Logan journey to football began because substitute teacher

DeKALB – Northern Illinois senior cornerback Paris Logan is only preparing for top-ranked Ohio State this week because of a substitute teacher.

It was because of the suggestion to play football toward the end of his sophomore season by substitute teacher Michael Lockett that Logan picked up the game – resulting in him becoming a standout cornerback for the Huskies as they play at Ohio State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC.

"I wasn't used to people outside of my family looking out for me and taking care of me," said Logan, who attended Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Missouri and hadn't played football before. "He was always looking out for me. It was like a mentor or a big brother. It was something that I needed at that point in my life."

When Lockett mentioned football to the sophomore Logan, he brushed it off – thinking he was too small to play at 140 pounds. Eventually, Lockett talked him into it and he went to practice – only to not show up the following day. That didn't suit Lockett, who would end up driving Logan to practice for weeks before the teenager was hooked on the game.

"A couple of times I had to chase him around and grab him to get him to go," said Lockett, who is now the head football coach for Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas. "It was a struggle at first."

For Logan, the game turned into a chance to get away from the struggles he was dealing with.

"Ever since that day, he made sure I went to practice," Logan said. "I want to say for two weeks, he made sure I was there every day and then I fell in love in the game. I think he saw that I needed a release from what I was going through during that time. He saw something in me and made sure I continued to play football."

In the summer, Lockett told Logan that he could a talented player if he was willing to put in the work. He'd come get Logan so that he could work out and he would give him quizzes to help him learn the game of football.

Two years later, Lockett's idea about Logan came true.

While he was an assistant coach at Wisconsin, Dave Doeren wanted to recruit Logan but due to grades, he couldn't get an offer. When Doeren got the job at Northern Illinois for the 2011 season, he eventually called Logan to offer him a full-ride – not without its complications.

"I actually missed the first call," Logan laughed. "My head coach called me and went, 'What are you doing?' And I told him I just woke up."

In fact, the flight to DeKalb via Chicago was the first time that the teenager Logan had been on an airplane.

"I was nervous," he laughed. "I was bugging. I was like, 'Oh my gosh," – looking around at people. I was going to pass out. I was like, 'I'm going to die up here.' The plane shaking and everything. I actually got lost in O'Hare walking around."

Since then, it's been much smoother for Logan at Northern Illinois. He's played in every game since 2012 and is coming off a season in which he was named first team all-Mid-American Conference – coming away with 77 tackles and three interceptions as one of the leaders of the Huskies' defense. Now he's getting ready for a chance to make history in Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

"It's been a crazy, crazy ride," he said.