Another Beebe's catching on

One look at Chad Beebe running pass routes and catching footballs and it's clear the apple doesn't fall far from the tree -- and it doesn't get dropped.

Beebe is the son of Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe, the six-time Super Bowl receiver and Kaneland graduate who caught 219 passes in his 9-year career in the National Football League.

Don said he's had his son catch balls of one size or another since he was about 2 years old. He started big and soft, with a beach ball, then went to a rubber ball and volleyball, and graduated to where he had Chad grabbing marble-sized spheres.

"I'm not like a fanatical dad, I was just creating games and having fun," Don Beebe said. "At the same time knowing what it would do for him athletically."

The elder Beebe eventually started Chad on training techniques like jumping rope. When he got proficient with that, he had Chad take off his socks and shoes to force him to jump and land on the balls of his feet.

Receiver-wise, Don Beebe emphasized getting out of a "cut" on a pass pattern. He brought up the example of former Seattle Seahawks great Steve Largent, a 4.72 sprinter who could get to a place faster than a much faster defensive back due to his ability to get out of a cut.

All of this has enabled Chad Beebe, a 5-foot-6, 141-pound sophomore, to catch 32 passes for 501 yards and 6 touchdowns through the first six weeks of the season.

"I've been training Chad for a long time and I've got to be honest with you -- he does very well for his age and his size in running routes," Don Beebe said.

Amazingly, Chad Beebe has had all this success despite playing with a broken left foot since the DuSable game in Week 1. Don Beebe was amazed his son could play, and cut, with the pain, but finally it was enough to have it checked out.

Sure enough, a bone on the outside of his foot was broken in half. Chad missed Friday's loss to Montini. It is not known for sure when he will return but he is expected to be back this year.