Loos Still Proving Dreams Do Come True

By Jerry Trickie
Lincoln -- It has been said that every boy in the state of Nebraska grows up dreaming of playing football for the Cornhuskers. Chris Loos had that dream, and it started out the right way. The Lincoln native led the Southeast Knights to 25-1 record and back-to-back state titles in his final two years of high school.

Loos earned playing time at NU as a redshirt freshman, recording 15 pancake blocks while seeing time as a backup at tackle and on the PAT and field goal units. But during preparations for the 2000 Alamo Bowl, that dream quickly turned into what most people would consider a nightmare. At least to most people not named Chris Loos.

Loos suffered a major knee injury, tearing his left ACL, MCL and PCL. He underwent surgeries in each of the past two years and missed both seasons.

It could have been an injury that stopped him from competing forever, but Loos would have nothing of it. He rehabbed at least two hours daily, and finally got back on the field in spring practice. He entered the fall No. 2 on the depth chart.

Though he didn't see any snaps in NU's first three games this season, he is still satisfied with his decision to stick it out.

"I feel great when I'm out there and every day it's getting better," Loos said. "There's a lot of technique I had to pick up when I first came back, and I'm starting to pick up on it again. It's kind of like riding a bike."

Despite the grueling road he's been forced to take, Loos is not bitter, and in fact seems to enjoy proving people wrong, showing that he could come back from such a devastating injury despite the odds. The reason? To play the game.

"Getting a taste of playing my redshirt freshman year, that really helped drive it all," Loos said. "I loved walking down that tunnel and stepping out in front of all those fans. Playing out there, I feel like I am doing what I'm supposed to do."

Loos admits his determination sometimes wasn't enough to sustain him during the rehab process.

"I kind of felt lost for a couple years because I wasn't playing and was just doing rehab every day," Loos said. "Coming out here and lining up with the guys, that's what has pretty much driven me to come back and be out here today.

"But I also had a lot of support along the way from the coaches, teammates, my family and my girlfriend, who all helped me with a lot of things when I was kind of feeling down. They were a pretty good support group behind me."

Loos may look at it like that support group left its mark on him, but there is no doubt he has left his mark on them as well.

"I really feel great about Chris because he's been handed a situation that would be tough to fight back from by anybody, but yet he stayed with it," said NU head coach Frank Solich. "The comeback was so long and hard and the time commitment and effort was so great by him, I have nothing but respect for him and what he was able to accomplish to get back on the field."

Loos will graduate in December with a degree in criminal justice. While he is not sure what road it will take him down, he knows there is a good chance he will make the most of it. After all, he already knows how to make a dream come true.