News you can use

MOUNT McKinley

When it comes to Northern running backs, Zach McKinley stands alone. Now he leaves behind a legacy of heart, character and so much more

Take one look at Zach McKinley after a Montana State University-Northern football game and it’s obvious, he’s left everything on the field, he's given his team, and the game all he has. Tired, drenched in sweat no matter the temperature, bruised and battered, McKinley gives it everything he’s got, every game, no matter what the scoreboard says.

For four seasons, and close to six years at Northern, that’s what he’s done. But, when McKinley leaves the field at Blue Pony Stadium Saturday afternoon, he will be leaving it for the last time. And while his record-setting career at Northern will be over, his heart and soul, all that he has given of himself, these things will stay at Northern forever.

In many ways, that doesn’t make McKinley any different than college football players scattered all over the country every fall. Most of them give of themselves in the same ways McKinley has. But given his experiences and all that he’s gone through in his time at Northern, McKinley is indeed different. What he’s done at Northern is historic and special. It goes well beyond what most college football players go through each and every fall.

While McKinley has shattered 13 different school rushing records since he came to Northern from CMR High School in Great Falls, where he was actually recruited to be a kicker, he’s also only been a part of eight games where the Lights won. In his final two seasons, McKinley has tasted victory just once.

He’s also overcame the start to his career, which involved red-shirt seasons due to injuries, and on top of it all, he’s played during the most tumultuous times in modern Northern history, enduring three head coaching changes in just his four years as a starter.

And yet, because of who Zach McKinley is, both with talent and heart, he’s not only persevered, he’s become the single greatest running back in Northern history, one of the best to ever suit up in the Frontier Conference and one of the top offensive players in the NAIA the last four seasons.

“Looking back, there have been some hard times,” McKinley said. “But I think, for me, I’ve just always went out with the mind set that all I can do is give my best. If I do the best I can do, if I have a great game and do my job, then I’ve done what the coaches asked me to do, and I’ve done what I can to help my team win. It has been hard, as the losses piled up, but I’ve stayed motivated because all I’ve ever wanted to do is do my job and I’ve always thought, if I do my job well, than I’m giving the team all I can give.

“I always set individual goals for myself every year,” he added. “And those goals have motivated me as well. And I think the biggest thing is I love football, I love playing football here at Northern. I truly love the game, and so, even though we haven’t had a lot of success on the scoreboard over the years, the fact that I really do love to play this game every Saturday, that’s motivation enough to keep going, to keep pushing every week, to keep trying to do the best I can possibly do.”

Losing games is hard, especially when you perform at the level McKinley has over the last four seasons. Win or lose, McKinley’s style of play, his approach to the running back position and, in a weird way, his longevity have taken an even bigger toll on him than any final score has over the last four years.

While McKinley has remained mostly injury free since missing the first year-and-a-half of his collegiate career with leg issues, there’s no question, his career has taxed his body. McKinley has played in 41 games at Northern, he has a staggering 871 carries and has caught 80 passes. And that’s not even counting all of the snaps he’s blocked for the quarterback or a wide receiver, or played on special teams.

To say McKinley is beat up, that would be a gross understatement. And the heart and character he plays with, it’s certainly cost him physically.

“It’s kind of all caught up to me this year,” he said. “I’ve been battling some stuff this season. When I look at the film, I think I’ve slowed down a little bit, and it’s taking me a little longer to recover from all of the hits. A couple of years ago, I could go right back to practice on Monday after a game and do the same things all over again. But now, it’s taking a few more days after a game to completely recover, and I’m really feeling things in my joints and my knees.”

As much as McKinley feels the pain of four years of bruising running back play, the fact that he dishes out as much as he takes is also a major factor in why his body is beaten down. McKinley is an inside runner, a bruising tailback, a throwback type of player who loves contact and doesn’t shy away from meeting any defender head on. He runs with heart and purpose, and because of that, his body has paid the price.

“One thing is, there are some very physical defenses in the Frontier (Conference),” McKinley, who stands 5-10 and weighs 200 pounds, said. “And the way I play, I’m one who takes it up inside and looks to break a few tackles to get loose. I’m really not going to make as many guys miss me as I’m going to hit them, get away and then break one into the open. So I’ve taken a lot of hits in my career, for sure. That’s just the way I run, and I can tell now that my body is pretty burnt out. But I wouldn’t change the way I’ve played the game. I feel I’ve definitely given it my all.”

Top of the Mountain

McKinley’s body may be ready to be done with football, but when he leaves the field after Saturday’s season-finale against College of Idaho, no one will ever be able to forget his career or what he’s given to the Northern program.

Not only has McKinley been one of the most unselfish players ever, he’s also been one of the best. And the numbers speak for themselves.

Going into his final game, McKinley has 4,509 career yards rushing. He became Northern’s all-time leading rusher at the start of his junior season and has now nearly doubled the previous mark, set by Stephen Silva. In his incredible MSU-N career, McKinley has averaged 5.2 yards per carry, has scored 38 touchdowns and has averaged 112.7 yards per game. He has an astonishing 5,230 total yards and owns 13 different Northern records.

Those records include, career yards, yards in a season (1,451, 2014), carries in a game (37), carries in a season (259), career carries, yards per carry for a game, season and career, touchdowns in a game (3), touchdowns in a season (14), career touchdowns, 100-yard games in a season (8) and 100-yard games in a career (21).

The numbers and records are staggering. They are an accomplishment that has left McKinley standing alone in Northern rushing history and among the elite to ever play in the Frontier Conference.

