Walking off the field one final time

Larry McKeon circled his players, tapping their helmets and gathering himself for one final postgame speech. This was the program he built from the ground up, in his own image.

The completed blueprint left Naperville North among the state's elite -- two state championships, playoff appearances in 23 of the last 24 seasons and a .762 winning percentage.

Across 27 seasons, the Huskies head coach systemically changed North football. McKeon invested in the city's youth leagues and taught his double-wing offense to its coaches.

He was ahead of the curve in emphasizing weightlifting and developing a strength and conditioning program. He cultivated strong relationships with trusted assistants who remained on the staff for decades.

All that continuity ended Oct. 30 in Palatine, when top-seeded Fremd knocked No. 16 North out of the Class 8A state playoffs, bringing into focus the retirement McKeon recently announced.

"He's just a very strong-willed person," North junior linebacker Nick Lifka said after a 22-14 first-round loss. "He knows what he believes and he sticks with it. He's all about tradition.

"Without him, Husky football's gonna have a great loss. (It's) not gonna be the same, but we'll keep working at it."

In the eight seasons before McKeon's arrival in 1983 from Plainfield Central, the Huskies finished with a winning record only twice, according to IHSA records. They would play physical and dominate the line of scrimmage, a direct reflection of their coach.

At a postseason event last year, McKeon received gag gifts from the outgoing seniors -- a goofy headband to wear while cruising on his motorcycle, and sunscreen for whenever he went shirtless during two-a-days.

Nick Mlady, a freshman running back at Cornell University and North's all-time leading rusher, wrote in an e-mail: "At the beginning of camp each year in the summer I can picture Coach McKeon coming to practice on his Harley with his bright orange sunglasses, with the look of getting down to business and preparing for the season. It just set tempo for the year."

A Toyota Prius hybrid probably wouldn't have made the same impression. As Alex Helms, now a freshman linebacker at Concordia University (Minn.), said last year: "He's just got that air about him ... pure intimidation."

That wasn't created overnight -- neither was the family atmosphere surrounding the program -- and there's a lot of institutional memory that might be gone forever.

"He's legendary for a reason. He's one of the finest men I've been around," said North defensive coordinator Sean Drendel. "You can't replace him. You just hope someone can do a good job."

Drendel, a 1990 North graduate who played for McKeon, said he would come back if the right person gets the job. McKeon spent the majority of practice time with the quarterbacks and allowed his staff to coach the other position groups. In September, before a game against the Huskies, Glenbard North coach Ryan Wilkens remarked how it seems like every year they can plug in a new set of running backs and keep pounding away at defenses.

Last season Idris Hanidu ran 17 times for 80 yards as a junior. The 5-foot-7-inch Hanidu finished this year with 1,309 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns, emerging as a unanimous all-DuPage Valley Conference selection.

"Our system runs from freshman year to varsity," McKeon said. "These kids learn how to be running backs in the double-wing from freshman year, and some even sooner. Some of our youth-league teams -- we've talked to their coaches and they put that in their scheme. So all that helps if you're running the same thing at every level.

"They come up and they know exactly what they're supposed to be doing because they've done it (on) the freshman level. They've done it (on) the sophomore level, and it's just a matter of refining some things with them when they get to the varsity level. And of course you always add things but they come up pretty well-defined by the time that we get them, and that's really a credit to our lower-level coaches. They do a great job with that."

That was McKeon, always ready to deflect credit. After victories, the coach became almost fidgety, because he didn't like to stand in front of the microphones very long, or talk about how great his team played Oct. 30. And after more than one loss this season he didn't even break stride while walking quickly off the field answering a reporter's questions.

Those who know McKeon well swear he hasn't changed his personality in nearly three decades on the job. But he wasn't rigid, adapting his system to fit the personnel.

Several years ago, after seeing what Riverside-Brookfield was doing with its passing game, North installed the spread, to balance out the double-wing and showcase the talents of its mobile quarterbacks, none taller than 5-foot-11.

Greg Wunderlich entered the weekend with 2,043 passing yards at Division II University of Nebraska at Omaha. Aaron Fanthorpe was a Division III preseason all-American for nationally-ranked North Central College this season. And Jordan Tassio blossomed into the Chicago Sun-Times player of the year during that 2007 state championship run.

"He knew what's going to work best for those players and he brings out the best in them," Fanthorpe said.

They went on to some of the country's most prestigious college football programs, from Nebraska (McKeon's son Corey) to Notre Dame (Glenn Earl). And they played on Sundays in the NFL -- Chris Brown, Justin McCareins and Earl.

Dave Salutric, now a sophomore defensive end at Harvard, remembers McKeon coming to speak at a banquet after his Naperville Redskins youth team won a national championship in 2000.

"Every player and parent in the room really felt that they, or their son, (were) going to be the next big thing," Salutric wrote in an e-mail. "He came and humbled us.

"He had all 24 of us stand up in the room, and told half of us to sit down. 'That's how many of you will stop playing football before freshman year.' He then had another half sit down. (We're) down to six. 'That's how many will stop playing once they discover girls and get a car.'

"Then he had another half sit down. (We're at three kids). 'That's how many of you will probably start on a team in the Naperville area.' Then he had two of the three sit down and said that if you have good grades, you have an opportunity to continue at the next level. This clicked with just about everyone in the room, especially me. Coach McKeon taught us all at a young age that you use football as a means of getting a great education."

McKeon, in the interim, will still serve as a primary recruiting contact for colleges interested in North players and will help bridge the Huskies to next season. His attention to detail won't shut down immediately. But he also doesn't plan on sticking around as a part-time assistant or consultant -- he said he might be in Phoenix at this time next year.

"When we should collect gear -- that's what's going through my mind right now. There's still so much to do," McKeon said Oct. 30. "It's gonna feel normal for awhile, probably until next fall or this summer. Hey, you guys will all go through it. You all get old and retire someday and you look forward to it. But this is what I'll miss, the things that we're doing right here, right now, (being) on a football field and playing football on Friday night."

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