The No. 27 player on our list remains one of the all-time greatest tacklers this area has ever produced and now is one of the top coaches ever to come out of the NIC-10.
Brock Spack was a two-time All-Big Nine linebacker for the East E-Rabs in 1978 and 1979 who also blasted open holes as a fullback. The 1978 E-Rabs tied for the conference title with Freeport, but his 1979 team fell to 4-5. Despite the so-so record as a senior, Spack was picked for several all-state teams.
His nose for the football and speed made Spack one of the top recruits in the conference in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His final two choices were Colorado, where former E-Rab Stuart Walker had starred, and Purdue, where former East star Russell Pope had played.
Spack picked Purdue because it was closer to home and it offered him a chance to play right away. He made an impact immediately. He was in the linebacker rotation all season in 1980, getting in on 38 tackles and breaking up one pass as the Boilermakers went 9-3 and won the Liberty Bowl.
Spack moved into the starting lineup in 1981 and showed NFL potential. He was in on 131 tackles, including eight for loss. He was voted first-team All-Big Ten and honorable mention All-America.
Unfortunately, that would be the pinnacle of his career. Before his junior season, Spack injured a foot water skiing and required surgery. It didn't cost him any games - Spack was in on 129 tackles as a junior and 88 as a senior - but it cost him explosiveness. He was never quite the same player.
Still, he ended up with 384 career tackles, which is the second-most ever in NCAA Division I college football by a NIC-10 player since 1980. It also remains fifth all-time on Purdue's list.
The Dallas Cowboys signed Spack to a free agent contract in 1984. Spack lasted a month with the Cowboys. He was released before playing preseason after Dallas chose to keep a fourth-round pick from Boston College.
In 1984, the USFL was an option and he was contacted by the San Antonio Gunslingers. Spack turned it down and retired - and decided to remain in football forever. He took a job as a Purdue graduate assistant coach. The led to an assistant coaching job at Wabash College in 1986 and then Eastern Illinois from 1987 to 1990. In 1991, Purdue brought him back as coach of its defensive backs from 1991 to 1994. In 1995 and 1996, he stepped up to defensive coordinator for Wyoming. That earned him a third job at Purdue as he served as Boilermakers defensive coordinator from 1997 to 2008 under coach Joe Tiller.
When Tiller left after 2008, Spack left as well, finally getting a head coaching job at Illinois State University where he's been ever since. The Redbirds have gone 89-60 in his 13 seasons, qualifying for the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs five times. His 2014 team advanced all the way to the title game, where Illinois State lost to North Dakota State, 29-27.
Spack has maintained strong ties to the area, recruiting several NIC-10 and area starts to play for him. James Robinson, the Jacksonville Jaguars running back who graduated from Rockford Lutheran, played for Spack at Illinois State. This year's Illinois State roster included Zeke Vandenburgh and Keondre Jackson from Freeport, Julian Haynie from Guilford and Noah Hickcox from Boylan.
| No. 27 - Brock Spack, East | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Level | School | Accomplishments | Points |
| 1978 | High School | East | First Team All Conference | 2 |
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| 1979 | High School | East | First Team All Conference | 2 |
| All-State | 1 | |||
| 1980 | College | Purdue | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Bowl Game | 1 | |||
| 1981 | College | Purdue | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| All-Conference | 1 | |||
| Honorable Mention All-America | 0.5 | |||
| 1982 | College | Purdue | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| 1983 | College | Purdue | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| 1984 | NFL | Dallas | Signed as free agent | 1 |
| Total | 29.5 | |||
NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players
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