November 26, 2011 at 8:05 a.m.
End of a journey for Schmidt, family
Northwestern RB and RHS grad plays final home game Saturday
End of a journey for Schmidt, family
It could mark the end of an exhilarating five-year journey for Schmidt and his family as he went from a Rhinelander High School senior, to a Northwestern walk-on, to starting tailback for the 'Cats.
Jacob and his family told the River News this week that they have already contemplated what the scene will be like on Saturday.
"It's going to be a whirlwind of a day, to play my last game here at Ryan Field, my last Big Ten game," Jacob Schmidt said. "It's gone fast. It seems like yesterday I was sitting in Jim Moore's locker room in Rhinelander, playing Antigo for the bell. It will be a fun day, a day with friends and family and hope- fully we can go out with a win."
Jacob's parents, Ken and Kerri, will be on the field
"I'm going to look back on it and be really grateful for what we had. It's a great group of guys, a group that I will be friends with for my whole life." After being one of the Wisconsin Valley Conference's top rushers in 2005 and 2006, Schmidt chose to go to Northwestern as a preferred walk on. He was redshirted in 2007, but made an impact during practice, twice being named a practice player of the week. He made his way onto the field in 2008, but mainly as a special teams contributor. It would have been easy to quit, or transfer to a different school to earn more playing time, but Schmidt was in Evanston with som thing to prove.
"Personally, it was coming in with that attitude and a chip on my shoulder to prove that I could compete, earn a role and contribute at this level," Schmidt said.
That hard work was rewarded in 2009 as Schmidt made his way into the rotation of running backs, rushing for 217 yards and a score. He was also rewarded with a full scholarship that September.
"Sitting in Coach Fitz's office and earning a full scholarship, definitely reaffirmed why I was here and why I made this decision five years ago to walk on," Jacob said. "I met a bunch of my goals that morning when he said that I was on full scholarship. That was huge for me and my family."
2010 led to an increased roll in the offense, but with it adversity. Carrying near the goal line at Michigan State, Schmidt's ankle was injured. While he would return to play in the team's bowl game, the ankle required offseason surgery and put his spot on the depth chart in doubt.
"It was a difficult offseason," he said. "To miss five games last year and then to get surgery in early January, it was definitely a downer. I was disappointed that my season ended that way, but injuries are a part of football. I had to work hard every day for three, four months to get back and get back to 100 percent. I give a lot of credit to our athletic training staff. They did a great job getting me healthy. Once the summer hit, I was back 100 percent ready to go."
Schmidt was ready to go, but was battling for playing time with red-shirt sophomore Mike Trumpy, freshman Treyvon Green and oth- ers. But after Trumpy went down in the Illinois game with a torn ACL, Schmidt secured the role as the team's lead running back.
He scored the go-ahead touchdown to put the Wildcats ahead of the then-ranked Illini with just over a minute to play. Though Illinois came back to win that game, it helped to get Schmidt's season going. A week later, he had over 100 all-purpose yards against Michigan. Three weeks later, he posted a career-high 110 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Indi- ana. He added another score in the upset at Nebraska and found the end zone again in last week's win against Minnesota. Schmidt enters Saturday's regular sea- son finale with 426 yards rushing, another 190 yards receiving and six touchdowns for the year.
"Personally, I've had a good year so far," Schmidt said humbly. "Being the starting run- ning back, that's a role I aspired to have and I worked my butt off in the offseason to get healthy again and put myself in a spot to earn that role. I did that coming out of camp and I think that I've played well enough to maintain it too."
A family along for the ride
One thing is for certain, Jacob Schmidt has not gone through this journey alone. His parents, his older brother Adam, his younger brothers Jordan and Nathan and several other relatives were with him every step of the way.
Ken and Kerri Schmidt have been to almost every game Jacob has played.
"It's kind of cool to see what Jacob has accomplished," said Ken Schmidt. "Now we can finally sit back and say, 'Gee, he really did some good things and really contributed.' You don't always think about that as your going along. It's been a really good five years. It's a satisfaction, a feeling of accomplishment for what he has done."
Before each Northwestern home game, the player's parents tailgate in their own reserved area on the west lot of Ryan Field. Through those tailgates, watching games and other events, the Schmidt's have made lifelong friends with oth- ers connected to the team.
"We met so many wonder wonderful people along the way through this experience. All of his teammates, especially his classmates' parents are our friends. We're already trying to find way that we can stay connected," said Kerri Schmidt.
Added Ken Schmidt, "The neat thing about the experience so far is
how we've gotten to meet the coaches. It's really cool that they know you by name and they talk to you all the time. They pull you out of a crowd at a bowl game and just talk to you. They're so really approachable and I think that's the really neat thing about that group."
As for being the sibling of a Big Ten running back, "It's even more ridiculous when I wake up on a Saturday morning and I'm not at his game, I turn on the TV and they're announcing his name on ESPN or something like that," said Jordan Schmidt, who attends UW-Madison with younger brother Nathan. "I'm going to miss telling people in Madison that my brother is a Big Ten running back for a rival of ours."
"Just hanging out with Jacob after the game, I've become friends with some of the players. These All-Big Ten players, we get to hang out with them. They might play in the NFL some day. We can say we hung out with them."
The Schmidt's named several locations and campuses that they have visited and enjoyed while watching Jacob play, including San Antonio (Alamo Bowl), Tampa (Outback Bowl), Boston College, Army, Iowa and Nebraska.
Jacob Schmidt said that the support of his family, his longtime girlfriend, Hallie Kreitlow, and his friends in Rhinelander is something he will always cherish.
