USD Football 1991

HITTING THE LITTLE Small-college football may

TIME BY MICHAEL BRADLEY Dan Reszka's childhood football dreams were always a linle crowded. Surrounding his electrifying touchdowns and game-sav- ing interceptions were 75,000 or so specta- tors, providing a loud soundtrack to his hopes. When you grow up in suburban Milwaukee. that's the way it is. Your fan- tasies have a Big IO navor. When Northern Illinois offered him a scholarship and a chance to play against Wi sconsin, Michigan State a nd even Nebraska, with their loud crowds, televi- sion cameras and foo tball traditions, Reszka grabbed it. Sometimes dreams do come true. And sometimes they don't. After red- shirting a year, Reszka saw limited action on special teams for the Huskies as a fresh- man. But the future didn't look promising. Ahead of him on the defensive backfield depth chart were other freshmen and a sophomore or two. II appeared much of Reszka's next three years would be spent as part of the soundtrack. not the action. So he transferred from the big-time down to Di vision II and North Dakota State-one of the schools that originally recruited him. They play before about 12,000 each Saturday in Fargo, and the TV crews-save the local affiliates--

not be as glamorous as I-A, but everyone agrees that it's fun and just rewarding.

In choosing the smaller, quieter North Dakota State campus, Dan Reszka found out that the gridiron action was just as loud as Division I.

Michael Bradley is a freelance writer liv- i11g in Drexel Hill, Pa.

TOUCHDOWNtLLUSTRATED