“When you first have children, older people tell you it goes fast. So when we had Aaron and Daniel, Amy had already finished her junior year. So we knew this was going to go fast, and it did anyway. Sometimes I wonder, as a parent, that I enjoy that enough, did I get every bit of joy out of it I could?” said Naperville Central’s Andy Nussbaum.
Andy Nussbaum shared the Central hallways with his kids for decades
After over forty years of Andy Nussbaum coaching and teaching at Naperville Central, his sons, Daniel and Aaron, just wrapped their senior campaigns as the last of the seven Nussbaum kids to walk through the hallways of Naperville Central.
Before Aaron and Daniel, older sisters Amy, Jessica, and Carly, along with brothers Joe and Christian, represented the Redhawks in a wide variety of sports during their years at Central. As the youngest kids, the twins grew up watching their older siblings wear the red and white and tagged along to watch their dad work as head coach for the Redhawk girls basketball and softball teams.
Nussbaum twins follow family footsteps into football
The boys dreamed of taking their turns in the varsity spotlight, competing in multiple sports once they began their Central careers in the fall of 2021. Football was always a favorite of the Nussbaum boys, with Andy coaching as an assistant for the sophomore team and Joe, Christian, Aaron and Daniel eventually competing on the gridiron as well.
“After my first practice, I knew that this was going to be the game I’m going to play for the rest of my life, enjoy every minute of it. It’s the best in the world because you get to be a part of a team, you’ll be a part of a family,” said Daniel.
“With our team it felt as if you had 11 brothers out there because after that first three years together those guys last year it felt as if we all kind of knew exactly where we had to be, exactly who each other was, and how to play with each other,” said Naperville Central grad Aaron Nussbaum.
A two-time state championship-winning coach, Andy Nussbaum is grateful for the close-up view he has experienced with his kids competing at Naperville Central over the years, including coaching his daughter Jess in basketball and his sons on the sophomore football team.
“I think a lot of times, parents don’t get to be involved that much in practice. They do, maybe when your kids are little, but when they’re in high school, you don’t always get that kind of involvement. So it was real enjoyable for me. It was a challenge to be as objective as I could,” said Andy Nussbaum
The twins spent three years as varsity starting linebackers for the Redhawk football team, with Aaron pitching in at tight end as well.
“It still feels like yesterday, playing games with the freshmen and then playing at Naperville Central with all my other teammates. It’s crazy how fast it goes by,” said Naperville Central grad Daniel Nussbaum.
ACL tear puts Redhawk brotherhood in jeopardy
In their senior year, they helped turn the Redhawks into a top state contender following an 8-1 regular season. However, that run looked to be in jeopardy late in the year when Aaron tore his ACL in a week 6 win over Lockport.
“After I tore my ACL, I think it helped me want to play football more just because, it made me realize before I ended my football season, how much I miss it,” said Aaron.
Despite suffering what is usually a season-ending injury, Aaron worked his way back onto the field and made a return for Central’s second-round playoff game against Fremd. With the Redhawks clinging to a late fourth quarter lead, Aaron made a crucial catch to pick up a first down and help secure a 31-28 win. The team went on to upset Lyons Township in the quarterfinals before falling one game shy of state in a semifinal defeat to York.
Taking their talents to the next level at Wheaton College
The boys’ football career is not over yet because they will continue to play together at Wheaton College to strap up for the Thunder, a school that many Nussbaum family members have called home. But they will miss their time in a Redhawk uniform.
“Friday Night Lights are always something that I’ll remember. The coaches here made it the best experience ever they’re family to you. Really going to miss the Friday Night Lights and just playing in front of the people that watch you grow up and the people you grew up with,” said Aaron.
“Definitely going to miss playing with the kids I grew up with my whole life. I’m going to miss this, the night film sessions with the coaches, getting chewed out by the coach, you’re going to miss those and those Monday sprints. Playing next to the kids I grew up with my whole life, and knowing that they’re going to college hours away from me, that’s what I’m going to miss the most,” said Daniel.
While Daniel and Aaron developed into standout athletes in multiple sports, including football and baseball for both boys and basketball for Daniel, their parents have had a unique perspective after seeing seven kids compete in cross country, soccer, swimming, wrestling, basketball, baseball, football, water polo, and track at Naperville Central
“Well, I think you want them to play whatever sports they want. You know, with the girls. I have never been a swimmer. I’d never been a soccer player, and I’d certainly never been a cross-country runner, but you want them to be involved. There’s something so valuable about sport and your involvement in sport, regardless of whether it’s a team sport or an individual sport,” said Andy.
Aaron and Daniel Nussbaum leave a legacy
Upon their graduation in May, the twins are proud to leave the family legacy both at the school and on the playing field.
“This name means so much more than just football. My dad’s been a teacher, and he’s changed so many lives. So I think the name goes so much further than just Naperville Central. I think it’s something special, something that I couldn’t be prouder to have on the back of my jersey,” said Daniel.
For Andy Nussbaum, it’s been over 20 years since he was the only Nussbaum roaming the Central hallways, but he has decades of memories to look back on before his own time with the Redhawks comes to a close.
“I love my sons, so it’s nice seeing them on an everyday basis, on an every period basis that sometimes, you know, or just walk into their math class or, you know, seeing them on the way to practice, so I’m going to miss those little things, said Andy Nussbaum. “I think Amy and Jess said that when they called dad in the hall, I would never answer, but when they’d call ‘Nuss,’ I would turn around and look. So, just little funny stories like that are fun to remember.”