"Their support has been unparalleled," he said. "I wouldn't be where I'm at today without the support of my parents, my brothers and Hallie. It's always fun when they can come to the games and show their support. On top of that, it seems like we've got 15-20 tickets each week for friends from Rhinelander or different
relatives that want to come down and watch a game. It means a lot to me to see that support."
In fact family played a big role in the fondest memory of his collegiate career.
Touchdown for grandpa Lloyd
Jacob Schmidt lists a lot of fond memories - beating Wisconsin in 2009, playing with guys who went on the the next level, earning a fullride at Northwestern. But the moment still means the most was his first career touchdown against Towson and the significance of the occa- sion.
The score was for his grandfather, Lloyd Kloehn. Schmidt explained that he had a close relationship with Grandpa Lloyd.
"He was always the biggest supporter of me," Schmidt said. "Ever since high school, we'd talk during the week and he'd say, 'When are you going to score me a touchdown?' And I said, 'Grandpa, I'm on special teams, how am I going to score a touchdown?' He kept wanting one and I promised I'd get him one."
Despite playing almost exclusively on special teams, Schmidt almost fulfilled that promise in 2008 against Southern Illinois. Schmidt blocked a punt deep in SIU territory, but couldn't stay on his feet and fell on the ball at the 5-yard line.
"(He) could have scooped and scored it," Jordan Schmidt said. "He didn't. He just fell on it. I remember telling my dad, 'I wish he would have gotten that (touch- down), because I don't know if he's going to get another chance.'"
It turned out to be Jacob's best chance to score one while his grandfather was still alive. Kloehn passed away in January 2009. But Schmidt made up for it in the first game after his passing. In the first quarter against Towson, Schmidt plunged into the end zone from two yards out, finally fulfilling his promise.
"Unfortunately he wasn't able to see it in person, but to get in that end zone on my first carry of that season and the team's first touchdown, it really meant a lot. I know he was watching from above," Schmidt said.
The scene was even more emotional for Ja- cob's parents in the stands.
"It was emotional, because it was for my dad," Kerri Schmidt said, who still gets emotional about that moment. "The
funny thing about it, he get's this touchdown because he promised grandpa a touchdown. We are in the stands cry- ing and people around us are going, 'What's wrong with these people?' They have no clue. I said, 'I don't care if he ever gets another touchdown again. He just got the most important one.'"
A life without football
When the final whistle blows on the 2011 season for the Northwestern Wildcats, Jacob Schmidt's football career will be over. Schmidt said he has no intentions on playing professionally and that coaching is not necessarily on his radar.
"I am more than con- tent and ready to hang my cleats up for good," he said. "Since I was a young kid, I've had aspirations to play in the pros just like everyone else, but at a point you've got to be real with yourself and really put everything in per- spective. I'm more than ready to hang it up. My body needs a rest and fortunately, I'm ready to pursue other things."
Schmidt's success in the classroom has put him on track for his life after football. He completed his undergraduate degree in human devel- opment and psychological services last spring and is excelling with his studies. Earlier this month, Schmidt was one of four Wildcats named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team. Schmidt earned that award by being a key performer on the field and carrying above a 3.30 grade point average. With the honor, Schmidt is on the ballot for the academic All-America team.
Schmidt is currently enrolled in graduate school at Northwestern, pursuing a master's de- gree in higher education administration.
"I'd rather be on the administrative side (as opposed to coaching), work in a university ath- letic department and work my way up," Jacob said. "You've got to have goals and my 30-year goal is to be an athletic director at a large university."
It is a goal his mother thinks is well within his grasp.
"He's very focused on his vision for the future. He is very goal-oriented and is very connected," Kerri said.
As for his parents, even though they plan to attend Northwestern games on occasion in the future, a life without football will be a culture shock.
"We don't know how it's going to feel," Kerri added. "I think we'll have a true feeling of empty nest, no football. It is going to be different."
A November to remem- ber
A five-game losing streak had Northwestern at 2-5 earlier this season and facing the distinct possibility of a losing record for the first time since 2006. The team has turned it around, with the motto a "November to Remember" as its battle cry. It started in Octo- ber with the 'Cats 59-38 rout at Indiana, continued the next week with the 28-25 upset at then No. 9 Nebraska. A 28-6 non-conference win over Rice and a 28-13 win over Minnesota have put Northwestern in position to go bowling once again.
Schmidt's class has achieved some lofty success at Northwestern, a university much more renown for its academics than its football program. The class has been a part of 36 wins, the most in school history, and is the only class to earn bowl eligibility five consecutive seasons.
"To be a part of this class means a lot," Schmidt said. "I'm going to look back on it and be really grateful for what we had. It's a great group of guys, a group that I will be friends with for my whole life."
Even though the 'Cats are bowl eligible, there is still a lot riding on Satur- day's game with Michi- gan State. Currently nine Big Ten teams are bowl eligible, Purdue would become the tenth team with a win over Indiana on Saturday. Ohio State said this week that it will accept a bowl invitation, despite an ongoing NCAA investigation for a scandal that cost former coach Jim Tressel his job.
With so many Big Ten teams vying for bowl bids, and the likely possibility that only the Big Ten champ will earn a trip to a BCS bowl, a 7-5 record would look a lot more attractive to bowl selection committees than a 6-6 mark.
"When it comes down to game time, we've got to be ready to go because we have a great Michigan State team coming in," he said. "They've already locked up our division. So we want to do our best to knock them off and, again, guarantee us a spot in the postseason."
A spot in the postseason that would prolong what has been a incredi- ble journey for the Schmidt family.
Comments:
You must login to comment.