NORMAL, Ill. — Cameron Meredith was not immediately on board when the Illinois State coaching staff recommended he switch from quarterback to receiver.
“Honestly, it wasn’t too positive. I was kind of hesitating,” Meredith said. “I prayed on it and ultimately did what was best for the team — and myself too at the time. It was a good decision and it came out with very great outcomes.”
Meredith became a standout receiver on ISU’s 2014 team that won a conference title and advanced to the FCS national championship game before dropping a heartbreaking 29-27 decision to North Dakota State.
The Redbirds host NDSU at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.
That 2014 team was honored Saturday, Sept. 21, at Hancock Stadium on the 10th anniversary of the Redbirds’ magical season at halftime of the current ISU squad’s 31-7 victory over Eastern Illinois.
North Dakota State’s Colten Heagle tries to track down Illinois State quarterback Tre Roberson on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, during the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas.
Forum file photo
“Those guys laid the foundation that the expectation is a championship. We’ve got to have a championship-type season,” said tailback Wenkers Wright, who rushed for 150 yards as the 15th-ranked Redbirds improved to 3-1.
“Having them around and having it end the way it did tonight, it kind of shows them you can trust us players. We got your back. We’re going to continue what you guys did.”
Meredith caught 86 passes during his NFL career, including 66 receptions for 888 yards and four touchdowns for the Chicago Bears in 2016.
“So thanks Coach (Brock) Spack for pushing me in that direction,” said Meredith, “and thank God for putting my mind to it and giving me the skills necessary to be good and consistent at the job.”
Meredith was the honorary captain for the pregame coin toss and got ISU off to a favorable start when Eastern wrongly guessed how the coin he launched would land.
“It means a lot honestly to be 10 years out and see the guys and see everybody doing good and everybody’s got babies and families. It goes by very fast,” Meredith said. “Everybody gets to see what we accomplished and what it really meant to all of us.”
Illinois State head football coach Brock Spack speaks with the media on Thursday, Jan.8, 2015, at the FC Dallas Toyota Stadium complex in Frisco, Texas.
Forum file photo
Meredith’s advice to the current Redbirds was “be here, be present, be in the moment and enjoy it because it’s a good thing and good things are hard to find. Enjoy yourself.”
The 2014 team and their families sat behind the south end zone to watch the decisive ISU victory.
“I think this is the biggest thing we missed from playing is the camaraderie. You can see it and know the camaraderie we still have,” linebacker Pat Meehan said. “When you’re in the (college) years you don’t really appreciate it as much as when you come back and get to look back on it a little bit.”
Wide receiver Anthony Warrum met his wife during his years at ISU.
“It means a lot to me to be back here. I jokingly texted my wife I had a tear in my eye and was smiling all the way down Main Street,” said Warrum.
“I obviously loved the football, but the university did a lot for me, the coaches did a lot for me and Coach Spack did a lot for me. It kind of built me into the man I am today. We’ve been talking about the way we were molded here.”
(c) 2024 The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Publish date : 2024-09-24 01:02:00
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