eisenhower, Mount Carmel -- one of the favorites for the Class AA title with McNabb, Antoine Walker and Willie Jones -- was stunned by Brother Rice 69-66 on a three-pointer at the buzzer. McNabb's errant pass near midcourt led to the winning shot. It was a devastating defeat.
''I wanted the ball,'' he said afterward, taking responsibility for his role in the loss. ''I wanted to win the game for us. But things don't go your way sometimes.''
I can't say I knew then that McNabb would become a four-year starter at quarterback at Syracuse, a three-time Big East offensive player of the year, the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft and a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles who would play in five NFC Championship Games and in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. But I wasn't surprised that he did. The trials and tribulations of those four years at Mount Carmel -- with his mom and dad at home to guide him along the way -- gave him all he needed to succeed.
McNabb returns to Chicago to face the Bears on Sunday, fittingly with plenty to prove. At 33, he's -- dare I say -- past his prime and playing with a new team, the Washington Redskins. He's the 24th-ranked passer in the NFL (five touchdown passes, five interceptions, a 78.8 rating).
But win or lose Sunday, McNabb is one of Chicago's best-ever NFL players -- a group headed by Red Grange, Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke and Otto Graham -- and a candidate to become only the second quarterback from the area to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame (after Graham).
Some people think he still needs to do more to be worthy of that.
Don't put it past him.
Friday, October 22, 2010
McNabb heads list of area's best NFL stars playing today :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Football
via suntimes.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment