Linebackers Aaron and Daniel Nussbaum have been around the Naperville Central football program literally all their lives.
The twins, who turned 18 on July 31, have been inseparable since birth. Everyone has a story about the Nussbaums, who have grown into 6-foot-2, 215-pound seniors.
“I still remember them being born,” said Naperville Central coach Mike Ulreich, who was a first-year teacher at the time. “Seeing those two grow up and being around the program forever, it’s surreal that they’re seniors now. It’s a neat experience.”
Aaron and Daniel Nussbaum are the youngest of seven children. Their father, Andy, is in his 43rd season as an assistant for the Redhawks and also coaches the girls basketball and softball teams. Their mother, Wendy, works the scorer’s table at basketball games and began bringing the boys to football games when they were infants.
“We’ve got a picture of (late Naperville) Mayor (George) Pradel holding them at the Naperville North-Naperville Central football game in 2006,” Andy Nussbaum said. “The idea that this is the last go-round is a little bit bittersweet.
“It’s fun to coach them, although I don’t coach them directly. Parents, of course, enjoy watching their kids play. But I always enjoy watching them practice, and it’s been kind of a privilege to be up close and see them work.”
The twins have also played basketball and baseball — and Aaron Nussbaum has wrestled too — but football is their main sport and first love.
“Some of the earliest memories are definitely being young and playing catch with a football behind the end zone,” Daniel Nussbaum said, “watching the football games and knowing that one day that’s going to be us and dreaming of it.”
Coaching the Nussbaum twins has been a dream for Ulreich, who loves their versatility. Both play offense, defense and special teams. On offense, Aaron Nussbaum plays tight end, and Daniel Nussbaum plays fullback. For extra points and field goals, Daniel Nussbaum is the long snapper, and Aaron Nussbaum is the holder.
“The biggest thing is they love the physical part of football,” Ulreich said. “They’re the type of kids that will run through a wall for you. Whatever you ask them to do, they’ll do it. They’ll try as hard as they can to do it, so they are really easy to coach.”
The Nussbaum twins are conspicuous for their aggressive play and long hair as well as their surname. But outsiders don’t know the intangibles they bring.
“I know they stand out,” Ulreich said. “Every team we play knows who they are, but I think any other head coach would absolutely love coaching these two because they’re intelligent and they’re an absolute blast to coach.”
Entering their third varsity season, the Nussbaum twins continue to have a blast playing with each other and for the Redhawks (8-3), who reached the Class 8A quarterfinals last year and open with a home game against Hinsdale Central on Aug. 30. They will play in a new conference, the Southwest Valley Red, this season.
“I love having my brother out there,” Aaron Nussbaum said. “We argue a lot, but it’s what it takes to get a really good defense.
“We’ve been playing with a lot of these kids since we were younger. Having my brother right next to me every play and having my dad up in the press box or on the sideline watching me, it’s great to know that no matter what happens, you’re going to be supported by someone.”
That support has been present since the Nussbaum twins were born. Their older brothers Joe and Christian played college football at Wheaton, as did Andy Nussbaum. Joe Nussbaum coached Division III football for several years before joining the Air Force two years ago, and Christian Nussbaum is the recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach at Drake.
The Nussbaum twins also have three sisters who went into education and coaching: Amy is a statistics professor at the University of Chicago, and Jessica and Carly coach soccer and teach at Burlington Central and Metea Valley, respectively.
“Both of my brothers and all of my sisters, I really look up to them, and they’re role models for both of us,” Daniel Nussbaum said. “I would be a better person if I can have any of their qualities, especially my two brothers who played football, who showed me what it’s like to be a man and what it’s like to love everyone around them.”
The Nussbaum twins’ last name is well known in Naperville, but they don’t feel any pressure.
“I can’t really go a lot of places without somebody being like, ‘Are you Nussbaum’s kid?’ or knowing who I am,” Aaron Nussbaum said. “I think it’s really cool.
“To finish out my family’s legacy here and be the last of seven siblings to come through, it’s kind of scary, but it’s really an honor to be able to do that.”
At least one Nussbaum sibling has been a student at Naperville Central in 18 of the past 22 years. That streak will end after Aaron and Daniel Nussbaum graduate next May, but they intend to savor every moment of their senior year, particularly on the football field and especially because it might be their last year together.
Daniel Nussbaum, who has a 4.2 GPA, and Aaron Nussbaum, who has a 4.0, are both talking to Ivy League and Pioneer Football League coaches but haven’t decided whether they will attend the same school. They do know what sport they will play in college, however.
“There’s no sport like football,” Aaron Nussbaum said. “All these other sports are great sports, have great athletes, but none of them control the school quite like football does.”
Or inspires the brothers.
“It’s one of the only sports I feel you can build a true family,” Daniel Nussbaum said. “Out there on the field, you’ve got 10 brothers with you, and the coaches love you like you’re their son. It’s great to know when I leave my house, I have another family to come to at school.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
