LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Illinois State junior linebacker Pat Meehan persevered through emotional and physical pain to earn All-Missouri Valley Football Conference second-team honors in 2013. As a result, Meehan was honored with the Mental Toughness Award, one of several awards presented at the National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter Awards Ceremony Monday evening at Halas Hall.
The National Football Foundation Chicago Metro Chapter started presenting the Mental Toughness Award in 2012, with the first two honors going to Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa and Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish. The 2013 Mental Toughness Award recipients were Northwestern offensive lineman Patrick Ward, Northern Illinois defensive lineman Nabal Jefferson and Saint Xavier wide receiver Shane Zackery.
Meehan, who is the first non-senior to be honored with the award, was nominated by ISU head coach Brock Spack. Spack, who recruited Meehan out of Lincoln-Way East High School and works directly with Meehan and the rest of the Redbird linebackers, knows how difficult of a year it was for Meehan.
"Pat had to deal with adversity at a time in his life when almost all college football players have to worry about is lifting weights, playing football, and studying," Spack said in an introduction read by Meehan's high school coach Rob Zvonar. "However, during finals last May, Pat's father, Mike, lost his battle with ALS. As devastating as that had to be, Pat kept his composure and did a great job of balancing the needs of his family, the pressure of college finals, and getting back to work preparing for a Division I college football season."
Meehan led the team with 82 total tackles and ranked fifth in the MVFC with 9.1 tackles per game during his all-conference campaign, despite missing two games due to illness. The Frankfort, Ill., native added two sacks, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and two pass breakups on the season. He also finished with four double-digit tackle performances, including a career-high 15-tackle effort in the season finale at Southern Illinois.
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