Families full of QBs

All four of Brian and Lorene Coffey's boys - Jordan, Jesse, Micah and Canaan - resemble one another in some way.

They all have dark hair, tan skin and a love for sports.

But their similarities extend a little deeper than that.

All four, ages 11 to 18, are quarterbacks for their respective teams in Batavia. Jordan leads the varsity, Jesse is the starter for the sophomore team, Micah is on the seventh grade team and Canaan plays for the fifth grade team.

All of them are also pitchers on their respective baseball teams as well. That's a whole lot of throwing, but it's what the boys know and love to do.

"It's crazy," Jesse Coffey said. "We just sort of followed in each others' footsteps. We always had the ideas of us being leaders on the team."

Another local family understands exactly what the Coffeys are talking about. Aurora Christian's Doug and Michelle Roberts have three sons, 17-year-old senior Jordan, 14-year-old Grayson, a freshman, and Noah, a 12-year-old seventh grader (They also have a 9-year-old daughter, Natalie).

Jordan, a quarterback is the star of the varsity team (as well as the IHSA's record holder for touchdown passes in a career), Grayson is the sophomore team's QB and Noah has quarterback potential, but is on the fence deciding whether or not he prefers to pass or play a different position (he's thinking maybe wide receiver).

"We tried soccer and baseball, but none of the boys liked it," said Michelle Roberts. "Jordan didn't start playing football until seventh grade, and we saw a natural ability there."

Before Jordan and Jordan started the older brother trend, both their dads played when they were younger. Brian Coffey, who was also the oldest brother with two younger brothers, was a three-sport athlete, just like his sons (they also play basketball). He also was a quarterback.

Doug Roberts was a backup quarterback at West Aurora his freshman year before transferring to Aurora Christian. He stopped playing because at the time, the Eagles did not have an athletic program yet.

Neither set of parents has ever forced their boys to play sports. It was just something that came natural to them, whether the dads did it or not.

"It's part of their own interests," Lorene Coffey said. "Do it if you enjoy it. Certainly having an older brother follows that example."

Both Jordans are aware of the effect they have on their younger brothers in all facets of life, not just sports.

"To be honest, I don't feel any pressure to be a role model or anything because we are so close in age," Jordan Coffey said. "We are like 4 best friends. It's been fun. I know some people who don't have great relationships with their siblings, but we are really close.

"Any time we don't have anyone to hang out with, we play Ping-Pong or throw the ball around in the yard...we all like to do the same stuff. We play the same position, we talk sports. We are all getting to that age where we can play harder and be more competitive with each other."

"There's a certain burden the oldest brother has that no one understands," Brian Coffey added. "Jordan is willing to carry that burden of leadership, but the older he gets, the more he makes an effort to spend time with them and go to their games."

For Jordan Roberts, it extends even further than that. The Aurora Christian community is small but close, so everyone knows who he is, including kids. He has to be a leader.

"I try to be a role model as best as I can at school and on the football field," Jordan Roberts said. "I have these stats and stuff, so people are looking up to me whether I like it or not. I try as hard as I can to be a great role model."

It is pretty obvious the younger brothers admire their older brothers. Grayson admitted he does the same things Jordan does and called Jordan's record-setting game against Chicago Christian last Friday "really cool."

Jesse, Micah and Canaan all watched Jordan be a part of the Batavia team that beat Western Sun Conference rival Kaneland for the first time in five years last Friday.

"(I look up to Jordan) because of the leadership he shows on and off the field," Micah Coffey said. "I see him out on the field and it's just crazy because one day, I might be out there too."

If the younger brothers are worried they have to live up to their oldest brothers' success, both Jordans have had to live up to their own school's expectations when they were younger. Jordan Coffey's moment came in the Class 6A state championship game against Normal Community in 2006, when he was a sophomore. Senior quarterback Alex Schroeder fell to injury and Coffey had to fill in the rest of the game with limited varsity experience.

When Jordan Roberts was a freshman on varsity, he was replacing Nate Peterson, a quarterback at Aurora Christian who set all sorts of school records and became a legend for the Eagles.

"That was a tough bill for him to fill," said Aurora Christian coach and former NFL player Don Beebe, who understands what it's like to have to be a role model to a pair of younger brothers. "But Jordan is a rare species. A lot of that was his work ethic and how he had to be counted on as a freshman."

Both sets of parents have spent their fair share of time at their respective schools in the stands, cheering for their boys. It looks like this is not going to end any time soon. The Coffeys did the math and came up with 11 years.

"We already counted it out," Jordan Coffey said. "I'll be talking to someone and they will say, 'Oh, you have a brother?' I say, 'Yeah, three of them.' You'll be seeing my parents for 11 years, and that's fun."

"Not everyone gets to experience what we experience," Brian Coffey added. "It's fun, it's a blast and we want to keep it that way."

"If I didn't enjoy sports, I'd be a miserable mom," added Lorene Coffey, the only female in the house (besides the family's chocolate lab, Mocha). "I really couldn't be prouder."