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All-Star Effort
Sept. 1, 2009
By Larry Watts Mark Ison's name doesn't appear on the depth chart for the Northwestern University football team. In three seasons he has yet to see the field for the Wildcats. And chances are the senior from Powell, Ohio won't even dress for this Saturday's season opener with Towson. But for the past two years running, the walk-on wide receiver has been the most valuable player in the Wildcat Games. "I was looking to add something to our offseason training after we went 6-6 (in 2007)," head coach Pat Fitzgerald says of the team-bonding competition. "I'm no genius, so I looked at what some of the other programs were doing, such as Mark Mangino at Kansas. I was looking for something to develop more interaction from coach to player, player to coach and player to player." Emphasizing accountability, communication and trust, the Wildcat Games were born. The 10 members of the team's leadership council got together and held a draft, forming teams of eight to nine players each. Not only would teams compete in conditioning, weightlifting and various games, such as bowling, but they were also awarded points for attending other Wildcat varsity events, grade point average and community service. And points were also deducted for missing any football event, missing class, not being properly dressed, discipline issues or academic deficiencies. Although Ison has yet to appear in a Northwestern football game, he is a proven all-star when it comes to community service. He scored over 800 points in that category to carry Eric Peterman's team to victory in 2008. But even with that significant contribution, he was passed over by two teams in this year's draft and went to senior defensive tackle Corbin Bryant with the third pick. All Ison did this time was score over 1,000 points, singlehandedly defeating five teams, and carry Bryant's squad to a record victory, more than 400 points better than the runner-up squad. "I couldn't believe he fell right into my hands with the third pick," Bryant says. "Those guys ahead of me just weren't thinking. My game plan was to go for community service first. Once I had Mark, I went for weightlifting with (defensive end) Vince Browne, (offensive tackle) Al Netter and (running back) Scott Concannon. Then I looked at speed with (cornerback) Demetrius Dugar and Concannon. We were locked up with Brad Phillips' team at around 500 points, but once Ison turned in his points, it was all over."
"Community service is just something I enjoy getting into," says Ison. "I found a lot of interesting things around Evanston. I don't like having free time or sitting around, so I try to keep myself busy. Helping others is a great way to stay busy and have fun at the same time." While taking a class at the engineering school during his freshman year, Ison and some of his classmates paid a visit to the North Center for Handicapped Children on Chicago's north side. The staff advised the Northwestern students that they were in need of adjustable ramps to help the wheelchair-bound youngsters when they were bowling. "We wound up making these ramps so the students could roll their wheelchairs up close enough," Ison says. "Then a staff member would pick up the ball and it would be up to the student to adjust its position on the ramp." Through his involvement in Northwestern University to Benefit Special Olympics, Ison really found his calling. During the past couple of years, he has become heavily involved with the New Trier Graduate Special Olympics team, which does most of its training just a few miles north of Evanston. "Through the Northwestern University to Benefit Special Olympics, we find a lot of coaching sites where we can get volunteers from Northwestern to go out and coach other people on Special Olympics teams," he says. "I went out to New Trier and just fell in love with it and the athletes there. About once a week, they would have bocce ball practice, field hockey practice or a big track meet. It was like one big family." This past spring, Ison received his coaching certification for Special Olympics. He also helped out in the regional meet at Evanston Township High School, where the athletes competed to qualify for the Special Olympics state meet. And even with his involvement with Special Olympics, Ison still has time to visit once a week with the elderly at Mather Pavilion in Evanston. "I'll go out there and help with some of their exercises or just to listen to some of their stories. They have some great stories." he says. "One guy had season tickets to the Bears for 50 years. He also really loves the Cubs and any day the Cubs win is a great day. "We don't talk about Northwestern football very much. Some of the residents like to hear how the team is doing, but they mostly like the idea of just having someone to talk to." A computer science major, Ison will be completing his degree in December. He still has one more year of eligibility remaining because his freshman year can be counted as a redshirt, but the odds are he will be joining the working class. The start to his 2009 season is a slow one because he is still recovering from spring surgery to repair a micro fracture in his right knee. "I have a couple of great opportunities out west," he says. "I've taken all the pre-med courses, but I don't think I want to go to med school. I think I would rather make medical equipment and help out people who don't have all the advantages that we have as football players." |
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