By Dennis Kellogg
Director of Communications
There’s this photo of Danny Kaelin as a young boy at a Nebraska Husker football game in the upper deck at Memorial Stadium. His smile is about as wide as the goalposts and he’s holding a red balloon, just waiting for his favorite team to score so he can release it.
“We went to a lot of games. Growing up you would at least get to one game a year,” Kaelin said. “It was always a great time. I think that helped build my love for football and this program.”
Now, that young boy who dreamed of playing for the Huskers is living his dream. After originally starting his collegiate career at Nebraska and then playing last season at the University of Virginia, the talented quarterback transferred back to Lincoln earlier this year. He’ll have to compete for playing time this season with other established quarterbacks including Anthony Colandrea and TJ Lateef.
“Every single day is a competition in that room. It is a great group of guys,” Kaelin said.
“At the end of the day, we all want to win. We need to win… Any chance I get on the field this season, I just have to make the most of every single opportunity and help the team win however I can.”
Facing that competition in the quarterback room could be daunting. Kaelin, though, prefers to look at that challenge in a different way.
“You can use pressure as motivation to continue to work harder and realize that you are in a really special spot that not everyone gets to be in. Sometimes the pressure can become too big and you can allow it to make you overthink things,” he said. “It is definitely a part of being a Husker athlete, but I think it is one of the best parts. It is a privilege we get here, and I try to make the most of that pressure, work hard and make the most of it every single day.”
While football fans may know Kaelin for his stellar high school career at Bellevue West, where he threw for more than 6,000 yards and was named a national Elite 11 quarterback, to really get to know him, you need to understand what drives him – his Catholic faith.
“I have been blessed to be immersed in the Catholic Church ever since I was born. My family, especially on my mom’s side, has really deep Catholic history,” he said. “Some of my earliest memories with my family are praying the rosary together. We did that a lot, and we always went to church on Sundays. That good foundation of going to church as a family, and then going to Catholic school growing up, built a real good foundation for my faith.”
Kaelin said his family, especially his grandma, has inspired him to grow in his Catholic faith. He has developed a list of “faith favorites” through the years.
Favorite prayer?
“I love the Divine Mercy and the Rosary. I have been praying those my whole life.”
Favorite saint?
“Saint Juan Diego. He was my Confirmation saint.”
How about a favorite book of the Bible or Bible verse?
“I have read Ecclesiastes twice this month. I was encouraged by Luke Lindenmeyer, one of our tight ends. I had not read it in a while, and it has some really good stuff in it that makes you ponder on things,” Kaelin said.
“My favorite Bible verse is Romans 1:16, ‘For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to all who believe.’ I really became a fan of that verse through a gospel rapper named Lecrae that I used to listen to all the time growing up. I still listen here and there. That is where I really learned to love that verse.”
Bible verses, prayers and saintly role models have helped Kaelin deal with the adversity that always comes on the football field, and in life.
“There is always a lesson to be learned in every single situation, and God’s timing is always perfect, even if we do not really trust it all the time or it is not exactly what we want it to be. He is always in control. He always knows what is best for us,” he said. “Having that adversity, and having things not go exactly how I want, helps me humble myself and understand that I am not the one in control. I have just got to put my head down every single day, continue to work, and whatever is meant to happen is going to happen.”
Even when he walks onto the football field, he brings his faith with him.
“There are certain prayers I like to say every single day, with every single pregame, and out on the field before the game,” Kaelin said. “Also, during the game there are times when I’m praying… If I make a bad play, you cannot overthink it. Realize that Jesus already won on the cross, so whatever happens on that game day is not going to define me at the end of the day.”
At Nebraska’s spring game this year, Kaelin took time to sign autographs for the fans, many of them kids who look up to him just as he did as a young boy with the Nebraska players. He understands being a role model comes with being a Husker athlete, and he welcomes that.
“When I was a kid and saw football players, I thought they were like heroes. Seeing that I am now in that position is kind of surreal,” Kaelin said. “One day it is going to end, and you never know the impact you can have on somebody else. So, I just try to carry myself the right way. Who I am is deeply rooted in my faith and I try to display that every day, whether it is to a younger kid, to someone who is older, or really anybody I interact with.”
As the Husker players grind their way through fall camp in preparation for the season opener Sept. 5 against Ohio, Kaelin looks for the chance to prove himself on the field. Off it, though, he’s focused on a different kind of strategy – one that helps him become a better Catholic and draw nearer to God.
“Other than going to church on Sundays, this summer I have challenged myself to get to reconciliation and daily Mass at least once every two weeks,” he said. “In my daily life, it starts with my mornings. I always start with prayer, whether it is in the car saying a Divine Mercy or trying to finish a rosary on the way to the facility. I also, and I struggle with this as well, I am sure a lot of people do, try to find parts of my day to be in constant relationship with God, talking to Him and praying, because there are so many things we can get lost in during the day, so many different challenges and things we think are important. Relying on your faith and turning back to God can really help you get through those challenges and keep you on the straight path. And finishing my day with prayer is always important to me as well.”
That photo of Kaelin as a young boy at Memorial Stadium brings back great memories for him just as he prepares to make new memories in that same stadium. But there’s a couple of other photos that also help tell the story of Danny Kaelin. One is of him as a boy in a sport coat and tie, smiling again at the camera, taken just after his First Communion. And there’s another of him a little bit older near the altar having just been confirmed. All three of the photos capture who he has become – a Husker fan-turned-Husker athlete ready to compete, and a Catholic man who has made his faith a priority in his life.
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“My Catholic faith means quite literally everything to me. At the end of the day, everything in this world is fleeting, and the one thing that is going to stand true is Jesus Christ. He will be back one day and there is nothing more that I want out of this life than to be able to go to Heaven and leave everywhere that I go better than the way that I found it.”
Editor’s Note: Watch a video story and video interview with Danny Kaelin in its entirety on the Catholic Diocese of Lincoln YouTube channel, @CatholicDioceseofLincoln.
