Head over heels for winning

Joe McLain said it was the craziest game he's ever been involved in.

So he capped it with a somersault into the end zone as he scored the final touchdown in Chadron State's 76-73 triple-overtime playoff victory over Abilene Christian in his junior year as the Eagles' quarterback.

“It was nuts,'' McLain said. “I did it on purpose. I just felt like it.''

But how would Joe McLain, rookie football coach, react if one of his players did that this fall during a game?

“I'd give them some props,'' he said. “I wouldn't do it unless I was in a situation like that. There were no plays after that. It couldn't hurt.''

McLain will enter a new phase of his life this fall when he starts student teaching at a high school in Douglas, Wyo. He'll also be the quarterbacks coach before he graduates from college in December with a degree in math education. Jay Rhoades, McLain's coach at Chadron High, is now at Douglas.

McLain will be able to give his quarterbacks plenty of advice about winning. While the quarterback for Chadron High and Chadron State, his teams piled up a 54-8 record.

Chadron State's 38-4 record in college is one reason McLain is The World-Herald's Midlands college male athlete of the year. Schools sent in nominations, and the winners were decided by a committee of World-Herald staff members.

McLain was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference offensive player of the year last fall and the all-academic player of the year. He was a regional finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy and was named the team's most valuable player.

Chadron State coach Bill O'Boyle says McLain has been just as important to the program as running back Danny Woodhead, who won two Harlon Hill Trophies and set the national college rushing record before landing with the New York Jets.

McLain was “the guy that made things go. Especially in our offense,” O'Boyle said. “He was responsible for about 75 percent of the calls and what we were doing. I can't say enough about what he's done for this program.''

McLain threw for 70 career touchdowns and finished fourth in school history with 8,011 total yards. Last fall he completed almost 64 percent of his 374 passes for 2,707 yards and 28 touchdowns in leading the Eagles to their third undefeated league record and RMAC title.

Although he didn't win a national championship, McLain said he couldn't be happier with his college career.

Highlights, besides the Abilene thriller, include upsetting Montana State a week after the Bobcats beat Colorado during his sophomore year and then beating the University of Nebraska at Kearney on TV when he was a junior.

O'Boyle said he remembers McLain's somersault. Abilene had been keying on Woodhead, so the Eagles ran a quarterback draw, leaving McLain to tumble through a wide-open hole.

“We just laughed about it, really,'' O'Boyle said.

But he said knowing McLain, he'd probably get on any player who did the same this fall.

Although McLain has coached the Legion baseball team in Chadron for the past few years and also coached some basketball, the Wyoming high school job will be his first opportunity in football.

“I'm not scared. I'm excited,'' he said. “I think I've learned a lot the last four years, just being under our coaches and being around the game. I'm looking forward to it.''

McLain says he'll try to take the best of each of his coaches with him. He admits, though, that he yells a lot while coaching baseball.

O'Boyle said that just shows the McLain fire to win.

“He's not a real vocal guy, but he's very intense,'' O'Boyle said. “He just had that intangible. He wasn't going to be beat. That's what made him a great kid.

“He's going to be a great coach. He's going to be a huge asset to anybody that gets him.''

Contact the writer:

444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com

Finalists

• Troy Pribnow, football, Wayne State: Helped the Wildcats go 9-3 and earn the school's first NCAA playoff berth and the NSIC South Division title. Led the conference in sacks, tackles for loss, fumbles forced and fumbles recovered and finished second in Division II in sacks per game at 1.17 (14) and tied for seventh nationally in tackles for loss with 22. He received first-team All-NSIC honors and numerous Division II All-America honors.

• Todd Meneely, wrestling, UNO: Won his third straight NCAA Division II wrestling title, going undefeated in the process. Named the Division II wrestler of the year.

• Seth Styskal, football, Doane College: First-team All-GPAC and first-team All-American. Led all GPAC defensive linemen in tackles as a junior and senior, recording 60.5 stops. Led the GPAC in QB sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (18). Had a tackle for loss in every game. Set school record for single-season sacks with 11.5.

• Michael Saalfeld, track, Concordia: Repeated as GPAC indoor and outdoor champion in the 800. Set indoor GPAC record in 800 and 3,200 relay. Third indoors in nationals and fourth outdoors in the 800. Holds Concordia's 800 records indoors (1:50.05) and outdoors (1:49.11).

• Ryan Sheldon, baseball, University of Nebraska at Kearney: Repeated as RMAC pitcher of the year. First-team All-RMAC and first-team All-Central Region. Set school records for wins (9) and strikeouts (105) in a season. Tied his own school record for innings in a season (102). Pitching for the professional Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association.

• Ryan Tuzon, wrestling, Dana College: GPAC wrestler of the year, a GPAC champion and runner-up at the regional tournament. Advanced to national quarterfinals at 165 pounds. Finished 25-10.