Another NFL Connection

Ed Brady was a part of the best Illini team of our lifetme


Make that two incoming Lions who are the sons of great NFL veterans.

We already knew about transfer DL Wells Childress was the son of Oilers sack master Ray Childress. But today I learned that LB John Brady is the son of Ed Brady who played 12 NFL seasons with the L.A. Rams, Cincinnatti Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1995.

The elder Brady starred at linebacker and long snapper for the University of Illinois, and helped the team get to the 1984 Rose Bowl.

In the pros, Ed was almost only used as a long snapper, but he was one of the best. He played in Super Bowl XXIII with the Bengals.

Son John is also a talented long snapper.

The NFL connections on the current Lions squad are actually three as rising sophomore kicker Tyler Feely is the little brother of NFL kicker Jay Feely




UNOFFICIAL incomplete list of our incoming class of 2015:

Colton Bishop DB 5-10 180 lbs. Chaparral HS Scottsdale, AZ

John Brady LB 6-2 220 lbs. Lakota East HS Liberty Township, OH

Tom Callahan OT 6-6 280 lbs. Lyons Township HS LaGrange Park, IL

Wells Childress* DE 6-4 263 lbs. Kinkaid HS Houston, TX

Sean Coffinger LB 6-4 215 lbs. Desert Vista HS Phoenix, AZ

Ryan Flannery WR 6-3 185 lbs. North Attleborough HS North Attleborough, MA

Percee Goings QB 6-1 180 lbs. Friendship Collegiate HS Washington, DC

John Keefe WR 6-1 185 lbs. Choctawhatchee HS Ft. Walton Beach, FL

Josh Keiles 6-3 OL 295 lbs. Lakewood HS Lakewood, CA

Joe Kopp OL 6-4 260 lbs. Arundel HS Gambrills, MD

Hunter Little DL 6-4 225 lbs. The Webb School Knoxville, TN

Connor Nelligan 6-2 190 lbs. Benet Academy Lisle, IL

Ijeoma Odigwe DL 6-2 220 lbs. Chandler HS Chandler, AZ

Ray Pesanello LB 6-2 215 lbs. Mahwah HS, Mahwah, NJ

Kal Prince QB 6-4 198 lbs. Owensboro HS Owensboro, KY

Vinny Pugliese LB 6-1 210 lbs. Walsh Jesuit HS Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Roy Schwartz DL 6-2 240 lbs. Westlake HS Austin, TX

Mike Skalitzky DB 6-1 180 lbs. Marist High School Chicago, IL

Dan Slivka WR 6-3 196 lbs. North Allegheny HS Wexford, PA

Malcolm Thaxton CB 6-0 190 lbs. Fuquay-Varina HS Fuquay-Varina, NC

Ryan Thomas OL 6-4 275 lbs. Buchholz HS

Chad Washington DL/TE 6-2 220 lbs. Bishop O'Dowd Oakland, CA


*=Transfer from Texas A&M