thedrifter
09-14-07, 07:14 AM
Soldier of fortune
NIU | Marine Coffman's latest adventure on Huskies' front line
September 14, 2007
BY RICK ARMSTRONG Beacon News
He's one of the few, the proud, the ... Huskies?
Yes, sir, he is.
Yes, sir, he is.
Jake Coffman's game isn't nearly as polished as his shoes or belt buckle, but it's getting better. And the 23-year-old ex-Marine who served two tours in Iraq before walking on to the Northern Illinois football team last year has worked his way into the Huskies' defensive line rotation.
Jake Coffman's game isn't nearly as polished as his shoes or belt buckle, but it's getting better. And the 23-year-old ex-Marine who served two tours in Iraq before walking on to the Northern Illinois football team last year has worked his way into the Huskies' defensive line rotation.
''We didn't know about him,'' defensive ends coach Mike Sabock said. ''He just showed up and wanted to play football. He was on the scout team and had no idea what he was doing. He'd just run around and hit people.''
Or be hit.
''I was going against [current Dallas Cowboy] Doug Free all last year,'' Coffman said. ''There were times he made me feel like a kid.''
Coffman's work ethic impressed coach Joe Novak and his staff.
''His motor runs,'' Sabock said. ''He's strong with his hands. He's got a chance to play some football in the future and contribute this year.''
NIU running back Justin Anderson calls Coffman ''Rambo.'' Other teammates ''just make fun of me for being an old man,'' Coffman said, admitting he sometimes feels like it.
''My body is hurting a lot more, but I also know how to take care of it better,'' he said. ''I know how important drinking water and Gatorade and icing are. I never used to do that when I was a kid. I could bounce right back like I was made of rubber.''
Five years removed from Forreston High School, he has seen a lot -- good and bad -- and he has grown up.
''Physically and mentally,'' he said.
The 6-3, 245-pound redshirt freshman had no tackles but was on the field for 14 plays in his college debut against Iowa. It seemed fitting that it came at sold-out Soldier Field in front of family and friends.
''It was a real thrill,'' Coffman said. ''My grandpa pointed out how cool it was to play there, especially after the field has been named for soldiers who have fought for their country.''
Now he fights for playing time. He had two assists last week against Southern Illinois.
''Hopefully, coach Sabock thinks I'm getting the hang of it a little bit,'' Coffman said. ''I was a little rusty [against Iowa]. It was my first real game in five years.''
He played in the Marine Corps, earning defensive player of the year honors on his base.
''It was full-contact but kind of an intramural thing,'' he said. ''The playbook was a one-page thing, and this one is ever-changing. Everything here is so much faster.''
In high school he played tight end and defensive end for an IHSA Class 2A playoff semifinalist at little Forreston, where he wasn't even a blip on the Huskies' recruiting radar. Several Division III programs pursued him, but Coffman didn't think he was ready for college football and already had decided his career path.
''It was kind of a childhood love affair with the military,'' he said. ''And then I found out all the benefits I could have for school [paid tuition plus a monthly stipend].''
That passion may have been inspired by an uncle who had a 28-year career in the Air Force and served in the first Gulf War, said Coffman's mother, Vicky.
She and her husband, Tim, tried but couldn't talk him out of enlisting, but they got a promise that he would return and go to school. He finished boot camp and electronics training in time to be deployed when troops were sent to Iraq in March 2003.
''I was attached to an infantry unit,'' he said. ''I didn't do the house-to-house thing or any of that, but I've gotten shot at. I've been in enough [action] to see that I didn't want to be there anymore.''
Eight months later Coffman was home on leave, only to return in February 2004 for another eight-month tour, where he saw action in Fallujah. He finally returned to the United States and finished his four-year commitment by training other Marines.
''I don't want us to be over there because we're losing too many guys,'' he said. ''I just want all the guys to come back. I know we're doing good over there. It's just such a terrible, long process.''
His experiences give him a different perspective from younger teammates.
''He understands a little bit more about life and the opportunity to be out here that some of the guys take for granted,'' Sabock said.
