Wait a minute! According to Fuessel's dad, that picture was actually taken during the first quarter of the Carmel game in Week One, when the Griffins were down by three points. Apparently, the 6' 3", 190-pound senior was just trying to keep things loose on the sidelines. It must have worked, though, because his team ended up winning the opener, 31-6.
(That's number 73, right tackle Nick "Coco" Cocorikis in the lower left-hand corner. He'd forgotten his false tooth that night and Fuessel was trying to make him smile. It obviously entertained the rest of the bench.)
So how does Fuessel's coach, Rob Zvonar, feel about such Tom-foolery on the sidelines? He's okay with it and just likes the way Fuessel plays football like "a little kid in a pick-up game at the park." (And who wouldn't, with Fuessel rushing for 495 yards so far this year -- 11.5 yards per carry -- eight touchdowns and two more passing?)
If Fuessel looked this happy when his team was losing, what did he do after the Griffins upended Bolingbrook last week, go to some wild party with friends? Celebrate with his teammates somewhere? Hardly. He went home and played hide-and-seek with his eight-year-old cousin, Ashley, who has Down syndrome. Turns out Tommy comes from a close-knit family; he's sandwiched between two sisters, Leah, who's on a tennis scholarship at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, and Kiara, a volleyball player at East. And when Fuessel roams the halls at school, it's not unusual for him to bump into one of his five cousins there, including his backup at quarterback, Brett.
Are they all athletes? I'm not sure, but Tommy also plays right field for the Lincoln-Way East baseball team. And last summer, he was the highest scoring quarterback at the national Nike Football SPARQ Combine and ran back-to-back 4.34 forty-yard dashes at the University of Illinois camp. Wow!
According to his dad, though, Fuessel may want to stick to baseball and football, because last summer he had a bit of a mishap when trying his hand at golf. His great uncle wanted to see how far Tommy could drive a golf ball, and, after teeing it up for him, Fuessel hit it clear across a nearby lake. The only problem was, the club head ended up going in the lake. (Tommy still owes his uncle a new driver.)
But "T," as he is known around the house, isn't just a dumb jock. He's a conscientious student who's looking forward to attending Northern Illinois University next year. He's also a Lionel train enthusiast and a bit of a guitarist, too. In fact, Tommy played for his mother's 40th birthday party recently. While he's more partial to Country music (the Zac Brown Band is one of his favorites), Tommy has also been known to listen to rappers, such as Lil Wayne, on his iPhone.
And when Fuessel isn't hanging out with his family in South Haven, Michigan (where he likes to run on the beach with his Golden Retriever Maggie May), he helps out with the Mokena Burros Youth Football League. Although he plans on studying accounting next year at Northern, Tommy may decide on a career in coaching after all. With his attitude toward the game, he'd probably make a great one.
Hey Coach Zvonar, need another assistant in a few years?
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P.S. Want to know more about your favorite Illinois high school football player? Drop me a note at the e-mail address in the top right corner of this blog.
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