Eastern Illinois tight end Joe McNab got his first collegiate catch and touchdown in Saturday’s 31-7 win against Tennessee State in OVC-Big South play. TSU safety Dominique Dixon (13) defends on the play. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
CHARLESTON – It took 28 collegiate games for Eastern Illinois tight end Joe McNab to catch his first pass. But, sheer numbers don’t come close to telling his tale.
Though one might not know it looking at the 6-foot-6, 260-pound redshirt senior, McNab faced a steep challenge. He battled Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. It can cause weakness, numbness or paralysis, according to MayoClinic.org.
One of the most well-known cases involved Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2018. The condition caused him to lose strength and motor skills, forcing him to miss that season.
Though the University of Wisconsin product returned for the 2019 season, Frederick retired in 2020, stating he could no longer perform at his highest level.
Eastern Illinois head coach Chris Wilkerson said he had never heard of Guillain-Barre until he was hired to lead his alma mater in January 2022.
“When I got here I was told of Joe’s very rare disease. I was told that there was a slim-to-none chance that he would ever play football again,” Wilkerson said, “but I was also told that he was a great kid.”
Once they met, McNab assured Wilkerson that he wasn’t giving up on his dream of playing Division I football.
“From the day that I got a chance to get to know him, he said, ‘Coach, I’m going to be fine. I’m going to play football,’” Wilkerson said. “He worked his way back, got cleared to play.”
McNab, who was recruited by former EIU head coach Adam Cushing’s staff, actually made his collegiate debut as an offensive lineman in the last game of the 2022 season. With Eastern decimated by injuries, McNab played tackle against nationally ranked UT Martin.
Though he has played in all 22 games the past two seasons, the Madison Heights, Mich., native played mostly special teams and blocking tight end.
“He has paid his dues and continued to improve. Again, this is a guy who didn’t have to stay with this, but he did. He’s dedicated to EIU and our football program,” Wilkerson said.
The McNab grab
McNab’s time to shine came in Saturday’s 31-7 win against Tennessee State at O’Brien Field.
On a 2nd-and-1 from the Tennessee State 1-yard line, quarterback Connor Wolf’s pass found McNab in the end zone.
“The play wasn’t designed for me, I was just a backup guy in the end zone,” McNab said. “I kind of blacked out a little bit. My coach always says, ‘Hunt the ball, so that’s what I did and grabbed it.’ I had strong hands and brought it down.”
Wolf said, “He was the big body over the middle open. He went up and got it, a great catch by him. Nobody works harder than him. It’s so awesome that his first catch was a touchdown.”
The reception came with 26 seconds left before halftime and boosted EIU to a 17-0 lead.
Wilkerson’s postgame reaction to McNab’s catch included a huge smile.
“Big time! I couldn’t be happier for him,” Wilkerson said. “He’s the biggest guy in the room. He’s the nicest guy in the room. I’m very happy for Joey Mac.”
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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