AL HAMNIK: Lowell football a family business

INDIANAPOLIS | The only problem with Lowell football coach Kirk Kennedy is he cares too much, something many of us fail to do in our jobs today.

We do enough to get by, then wipe our brow and take a deep breath as if just finishing a marathon on one good leg.

Kennedy is different. He gives 150 percent to the physical and moral development of his players, to raising community support, then wonders after all the equipment is turned in if he could've done more.

He'll surely do it again this winter, long after Saturday's 23-9 loss to Evansville Reitz in the Class 4A championship game at mammoth Lucas Oil Stadium.

The Red Devils' tireless commitment to excellence and self-sacrifice is what makes their football program the Region's best.

Kennedy's demand for perfection, full-blown earlier in his career, nearly cost him his life in October of the 1992 season. The former Louisville standout had gall stones he chose to ignore like any true macho man, putting his coaching duties above personal health instead.

The result was a near-fatal case of pancreatitis that landed the second-year coach in the hospital, breathing through a respirator and fighting for life.

It was the beginning of Kennedy's worst nightmare. He was hospitalized four months with tubes sticking out of every crevice, lost 60 pounds and had four major surgeries.

Lowell fans prayed like they had never prayed.

In a twisted sort of way, that was a turning point in the resurgence of Lowell football and its deeply-embedded "family" concept.

"I think that's probably fair to say," longtime offensive coordinator Jim Carlson said on Saturday. "When Kennedy came to Lowell, he made sure he drilled that family concept into everyone. When he went down, like we tell the kids, we picked it up a notch, too.

"We really got to know each other then because we spent so much time together and with his family in the hospital. You're exactly right. We became a family then."

The bout with pancreatitis is not among Kennedy's favorite topics. He still believes he let his Red Devils down, which is plain silly.

His parents never left his side and he was not allowed visitors. I covered the story at the time and would get updates from Bob Kennedy, Kirk's dad. Later in his recovery, I asked if Kirk was physically able to scribble a note to Lowell players and fans and he did, which Bob passed on and we printed in the paper.

And then something wonderful happened, just as Carlson alluded to. He was able to deflect all distractions, pull the team together and turn the season around with the help of valuable assistants Brad Stewart, Mark Reid and Dwayne Hernandez. Lowell went on to win its first sectional, shocking heavily favored Andrean in the second round and Munster in the title game.

Red Devil Pride was born. Lowell's assistants were named Coaches of the Year.

"That was pretty neat," Carlson said of the honor. "We're just like families now. We'll have little 'discussions,' solve 'em, then get back to work.

"We've never once expressed disappointment toward each other. We're always proud of each other. We always know what we've got to do for next season and we pick it up."

Lowell's current resume features seven straight sectional titles, three semistate titles the last five years, 2005 state champs, 2007 and 2009 state runners-up.

That's a pretty nice neighborhood for any family, wouldn't you say?

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at al.hamnik@nwi.com.