“Looking back on it all now, it’s really hard to fathom,” McKinley said. “All of the yards and plays and games, and all of that, it’s pretty amazing. But, a lot of that is due to the guys I’ve played with, especially the offensive linemen. Football is a team game. It takes 11 guys doing their jobs to accomplish anything in football, and I couldn’t have done any of that without all of the guys I’ve played with.

“Pete Morales (senior OL) kind of put it in perspective one day,” McKinley continued. “He told me, what he’s going to take pride in when he looks back on playing college football is that he blocked for me during my career. That’s really cool to hear that, and it means a lot, and I know I would never have accomplished any of this without guys just like him.

“So, at the end of the day, when I think about the records and all of that, I can be proud of it all. I can say I was really good at something. It’s exciting to think about it in that way.”

Respect

Hundreds of past and present teammates, family and friends, opposing players and coaches, anyone who has played with, played against or just watched Zach McKinley play football the past four seasons uses the same word when speaking of him — respect.

Yes, what McKinley has done in his time as Northern’s greatest running back hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, he’s become one of the most respected and revered players, not only in the Northern program, but all over the Frontier Conference.

“When you look at it on the field, they (Lights) haven’t had as much success as they would have liked, and yet, you would never know it by watching him play,” legendary Carroll College coach Mike Van Diest said of McKinley. “Regardless of what the scoreboard says, he gives it everything he has from start to finish. He’s all heart and guts out there all of the time, whether they are winning or losing. He always, always brings his best.

“Any time we were going up against him, we knew our defense had to be very tough, we had to really bring it,” Van Diest continued. “He just plays so hard, he never gives up on a run. So you really respect a guy like that. If you weren’t coaching against him, he’s definitely a guy you’d want on your team. He’s a throwback type of guy, and I just have so much respect for him.”

Defenders know all about how tough it is to play against McKinley, including his own teammates.

“I’ve known Zach for a lot of years now. We’re good buddies,” Lights’ senior defensive end Tyler Craig said. “He’s worked really hard to get to where he is. We’ve spent the summers working out together. And I can say one thing for sure, he’s really hard to tackle. I’ve tried to do it a lot over the years.

“He’s a power runner,” Van Diest added. “But he’s more elusive than people think. When we played them up there this season, he scored three touchdowns, and on all of them we had no chance to get him down. He’ll run into you, but he also has great moves, and that makes it even harder to bring down.”

As great as McKinley is on the field, he’s been just as great off it, whether being a team captain, setting an example for younger teammates to follow, doing well in the classroom or just being an outstanding member of the campus and community, McKinley has earned the praise and he respect he gets.

“Zach is a very unique football player,” MSU-N head coach Aaron Christensen said. “He’s got all the records and amazing numbers in his career, and that’s a credit to how talented he is, and how hard he works. But what he wants to do the most is win. He cares about his team and helping us win football games above anything he might accomplish individually, and that’s really special.

“I’ve coached a lot of football players, and I have never seen anyone with a work ethic like he has either,” Christensen added. “And guys notice that. He just sets such a great example for our team. And what’s really special about Zach is, it isn’t always the case that your best player on the field is one of the best guys off the field, too. That’s unique, and that’s Zach. He’s just as great off the field as he is on it.”

The Finish Line

The records will always be there for Zach McKinley. It will be difficult for anyone who follows in his footsteps to duplicate or surpass the incredible feats he’s accomplished at the running back position.

But it won’t just be the numbers that McKinley looks back on with fondness. No, his career has been much more than just about yards and touchdowns. And while he’s experienced a lot of rough times at Northern, he will never forget the good times either.

“There’s definitely a lot of great memories that I’ll cherish,” McKinley said. “Beating Carroll this year was so great. The last time we beat them, I was a kid in the stands in 2006, watching my brother’s (Luke McKinley) team win that game against them. That team was such a great team, so to be a part of a team that does it during my time here, that will always stick with me.

“I think the other big one was our 2014 season in general,” he continued. “We didn’t win as many games as we could have that season, but that was still a great year. As an offense, we were running all over every defense in the conference. No one could really stop our offense that season.”

And off the field, McKinley will cherish the relationships he’s built in his long run with the Lights. Those bonds, with teammates, past and present, will never go away.

“That’s the big thing I’ll take away from all of this,” McKinley said. “The guys I’ve played with. I have had so many great teammates, guys who really supported me, and I have made so many great friends in my time playing football at Northern. That’s the stuff you always cherish the most. And I definitely will.”

Northern will certainly cherish the four years McKinley spent running all over Frontier Conference defenses, too. There have been few like McKinley, who will undoubtedly go into the Northern Hall of Fame someday. His time as a running back at Northern hasn’t just been productive, it’s been historic. And his unselfish contributions, his dedication to Northern football on, and off the field, will be everlasting.

And because of the way McKinley has given of himself all these years, he will leave the Blue Pony Stadium turf with full of pride and with no regrets. He’ll walk off the field one last time, battered, bruised and tired, having left his heart and soul right there, just like he has always done.

“I really don’t have any regrets other than that we weren’t able to win more games,” McKinley said. “I have young guys and people ask me a lot, how did you do it for six years? I just tell them, I came here to play football. I wanted to play college football when I was in high school, and that’s what I came here to do. I love the game, and I always wanted to get to my last game some day, and now it’s here. Senior day is kind of symbolically crossing the finish line. It’s the day when you know that all the hard work, staying here in the summers and everything you’ve put into it, it was all worth it.

“So I won’t have any regrets,” he continued. “When it’s over, I can look myself in the mirror and say I gave it everything I had. I gave my all to this team and to this program and to this game, and I’m proud of that.”

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 02/28/2024 12:46