Sun-Times News Group
Ellie
NIU | Marine Coffman's latest adventure on Huskies' front line
September 14, 2007
BY RICK ARMSTRONG Beacon News
He's one of the few, the proud, the ... Huskies?
Yes, sir, he is.
Yes, sir, he is.
Jake Coffman's game isn't nearly as polished as his shoes or belt buckle, but it's getting better. And the 23-year-old ex-Marine who served two tours in Iraq before walking on to the Northern Illinois football team last year has worked his way into the Huskies' defensive line rotation.
Jake Coffman's game isn't nearly as polished as his shoes or belt buckle, but it's getting better. And the 23-year-old ex-Marine who served two tours in Iraq before walking on to the Northern Illinois football team last year has worked his way into the Huskies' defensive line rotation.
''We didn't know about him,'' defensive ends coach Mike Sabock said. ''He just showed up and wanted to play football. He was on the scout team and had no idea what he was doing. He'd just run around and hit people.''
Or be hit.
''I was going against [current Dallas Cowboy] Doug Free all last year,'' Coffman said. ''There were times he made me feel like a kid.''
Coffman's work ethic impressed coach Joe Novak and his staff.
''His motor runs,'' Sabock said. ''He's strong with his hands. He's got a chance to play some football in the future and contribute this year.''
NIU running back Justin Anderson calls Coffman ''Rambo.'' Other teammates ''just make fun of me for being an old man,'' Coffman said, admitting he sometimes feels like it.
''My body is hurting a lot more, but I also know how to take care of it better,'' he said. ''I know how important drinking water and Gatorade and icing are. I never used to do that when I was a kid. I could bounce right back like I was made of rubber.''
Five years removed from Forreston High School, he has seen a lot -- good and bad -- and he has grown up.
''Physically and mentally,'' he said.
The 6-3, 245-pound redshirt freshman had no tackles but was on the field for 14 plays in his college debut against Iowa. It seemed fitting that it came at sold-out Soldier Field in front of family and friends.
''It was a real thrill,'' Coffman said. ''My grandpa pointed out how cool it was to play there, especially after the field has been named for soldiers who have fought for their country.''
Now he fights for playing time. He had two assists last week against Southern Illinois.
''Hopefully, coach Sabock thinks I'm getting the hang of it a little bit,'' Coffman said. ''I was a little rusty [against Iowa]. It was my first real game in five years.''
He played in the Marine Corps, earning defensive player of the year honors on his base.
''It was full-contact but kind of an intramural thing,'' he said. ''The playbook was a one-page thing, and this one is ever-changing. Everything here is so much faster.''
In high school he played tight end and defensive end for an IHSA Class 2A playoff semifinalist at little Forreston, where he wasn't even a blip on the Huskies' recruiting radar. Several Division III programs pursued him, but Coffman didn't think he was ready for college football and already had decided his career path.
''It was kind of a childhood love affair with the military,'' he said. ''And then I found out all the benefits I could have for school [paid tuition plus a monthly stipend].''
That passion may have been inspired by an uncle who had a 28-year career in the Air Force and served in the first Gulf War, said Coffman's mother, Vicky.
She and her husband, Tim, tried but couldn't talk him out of enlisting, but they got a promise that he would return and go to school. He finished boot camp and electronics training in time to be deployed when troops were sent to Iraq in March 2003.
''I was attached to an infantry unit,'' he said. ''I didn't do the house-to-house thing or any of that, but I've gotten shot at. I've been in enough [action] to see that I didn't want to be there anymore.''
Eight months later Coffman was home on leave, only to return in February 2004 for another eight-month tour, where he saw action in Fallujah. He finally returned to the United States and finished his four-year commitment by training other Marines.
''I don't want us to be over there because we're losing too many guys,'' he said. ''I just want all the guys to come back. I know we're doing good over there. It's just such a terrible, long process.''
His experiences give him a different perspective from younger teammates.
''He understands a little bit more about life and the opportunity to be out here that some of the guys take for granted,'' Sabock said.
Sun-Times News Group
Ellie