Doctors once told SIU tight end Aidan Quinn he would never play football (Profile, Part One)

CARBONDALE, Ill. — When Southern Illinois senior tight end Aidan Quinn was diagnosed with multiple disorders as a child, doctors told him he would never have the ability to play sports or even attend college.

His medical condition made it difficult for him to speak. He had trouble walking, much less running. Different than other kids, he was bullied at school. Deep down, he was angry.

Quinn not only overcame his conditions, but defied the medical experts and excelled at football. At Davidson Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, he set the school record for both catches and tackles, while leading his team to three state championships. He earned a Division I scholarship from SIU and will graduate with a degree from the College of Ag.

Quinn said his journey would not have been possible without his faith in God, support from his family and best friend, the game of football, and years of special education and physical therapy.

In Part One of Quinn’s story, he talks about growing up as the son of a famous NFL quarterback, Jonathan Quinn, the medical diagnosis that changed his life, and the incredible experience of playing football for his dad in high school.

StrongDawgs Conversation with Aidan Quinn

SD: Were you old enough to recall seeing your dad play in the league?

AQ: I was four years old when he retired from the NFL, so I don't remember much. I remember being up in the box at Arrowhead Stadium, and I remember a Family Day at practice during fall camp out on the Chiefs’ practice fields.

SD: Growing up, did you ever brag to your friends, “hey, my dad played quarterback in the NFL!”

AQ: Oh, yeah, I was always super proud of that and always aspired to do what he did. Even today, I'm still proud that I can say, my old man played pro football. At one point, he was one of the best 32 quarterbacks in the whole world. He accomplished what every little kid dreams of, and I still do look up to him.

SD: Tell me more about your family, your mom, brothers and sister.

AQ: My mom played college basketball at Lipscomb. My oldest brother plays professional basketball in Europe, and his wife plays professional volleyball in Europe. My other brother is a tattoo artist and is married with two kids. He was very athletic, did competitive cheer and could do flips and all sorts of crazy stuff I could never do. I have a younger sister who lives in Texas. She’s an SIU grad and is engaged to Sam Neuman, who played football here.

SD: Being the youngest of the boys, how competitive were things?

AQ: My two brothers really pushed me. When I was playing peewee football, they'd always tell me, without my mom's knowledge, of course, that if I didn't hurt someone this game, I wouldn't get to come home for dinner. When we were playing sports, it would always be me versus the two of them. It’s supposed to be the younger two versus the oldest, but somehow, it was the two oldest versus the youngest. They beat me up a little bit, but it was good for me.

SD: That tells me you were the best of the three in football.

AQ: Yeah, you know, my oldest brother, we have a bet that after the season’s over, I’m going to stand on the goal line, he’s going to stay on the 10 yard line. We’re going to do the Oklahoma drill-style and see if he can score, best of 10.

SD: So you were told at one point that you couldn't play football?

AQ: Yes, sir. Growing up, I was actually special needs. I had seven different mental disorders altogether. It presented as autism, but I don't have autism. I had OCD, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, visual processing disorder, audio processing disorder, proprioceptive processing disorder, and vestibular processing disorder. As far as my learning goes, I could see words on the board, but I couldn't write them. I could hear words, but I couldn't repeat them. I couldn't speak coherently until about the 3rd grade. When all my friends were learning cursive, I was still trying to learn how to write.

The disorders also affected me physically. Basically, the left and right halves of my brain weren't synched up, so my body would never sink up. I couldn't walk very well, couldn't run. The doctors told me I would never be able to play sports and wouldn't have the ability to go seek a higher education, just because of all the learning delays.

Through God and through my family, we found a new doctor. He had a daughter with autism, so he was very familiar with it, and he knew that what I had wasn't autism. He diagnosed me with all these other things and ended up being correct. Through several years of special education and physical therapy, I was able to overcome those things. I really think that me being here now is a testament to God's glory, because without Him, I wouldn't even be in college, much less a college athlete. At the time, I didn't understand it, but the greatest adversities we face and the hardest obstacles that seem impossible to us are possible with God.

SD: You said you didn’t understand it at the time. How did you handle it?

AQ: I was very angry. As a young kid, as a young man, I was just angry all the time. I had extreme anger issues, but I've come to learn everything has a reason, and maybe my reason was that I can inspire someone else that's like me to not give up. The doctors aren't always right. They told me I'll never play sports and now I'm at a Division I university playing football. He will have a plan for you just as he did for me.

Quinn (right) with his best friend, Cullen Elliot, who was battling childhood cancer.

SD: How difficult was it to be different than other kids at that age?

AQ: Kids are scared of different, and I was different. I couldn't talk, couldn't walk very well, and because of that, there were kids that would try and bully me. My best friend was a kid who had cancer, who was different from other kids, and he got bullied, too. We became super close. We forged a common bond of being different, being bullied. He was sick and couldn't defend himself. I was basically mute, but we had a connection. We understood each other.

When bullies would come at us, I would defend him physically, and then he would basically speak for me. He knew what I was thinking and would find a way to talk for me and communicate for me. We haven't left each other's side to this day. We were the best men in each other's weddings.

SD: At what point did you begin to turn the corner?

AQ: I lived in Kansas City and they had a great special ed program. I had two teachers, Miss Hart and Miss Sweeney, who, without them, I wouldn't be here, either. Miss Hart wrote a whole writing program for me, and Miss Sweeney worked with me every day and got me to where I needed to be. When I reached 6th grade, we moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where my folks are from, and I was ready to come out of the program anyway and figure it out. By the time I was about a freshman or sophomore in high school, I was really out of it. There's still things today that affect me, but nothing you would notice unless I told you.

SD: How did football factor into your life during your therapy process?

AQ: I think football was the main driving factor to overcome these things, because I wanted to play pro football like my dad. My older brothers were both playing football. Everyone's playing football. At that time of my life, I needed football. I think football being such a physical sport, where I can get angry and play angry, and also being such a skilled sport where you have to be good on your feet, move your body well, really helped me. Without football, I wouldn't have been able to practice those skills.

SD: You played for your dad in high school. That had to be special. Not only that, you won three state titles and set the school record in tackles and catches. That sounds like the dream high school scenario for a kid.

AQ: I mean, it was great, you know. My dad is the most brilliant football mind I've ever known, and I'm not just saying that because he's my dad. I've seen him do it at all coaching levels, and he finds a way to win. He's also the head track & field coach at my high school, and he took a program that wasn't historically great, and he has them in the state tournaments every year.

The offense we ran was the offense he ran in the NFL. Obviously, he simplified it for us high schoolers, but it was based around the tight end, to where I got a lot of targets and was a big part of the offense. It was just a lot of fun playing with all my best friends, and I had a pretty good career.

SD: When you played for your dad, was he conscious not to show favoritism?

AQ: Absolutely. I mean, he can't have me out there playing just because I'm his son, so he was harder on me than the rest and pushed me harder than the rest. There were times he pulled me from the game, and I wouldn't have it any other way. If he was soft on me my whole career, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. He held me to a different standard just because I'm a reflection of him.

In Part Two tomorrow, Quinn explains how he ended up at SIU, the ups and downs of his Saluki career, how his spiritual journey led him to marry the woman he called his best friend, and his future plans.

Left to right: Quinn's brother Dakota and wife Kelsi. Sam Neuman and fiancé Ellie (sister), Aidan and wife Emma, brother Colton with daughter Kira, and wife Savanah, holding their son Cassius.