Hard Work Pays Off for Hinsdale Central Product Pace

Long snappers are a valuable commodity at any level of football. But despite their importance, they traditionally don't receive scholarships from major colleges.

John Henry Pace faced this scenario coming out of Hinsdale Central, where he had been a defensive back and long snapper for the Red Devils in 2004 and 2005.

Pace was recruited by the University of Miami and also current Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald when Fitzgerald was an assistant for the Wildcats. Both told him he could join their respective squads as a preferred walk-on, yet no scholarship was available.

Pace ended up choosing Miami, but towards the end of his freshman year, he e-mailed and phoned Fitzgerald to inquire about a change of scenery.

"I really liked coach Fitzgerald's approach to the game, and I wanted to be a part of it," Pace said. "I told him, 'I'm thinking about transferring. Any way I can be part of the team?' He said, 'John Henry, we'd love to have you on the team.' "

So Pace re-applied to Northwestern, was accepted into the school and joined the Wildcats for the start of the 2007 season. Pace didn't see a down of action that year, and appeared in only one game during the 2008 season. But through it all, Pace kept working in practice because, as Fitzgerald tells all his backups, you're one snap away from being in the lineup.

Pace served as a backup to regular long snapper Phil Brunner throughout 2007 and 2008.

"You always have to be ready," Pace said. "Every day in practice you have to work hard. Phil was a great mentor to me; he taught me how to be cool under pressure. You want to be out there, but I was never discouraged, and I knew in the future it (being the team's long snapper) was going to be my role."

Last fall, the job was his. Pace—whose older brother, Greg, also was a long snapper for Hinsdale Central and the University of Colorado—saw action in all 13 games for the 8-5 Wildcats. But two games, in particular, stand out in his mind: Beating Iowa (then ranked No. 5 in the country) at Iowa last November, and playing in the Outback Bowl vs. Auburn on New Year's Day.

"I snapped really well that game (against Iowa)," he said, "but being with the guys in a hostile field in that situation, the way we beat that team and how we did it, it was just an incredible feeling.."

Pace said taking part in the Outback Bowl, played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers), "was another unbelievable feeling."

"I was just kind of sitting there before kickoff," he said, "and I was thinking, 'I have the opportunity to play in a New Year's Day bowl game.' Actually being there and doing it, it was pretty incredible."

Something else incredible happened to Pace just before the start of the 2010 season. Fitzgerald met with Pace and told him he was one of three walk-ons who would receive a full scholarship. Granting scholarships to walk-ons is a rare occurrence at Northwestern, as only 31 players have received one in the past 12 years.

"Our walk-ons invest greatly in our program and are integral to our success," Fitzgerald said. "In addition, our coaching staff does a tremendous job of identifying non-scholarship student-athletes who can prosper within our football family."

It was a pleasant surprise for Pace, but not a total shock since Fitzgerald hinted in offseason meetings that if he kept doing his job, a scholarship could become available.

"It was surprising, and it was such a thrill," said Pace, a redshirt senior who is earning his graduate degree in mechanical engineering. "But it's never been about me getting the scholarship. It's about me playing on a Big Ten field and just doing my job, which I love to do."

Later this season, Pace and his teammates will get an opportunity to play on a field that's famous for being the home of the Chicago Cubs. The Wildcats will meet the Fighting Illini at Wrigley Field on Saturday, Nov. 21. It will be the first football game played at the Friendly Confines in nearly 40 years.

Wrigley Field used to be the home of the Chicago Bears. Interestingly, Pace's father, Greg Sr., was a placekicker for the Illini and once competed in a Punt, Pass and Kick competition during halftime of a Bears game at Wrigley Field when he was a youngster.

"I'm really excited for that game," Pace said. "It'll be a real thrill playing where the Bears played for so many years."

One of Pace's high school teammates, Jack DiNardo, also is his teammate at Northwestern. DiNardo, the 2006 West Suburban Conference Defensive Player of the Year, is a defensive lineman with the Wildcats.

"I played with him all through (Hinsdale) Falcon football, and he moved up to varsity his sophomore year," Pace said. "We've had a lot of years together. We're good teammates and we have a great friendship. It's good to have someone from the same high school (on the team), and it's been a lot of fun for both of us."