Aidan Archibald, the son of two Southern Illinois athletic greats, played in all 12 Eastern Illinois games as a redshirt freshman last season. (Photo by Sandy King, EIUPanthers.com)
By Dan Verdun
Aidan Archibald has lived a nomadic life. But, perhaps for the first time, he’s in a place that truly feels more like home.
When you move as much as Archibald has, family means everything. And family comes in a variety of forms.
“I’ve kind of lived everywhere. I’ve never lived anywhere longer than four years,” the Eastern Illinois redshirt sophomore told Prairie State Pigskin. “Growing up around coaches and being around the sports world definitely showed me the culture. Of course, there was my family, but there’s also the family that is being part of a team.”
Archibald grew up in Georgia and Texas before moving to Charleston entering his freshman year of high school in 2020. He’s been there ever since, playing prep football and baseball before joining Chris Wilkerson’s EIU Panthers as a defensive lineman.
“It meant a lot (being in the same place),” Archibald said. “My parents always said they wanted me and my brothers to go through high school at the same place. It was nice to know that we weren’t going to move and stay in the same place with the same coaches and have the same experience. It was nice not to have to learn a new program and new school.”
Saluki standouts
Archibald grew up surrounded by sports. His parents each starred at Southern Illinois University.
His father, Bryan, held the Saluki record for tackles for loss for 16 years before it was broken in 2021. Bryan, who ranks fifth in career sacks, was named to the SIU All-Century Team to commemorate 100 years of Saluki football in 2013.
“My dad has taught me a lot,” Aidan said. “One thing he always told me was that as long as you work for something, you can make it happen. But, you’ve got to be willing to sacrifice and put in the work.”
His mother, Tara, played on a Saluki softball team that won two games in the regional round of the 2003 NCAA tournament. She also excelled in the classroom as a four-time NCAA Scholar Athlete Award winner and recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award in 2003.
Following her playing days, she worked her way up the coaching ladder to become the EIU head coach for five years. Under her guidance, the Panthers won 135 games and produced the program’s first ever NCAA regional appearance after a 34-win season and the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title in 2023.
One year later, her Panthers tied the program’s Division-I record with 40 wins and won the OVC regular season title.
“My mom is probably one of the hardest workers I know,” Aidan said. “She’s working 24/7. During the spring, she’s not home much. She’s gone 100 days of the year with recruiting and coaching, but she’s also looking after me and my (two) brothers.”
Tara Archibald left EIU after the 2024 season to become the pitching coach for her father Gerry Glasco’s Texas Tech program. The Red Raiders have finished as national runners-up in the last two Women’s College World Series, held in Oklahoma City.
“He’s had an interesting career because he never thought he’d be a coach,” Aidan said of his grandfather. “I’ve spent a lot of time with him in our home. We don’t really talk about sports too much, but he just puts in the work.
“He just grinds and grinds and works; all he cares about is winning, no matter what it takes. It’s so awesome to see that in my family. They work for everything they can get.”
Inspiration from the diamond
Aidan attended the WCWS for both Texas Tech runs to the championship series.
“It’s amazing, seeing the highest level of athletes perform, no matter what the sport,” he said. “The fans are going crazy and kids are running around looking up to people. It’s a place you want to be.”
It’s proven to be a bit of an inspiration for Aidan. As a redshirt freshman last fall, he played in all 12 EIU games as a reserve defensive lineman. He recorded a season-high three tackles in a win against rival Western Illinois.
“This year, I’m going to take a big step,” he said. “I’ve been working hard. I’ve gotten a lot faster. I played a little bit heavy last year (at 265 pounds), and I’ve lost about 15 pounds and gotten some speed back.”
Aidan said he initially put on weight because he was “afraid of being pushed around.”
“Then I realized I didn’t need all that weight and I could be faster.”
Aidan’s game has also improved under the tutelage of first-year defensive line coach Casey Walker, who played at the University of Oklahoma and in the NFL.
“He’s taught me a lot,” Aidan said. “He brings a very strong presence. He pushes us really, really hard. This is some of the hardest coaching I’ve ever had, but he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had.”
Yet, Aidan also harkens back to the lessons he learned growing up with parents who were standout athletes. (Texas Tech did not respond to interview requests for Tara Archibald.)
Some of those lessons came the hard way – like when his mom, one of collegiate softball’s finest pitching coaches, offered him baseball pitching advice.
“There were a couple of times when I was younger that we’d butt heads a little bit,” Aidan said with a laugh. “She was and is a great coach. You’re young, and you don’t understand. You think you know more than you actually do. She definitely helped me a lot with my athletic career.”
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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