Depending on visitors and the time of day, it takes about an hour to drive from Naperville North to the Chicago Bears’ follow facility in Lake Forest.
But when James O’Shaughnessy was rising up and taking part in soccer beneath the Friday evening lights for the Huskies, that trek appeared miles and miles away.
“In high school, I had aspirations of playing in the NFL,” O’Shaughnessy stated. “But I never thought it was a realistic opportunity.”
O’Shaughnessy made his formal debut Monday with the Bears at OTAs, and he’s formally again house.
The metaphorical leap will not be misplaced on the 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight finish who was a fifth-round draft alternative in 2015 by the Kansas City Chiefs.
O’Shaughnessy, who signed a one-year take care of the Bears as a free agent, has performed 57 video games in seven NFL seasons with the Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, together with 34 begins.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play in this league for some time,” stated O’Shaughnessy, who has 112 catches for 1,108 yards and three touchdowns in his profession. “To have the chance to return house for the workforce I grew up watching is the definition of a dream.
“It’s a sentence you write in a children’s book.”
Several elements performed into O’Shaughnessy coming again house.
Ryan Boles, the Bears’ new common supervisor, was the school scouting director for Kansas City when O’Shaughnessy was drafted by the workforce.
Marmion graduate Brad Childress was a member of Andy Reid’s teaching employees throughout O’Shaughnessy’s two seasons taking part in for the Chiefs.
O’Shaughnessy attended Marmion his first two years of highschool earlier than transferring to Naperville North, the place he graduated in 2010.
“I had another visit prior to my meeting with the Bears,” he stated. “Having my hometown team show interest, as soon as I heard that, my agent jumped on the opportunity to see if we might make something happen.”
His return house illustrates a exceptional story of persistence and resilience after O’Shaughnessy acquired only one scholarship provide as a senior from Illinois State.
“He was really competitive from the get-go,” retired Naperville North basketball coach Mark Lindo stated. “I believe he may have performed school basketball.
“The fact he has stayed in the league does not surprise me because of his work ethic. He was always a goal-oriented person.”
O’Shaughnessy arrived at Naperville North in fall 2008, the 12 months after the Huskies gained the Class 8A state championship.
At that point, Sean Drendel was the defensive coordinator beneath longtime coach Larry McKeon. Drendel took over when McKeon retired.
“The whole program at North during that time had a great group of coaches,” O’Shaughnessy stated. “Had a convention of how the sport needs to be performed and the requirements they anticipated us to play at.
“When I got to Illinois State, I realized some of the things they taught really carried over like being a selfless player and doing whatever it takes to make sure your team wins.”
The triple-option offense McKeon ran at Naperville North additionally proved best in O’Shaughnessy’s progress and improvement.
“At Illinois State, when I made the transition to tight end, being asked to block was not something foreign to me or something I was unwilling to do,” he stated.
When he graduated from Illinois State in 2015, O’Shaughnessy already was 6-4 and 245.
Positionally, he was in the precise place on the proper time because the NFL started accelerating its evolution from a run-oriented sport to wide-open passing.
The tight finish turned an vital place.
“I was really fortunate to come into the league when I did,” O’Shaughnessy stated. “Especially my first workforce being Kansas City, a workforce that used so many tight ends.
“I got to see how the position has evolved. Overall, the whole league is now looking for tight ends to exploit matchups and have versatility in the offense. I lucked out in that fashion.”
Playing in a league the place the typical profession is simply 3.3 years, O’Shaughnessy has proved to be sturdy and efficient. Now 30, he is also a newlywed.
His spouse, Ava, is the sister of Green Bay Packers defensive finish Dean Lowry, who performed at Rockford Boylan and Northwestern.
Being with the Bears is a blessing, and O’Shaughnessy is able to take benefit.
“I’ve had the opportunity to play a wide tight end, a blocking tight end, a passing end,” he stated. “I used to be a special-teams participant with double-figure tackles.
“My greatest strength is my ability to do whatever is asked of me to the best of my ability.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a contract reporter for the Naperville Sun.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com