A throwback in many respects
Two-way Fenwick star stays committed to Western Michigan
The night before Fenwick played Bishop Lynch in Dallas a couple weeks ago, coach Gene Nudo showed his players some classic NFL films.
A highlight of the screening was a Halloween-themed feature with some clips of a certain Bears great, which didn’t go unnoticed by Friars senior Robert Spillane.
“The next night, Spillane’s trying to rip the ball out of kids’ arms like [Dick] Butkus,” Nudo said.
The Friars won that game and are now 3-0 after beating Brother Rice 28-20 on the road last Friday, with Spillane turning in another big performance. The two-way regular had 162 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, earning him Sun-Times Athlete of the Week honors.
Spillane’s film study on the Texas trip wasn’t anything new. “I love watching NFL films and NFL players,” he said. “I love how tough [Butkus] was on the field. He wasn’t afraid of anyone.”
Spillane’s family tree helps explain his interest in past football greats. He’s one of two grandsons of Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lattner — senior tight end Ryan Smith is the other — playing key roles for the 2013 Friars. Two more of Spillane’s cousins and Lattner’s grandsons, Danny and John Lattner, were his teammates last season before graduating.
Spillane is old-school in other ways as well.
He remains solid on his commitment to Western Michigan, even though some other colleges have shown interest after his hot start to the season: more than 400 yards and seven touchdowns rushing.
“I mean, I’ve always been taught that you have to live up to your word,” Spillane said. “It’s a big deal to stay committed to Western.”
“He’s a very grounded kid,” said Nudo, who noted that some schools were surprised that Spillane’s listed height and weight (62, 228 pounds) are accurate.
“Western was the first team to come forward on him,” Nudo said. “Tim McGarigle, who’s a St. Pat’s guy, is the linebackers coach. So it’s a neighborhood guy recruiting him and Robert’s a neighborhood kid.”
More evidence of Spillane’s throwback mentality was his willingness to play on both sides of the ball. The plan last year, according to Nudo, was for Pat Hart and Spillane to both play running back and linebacker. But Hart was so good on defense and Spillane so good as a runner (1,038 yards, 6.7 per carry, seven touchdowns) that they both wound up playing mostly on one side.
Now Hart has gone to USC, where he made the team as a walk-on fullback, and Spillane is pulling more double-duty. Besides his solid offensive numbers, he also has 12 tackles through three games.
The goal is to keep rolling as Catholic League White play begins this week with a Friday game against Bishop McNamara at Morton West.
“We love playing tough Catholic League football,” Spillane said. “We’ve got a schedule full of that the rest of the year.”
And maybe a few more movie nights mixed in along the way.