Hall of Fame
Tim Ehlebracht's '80 round-the-clock approach to athletics at North Central College led him to enjoy one of the most diversely successful careers in school history. He also was one of the few Cardinals to advance to the upper level of professional team sports.
A letter winner in four sports, an All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) selection in two sports and the first All-American in the history of the North Central baseball program, he never shied away from an opportunity to compete, even if the subject matter was unfamiliar.
"I enjoyed the opportunity to play more than one sport," he says. "I remember my freshman year being in an activities class with (head track and field) coach (Al) Carius, meeting him for the first time and having him talk me into learning the decathlon. It was 10 days before the Illinois Intercollegiate Championships, and he had me learn one event per day for the decathlon and I competed in that meet against some pretty big schools."
In addition to track and field, Ehlebracht quickly became a key contributor for the Cardinals' football and baseball programs while also lettering in basketball as a freshman. He earned All-CCIW honors for the first time in baseball as a sophomore in 1978, leading the team with a .366 batting average. That spring, he also placed third in the CCIW Track & Field Championships in the javelin throw with a personal-best distance of 185 feet, 4 inches, which was the second-best performance in North Central's history at the time. He followed that fall with a First Team All-CCIW selection as a wide receiver in football, earning the respect of the conference's head coaches despite getting to catch just 22 passes for 361 yards in a run-heavy offense.
"We were fourth in the nation in rushing, so I got far less opportunities than a lot of the other receivers in the conference," Ehlebracht says. "I think (the other coaches) understood that I had a different role on our team because of our running game. I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. I did what was best for the team, and being recognized for that is pretty important."
He enjoyed his best baseball season in spring 1979, hitting .425 with five triples, 13 stolen bases and 24 runs scored in just 25 games and earning Second Team All-America honors as an outfielder. Heading into his senior football season, despite ranking second on the Cardinals' career lists in receptions (55) and receiving yards (945) at the time, he switched positions to defensive back once again in an effort to best contribute to the team's success.
"George Badke was hired as the coach and he installed a triple-option offense, so there were even fewer chances to catch the ball," Ehlebracht explains. When you run 90 percent of the time, there aren't many opportunities to catch passes. I thought I could help the team more as a free safety."
He performed well enough in his new position to earn honorable mention All-CCIW status at defensive back and Second Team honors as a return specialist. North Central went 6-3 to match its highest win total since 1960. The following spring, he batted .350 with 15 stolen bases in baseball while going to great lengths to continue his track and field career as well.
"We had a baseball doubleheader at North Central, and the conference track meet was going on at the same time," Ehlebracht recalls. "I played the first game of the doubleheader, then went and threw the javelin, then came back and played in the second game. These days, you can't do that, but back then, they encouraged you to do those types of things."
Once his collegiate career concluded, Ehlebracht put his considerable energy to a singular focus in an effort to play professional football. His efforts paid off in 1981, when he was offered a two-year contract as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears.
"I was trying out for a World Football League team at Soldier Field," Ehlebracht recalls. "I guess the Bears had some scouts there, and the next thing I know I was invited to their free-agent tryout camp. After a three-day camp, I got offered a two-year contract, which was pretty exciting."
The lessons learned from balancing his studies with four sports at North Central soon became paramount as he set about absorbing the much more complicated schemes of a National Football League offense.
"I was really behind the learning curve with regard to defensive recognition and all the combo coverages," he says. "The playbook was about three inches thick, and they wanted me to learn two different receiver positions. It was harder than any college class I had."
Ehlebracht remained with the Bears until shortly before the 1982 season began. He also played in the United States Football League for the Chicago Blitz and Pittsburgh Marauders, as well as for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.
"All the things I learned at North Central about not giving up, doing your best, making sure I learned how to block because I wasn't going to be thrown the ball that much, all of that really helped me," he said. "It was a small enough place where the class sizes were good, you got to meet people and the teachers were great. It was a great educational experience more than anything else."
