Chicago Tribune Article on Santino Panico

Mavric

Mavric

Yoda
Staff member
One minute he was scoring touchdowns in every conceivable way at Libertyville High School, a triple threat (running back, cornerback and returner) named Illinois’ Gatorade Player of the Year. Chicagoan Bill Callahan signed Panico in 2004 to play at Nebraska and inserted him as the punt returner in Week 2 of his freshman season.

The next minute, fans tagged him “Fair-catch Panico,” and some even egged his car. Panico is harsher than those critics, noting his 22 returns netted just 68 yards. He calls himself the “worst punt returner in Nebraska history.”

Panico left Lincoln and tried to transfer to Utah. But he lost a lengthy fight with the NCAA regarding credit hours and gave up.

His body was bloated from a 7,500-calorie-a-day diet loaded with eggs, chicken, steak and dairy — the proteins he thought he needed to become a Division I football player.

He felt gross. He experienced migraines, sinus infections, acid reflux and digestive issues.

What to do next?

Panico studied sustainability at Arizona State. He earned a master’s in environmental conservation at NYU. After reading nutritional studies, he switched to a vegan diet — no meat, poultry, fish or animal byproducts such as eggs and cheese.
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Link

 
lo country said:
Gotta post in this thread to simply give a shout out to Panico and his sacrifice. IIRC, that season we dropped punt after punt until Panico came in....No yards, but no dropped balls.  Always glad to see a former Husker do well.  
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Yeah that was a bizarre situation because while he could catch a punt, he couldn't do anything with it.  I'm glad to hear he's doing well now though.

 
2004, to this day, stands as the most bizarre season in the last 50 years.   Between Callahans "just another game, just another season" comment, Joe Dailey stepping out of bounds to seal our defeat, panico being the only viable option to return punts, Jordan Adams spleen going postal, and our secondary going from leading the word in interceptions to being almost non existent we saw things I never thought possible in Lincoln.  

 
That was very interesting.  We watch these kids on Saturdays in the fall and I really enjoy reading stories like this about what they do after football.  I always thought he had a cool name. 

I was going to watch his documentary but it's $12.

 
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Played division 1 football, challenged the ncaa, fought underground MMA fights, and  now he makes a hit documentary about veganism.  Santino Panico is a man of varied talents!    :)   

 
The name is difficult to forget even if the legacy wasn't great.  The water cooler talk on special teams may recognize that we have been blessed with kickers but not, in a relative sense anyway, kick "returners."  Another low point from the Callahan era was having the "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" song mean something on sports radio.

 
Touchdown Tommie said:
I don't even remember this guy, but then again, I have blacked that era of football out of my mind! 
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Likewise. I remember the name because it's sort of unique but other that nada.

To be honest, I associate that name in the same group as Mike Nobler....IDKW, I'm dumb I guess.

 
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Making Chimichangas said:
Yeah that was a bizarre situation because while he could catch a punt, he couldn't do anything with it.  I'm glad to hear he's doing well now though.
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I don't think we really know if he could have done anything with it because Callahan was so paranoid about fumbling, that I believe he was instructed to always fair catch. It was ugly but not necessarily his fault.

 
Crazyhole said:
2004, to this day, stands as the most bizarre season in the last 50 years.   Between Callahans "just another game, just another season" comment, Joe Dailey stepping out of bounds to seal our defeat, panico being the only viable option to return punts, Jordan Adams spleen going postal, and our secondary going from leading the word in interceptions to being almost non existent we saw things I never thought possible in Lincoln.  
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2004 made for better message board fodder than football games. We may have been more violent online than on the field.

 
Crazyhole said:
2004, to this day, stands as the most bizarre season in the last 50 years.   Between Callahans "just another game, just another season" comment, Joe Dailey stepping out of bounds to seal our defeat, panico being the only viable option to return punts, Jordan Adams spleen going postal, and our secondary going from leading the word in interceptions to being almost non existent we saw things I never thought possible in Lincoln.  
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I'll never forget Beau Davis getting thrown to the wolves. That game destroyed whatever future he had at NU.  Game should've been stopped.

 
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