It’s sitting in NIU tight end Brad Cieslak’s garage. And all of his coaches hope it stays there until after the season.

For three years now, Cieslak has been able to keep his baby hidden from the knowledge of his coaches, working on it under the cover of his weekends off.

It’s his drag-strip ready 1970 Chevy Nova. An original metallic blue paint job wrapped around a rebuilt 350-horsepower engine just aching for an open road.

And his coaches are finally starting to catch wind of it.

“He better wear a helmet,” said NIU offensive coordinator John Bond after hearing about the car. “I’m just glad I didn’t find out until now. If I had known about it before the season, I would have been really nervous.”

NIU head coach Joe Novak said he also had heard rumors of the hot rod earlier this season. But he’s just glad Cieslak didn’t own the car back in 2000.

“If he did, I probably wouldn’t have allowed him to try out,” Novak said.

Coming out of Lincolnshire’s Stevenson High School, where he played quarterback, Cieslak was barely recruited. But his high school coach just happened to know NIU recruiting coordinator Mike Sabock.

“I met with Sabock and Novak and they pretty much told me they didn’t need a quarterback,” Cieslak said. “But they liked my size and said I was more than welcome to try out for a tight end position as a walk-on.”

Cieslak took them up on the opportunity and made the team.

Numerous injuries to his knees over the past three seasons have limited his play and coming into this season, Cieslak had caught just 16 passes.

But when Bond took over the play calling last spring, he knew he wanted to spread the field. That meant getting No. 89 the ball more.

Cieslak has since flourished under the new system, as his 23 catches are second on the team this season.

But rumors are again circulating around the former quarterback turned car nut. With this season’s production, Cieslak has heard that a few NFL scouts have taken a liking to him.

The thought puts a grin on his face. Similar to the one he gets when he talks about his baby back home, just waiting for Cieslak to come and play.

Not his car. His new five-month old golden retriever, Chevy.