After being named Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year last fall, Illinois State middle linebacker Tye Niekamp returns for his senior season. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin. com)
By Dan Verdun
NORMAL — There are certainly plenty of hours spent together in meetings or on the football field. But, there is also a bit of private time away from the Illinois State athletic facilities for the linebacking Niekamp brothers.
Faced with the hectic schedule of the five-person family, the Niekamps – headed by ISU defensive coordinator Travis Niekamp and his wife, Tracy – carve out time when and where they can.
“It’s turned into once a week,” senior middle linebacker Tye told Prairie State Pigskin after Saturday’s annual spring game at Hancock Stadium, which ended with the Red Team edging the White, 23-20, in double overtime. “We usually go home and have a family meal. That’s been really fun.”
The ‘we’ Tye refers to includes younger brother Dexter, a redshirt sophomore outside linebacker who played a key role during last fall’s run to the FCS national championship game.
Those weekly meals also include the brothers’ high school sister, Brooke.
“It’s cool. Obviously, I see my dad every day, but it’s cool to get away from the football atmosphere and be together as a family. Football still comes up, of course, because that’s what we’re centered around,” Dexter said.
The family’s life undoubtedly is focused on football. Travis, a Stevens Point, Wis., native, played on the ISU defensive line three decades ago. Travis is beginning his ninth season as the Redbirds’ defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. He launched his coaching career as an assistant on Todd Berry’s playoff teams in the late 1990s.
Tye is coming off a junior season in which he won the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder will enter the fall as a top candidate for the Buck Buchanan Award, annually given to the best defender in FCS.
Dexter, a former three-sport standout at nearby Normal Community High School, played in all 17 ISU games last fall but really emerged in the latter half of the season. He finished with 50 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks.
Listed as the starter at the outside linebacker slot dubbed ‘Jack’ on the spring depth chart, Dexter registered 11 tackles with a sack Saturday afternoon.
“Those are my guys. They’re both beasts,” fellow linebacker Mason Kaplan said. “Obviously, Tye has been extremely productive and a leader. Dexter is coming along really well. He’s going to be very exciting to watch this fall.”
When the Sept. 5 season opener at Western Illinois kicks off, the Niekamp brothers will begin one last go-around as teammates in what currently stands as an 11-game regular-season schedule.
“It’s a lot of fun. There’s one more year, which will be really special,” Tye said. “We’re really going to enjoy this last season and win some football games.”
With spring practice over, there are upcoming final exams and summer plans.
There are also those family meals.
“It’s cool to just be around the family and have fun with them,” Dexter said. “It’s a blessing to be this close to them because some of the guys are far away (from their families) and don’t really see them very often. It’s cool to be a 10-minute drive away from dinner. It’s definitely something I wish everyone could have.”
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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