NIU cornerbacks Adriel and Alvah Hansbro have always been together, and that wasn’t about to change when it came time for the duo to choose a college.

“Our daddy pounded in our minds that we were always supposed to be together and that two is better than one,” Adriel said. “Plus, we’re real tight. Our whole family’s like that. Splitting up really wasn’t an option for us.”

The two are identical twins, with Adriel the elder by one minute. Adriel is the starting strong-side cornerback for the Huskies, while Alvah is the backup to Rob Lee on the weak side.

They were on the field together for the first time in their NIU careers Saturday against Southern Illinois, but being on the same playing field is nothing new for the twins. They played baseball, basketball and football together at Edgewood High School in Madison, Wisc.

When told that their first NIU play together must have been a real thrill, the pair agreed to disagree.

“No, I wasn’t even paying attention,” Adriel said.

“I didn’t pay attention, either,” Alvah continued. “We’ve done it so much it’s like human nature to us. We were always next to each other. In baseball, it was shortstop and second base. In basketball it was point guard and shooting guard. In high school football, it was quarterback and receiver. We were just like, ‘Hey, let’s do our job.’”

Adriel and Alvah share much more than the same genes. They share pre-communication majors, musical interests and even their own page in the NIU media guide. That cohesiveness is rooted in the twins being the youngest of five children.

“We were the last ones to see everything; do everything,” Alvah said. “Everybody was older than us, but we had each other and we had to stick together.”

NIU fans are fortunate the twins chose to play football in college, because Adriel and Alvah were never picky when it came to playing sports. Baseball, basketball and football all played big roles in the Hansbro household.

“We loved all three of them exactly the same,” Alvah said. “Football was just the thing we chose. It was like the flip of a coin or something.”

Adriel singled out former Huskie Vince Thompson, a three-year starter at cornerback, as someone who taught the twins the tricks of the trade when they arrived in DeKalb.

“I had good people on my back to teach me,” Adriel said. “Vince Thompson was almost like our coach. He helped a lot and gave me a lot of confidence.”

That confidence has propelled Adriel to a starting role, but Alvah wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We’re both competitive people,” Alvah said. “He’s starting; more power to him. I’m supporting him and doing what I can.”

NIU secondary coach Steve Bernstein knows what the twins can do, and he not surprisingly bunched Adriel and Alvah together when asked about their playing abilities.

“They’re both really good athletes,” Bernstein said. “They’re both smart. They’re both very coachable.”

Adriel and Alvah are the first identical twins to play football at NIU since 1990, when Kevin and Kurt Cassidy played together.

“We’re twins,” said Adriel after Alvah listed the twins’ similarities. “We’re really twins.”

“You see a lot of twins; they grow up and they’re like, ‘Oh, we need to go our separate ways.’” Alvah said. “But two heads are so much stronger than one, ya know?”