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Monmouth's quarterback may be superhuman

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - Central Illinois knows Alex Tanney as the former Lexington High School star quarterback who has rewritten the Monmouth College record book. The rest of the world - literally - knows him as the guy in the YouTube video.

Titled "Alex Tanney Trick Shot Quarterback," the five-minute video shows Tanney throwing a football with remarkable accuracy, both on Monmouth's football field and in its indoor athletic facility.

It is impressive, entertaining. But is it superhuman?

We'll find out, courtesy of the History cable channel.

A crew from "Stan Lee's Superhumans," which airs on the History Channel, was at Monmouth recently filming Tanney attempting trick shots created by the show's producers.

"We didn't replicate any of the shots that were in the video," Tanney said. "They were trying to prove or disprove that I was quote-unquote superhuman with the accuracy. They came up with some pretty creative stuff."

A biomechanical engineer also was brought in to test Tanney, using sensors to collect and analyze data from his throwing motion.

How did he do?

Mum's the word.

Tanney will be featured in the upcoming season of "Stan Lee's Superhumans," which travels the world searching for people with extraordinary abilities. The YouTube video brought the British-based crew to Monmouth.

History has yet to release the air date for Tanney's episode. The show's first season ran weekly last year from Aug. 5 through Sept. 30.

Tanney's favorite shot from the YouTube video had him throwing a football from a seated position in the Monmouth weight room through a door and into a trash can on the adjacent track below.

"I think I have a new favorite after we shot the superhuman show, but I can't say what it is," he said. "People will just have to wait I guess."

The 23-year-old Tanney never envisioned any of this when he and some friends shot the video earlier this year. They posted it on YouTube on Sunday night, Feb. 20, and the next day it was on ESPN.

It led to Tanney being interviewed by ESPN, WGN in Chicago and numerous East Coast media outlets. Overnight, a quarterback from a tiny Division III school became a hot commodity.

"I even did a couple in Japan and on the late show in Israel on Skype," Tanney said. "I got Facebook messages from all over the place. Argentina, Chile. It's pretty crazy."

As of recently, the video had received 969,078 views. Though unintended, Tanney and his buddies have given Monmouth, its facilities and Division III football tremendous exposure.

"We didn't expect it to take off like it has," he said. "We were just messing around."

Tanney dabbled with trick shots in high school, sometimes throwing a football through the basketball hoops in the Lexington gym. In the summer, he occasionally would be on the football field and see how far he could throw and hit the goal posts.

He used both skills in the video, sinking long-range shots in the gym and plunking the uprights and crossbar on the football field from 50, 60 yards out.

It helps that Tanney is adept at hitting receivers as well. The Division III all-American holds most of Monmouth's passing records and enters his final season with 10,382 yards and 119 touchdowns.

He was injured in the second game last year - a torn AC joint in his right (throwing) shoulder - and missed the rest of the season. He applied for and received a medical hardship from the NCAA, enabling him to return this year.

Tanney shot the video a few months after his shoulder was repaired and rehabbed.

"It's quite a bit stronger than it was before," he said.

Dare say, superhuman?