Four years ago, Chad Spann walked onto the NIU football team and earned a scholarship.

As a departing senior, he has his sights set a little higher in 2011.

After helping the Huskies cap a 11-3 season with a victory in the uDrove Humanitarian Bowl, Spann is chasing his childhood dream to play in the NFL.

Going into the 2010 season, the now ex-Huskie knew he had to impress from the start to form a positive impression in the minds of NFL scouts. Rushing for 1,429 yards on 248 carries, there’s no doubt that Spann took care of business on the field.

Soon after the Huskies 40-17 victory over Fresno State in Boise, Idaho, Spann set out on a search for an agent to manage his football affairs post NIU. Looking for representation proved to be more complicated than Spann had ever dreamed. Fortunately for the NFL hopeful, he had some help.

“It’s definitely a process, there’s a lot that has to go into it,” Spann said. “There’s a lot of stuff that goes on that I don’t even understand, so my parents had a huge influence on who I selected.”

It didn’t take long for Spann and his parents to realize not every agent would be a good fit for the former Huskie. The Spann family wanted to truly get to know whatever agent they decided on.

“Sitting down with a lot of guys that sound good on the phone,” Spann said. “But when you sit down with them, you have to pick them apart and see what their business is all about.”

After a month and a half of phone conversations and dinners, Spann believed he had found the right company for him.

“Three or four times I went out with this one company before I agreed they would represent me,” Spann said. “Getting contracts straight and everything I had to get in order. It was a very long process and I’m glad it’s over.”

With the business side done for the time being, Spann looked to improve his draft stock. Many NFL hopefuls aim to improve their standing with scouts by participating in post-season all-star games. Spann initially planned on playing in the inaugural Eastham Energy game in Phoenix, AZ. One phone call later, though, and Spann’s plans changed.

“I got invited early on to the Eastham Energy game, it was going to be the first year of the game and there were supposed to be a lot of good players there,” Spann said. “But as soon as I officially accepted the invitation and my parents bought tickets to go down to the game, the NFLPA game approached me with an invitation.”

Formerly known as the Texas vs. The Nation Challenge, the NFLPA game is scheduled for Feb. 5 in San Antonio. Spann realizes going into the game that scouts will be watching closer than ever.

“There’s always a little pressure when you got eyes on you,” Spann said in a phone interview. “I’m just trying to take a positive approach and relax. It’s just another opportunity to put on the pads and play another game and show what I can do.”

Looking back on the past season, redshirt junior offensive tackle Trevor Olson is glad to have helped Spann on the field.

“As a teammate, you want to have your guys prosper as much as possible,” Olson said. “You want to say in the end that you helped someone succeed.”