One of the first football players that former Neuqua Valley quarterback Mark Gronowski learned about was Chicago Bears great Walter Payton.

Gronowski was born a couple of years after Payton died in 1999 but soon heard all about him.

“As early as I can remember,” Gronowski said. “Walter Payton was my dad’s favorite player growing up. He was always talking about the ‘85 Bears.

“I just remember my dad getting me those old, kid Bears helmets and Bears jerseys and all that good stuff.”

Did Gronowski have a Payton jersey?

“My dad always had the 34 jersey, but I always had more of the current players,” he said. “I was a Brian Urlacher guy growing up.”

Now Gronowski’s a Payton guy.

On Jan. 6, Gronowski won the Walter Payton Award, given to the most outstanding offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision of Division I. One day later, he led South Dakota State to its second consecutive national championship.

Past winners of the award include quarterbacks Steve McNair, Tony Romo, Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, running backs Adrian Peterson and Brian Westbrook, and receiver Cooper Kupp.

“It’s a real honor to win an award named after a Chicago legend,” Gronowski said. “It’s really cool, especially being a kid from the Chicagoland area, growing up in Naperville and being a Chicago Bears fan my entire life.”

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Gronowski completed 209 of 307 passes for 29 touchdowns with five interceptions this season. He also rushed 93 times for 402 yards and eight touchdowns while guiding the Jackrabbits (15-0) to their first perfect season.

Gronowski, a redshirt junior, capped the run in South Dakota State’s 23-3 victory over Montana in the championship game in Frisco, Texas, on Sunday. He completed 13 of 21 passes for 175 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and he rushed for 53 yards on eight carries, including a 10-yard touchdown run.

“It was a different feeling, for sure, compared to last year because last year was the first one for the university,” Gronowski said. “This year was just as sweet, but it was kind of for different reasons.

“There were a lot of six-year seniors who are going to end up getting a shot at the NFL next year and a bunch of guys that I was really close with. We were trying to get one last win for them and kind of send them out on top.”

That selfless attitude was reflected in Gronowski’s reaction to winning the Walter Payton Award.

“As all awards really are, it’s a team award, and I couldn’t really do it without the guys in front of me, the O-line creating time for me and then the guys on the outside making plays,” he said. “We’ve got so many great playmakers on our team that make my life a lot easier.”

But Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus said there is a reason the Jackrabbits have won 29 consecutive games with Gronowski, who is 37-3 as a starter in his career.

“I’m not taking anything away from their line and their running back and their defense and coaching staff,” Ellinghaus said. “They do a great job. But it starts around your quarterback, and he’s been better than everybody else out there.”

Gronowski can beat opponents with more than his arm and legs.

“He’s a smart quarterback, and I think all great quarterbacks are smart quarterbacks,” Ellinghaus said. “He understands the defense, what they’re trying to do.

“Furthermore, he’s an absolute tremendous leader. That’s the thing I think that separates him from even other great quarterbacks I’ve been around. He makes everybody around him better.”

Gronowski is one of four area players on the South Dakota State roster, which includes former Neuqua Valley teammate Patrick Hoffmann, a junior receiver, and two Naperville North alums, sophomore quarterback Jon Bell and freshman offensive lineman Jackson Kerstin.

Gronowski, who will graduate in May with a degree in mechanical engineering, intends to pursue an NFL career at some point. But he has two years of eligibility left and is planning to return to South Dakota State.

“It’s crazy to think about going back four years to where I was at Neuqua,” Gronowski said. “I couldn’t have dreamed it to be better than this. It’s turned out better than I could have ever dreamed of — going back-to-back national championships, meeting so many great people up here, it’s just been so fantastic.

“South Dakota State was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

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