Growing up, NIU’s Tim Vincent was a die-hard Chicago Bears fan. Every summer since he was 12, he and his father or grandfather would make the 45-minute trek to Platteville, Wis., from their home in Galena to see the boys in orange and blue workout.

At the time, Vincent would put himself in the shoes of the Bears players and picture himself out there. But when Vincent began football, he was a bit undersized, and he knew, in the back of his head, that the NFL was a far stretch of a dream.

“But I just figured that I had the height,” said Vincent, recalling his younger days. “So, as long as I kept hitting the weights and working hard it would be possible [to make it to the NFL].”

On May 7, all the dreams came to fruition for the 6-foot-6, 290-pound offensive tackle, who started for NIU the past four years, when he signed a free agent contract with the Bears.

“It’s almost surreal because that’s been his dream since he was little,” said Vincent’s mom, Pam Doyle. “I don’t know if I’ll scream or cry or smile when I see him in that uniform.”

It is not a done deal, however, that Vincent will be there when the Bears open the season in San Francisco on Sept. 7.

If he makes the active roster, he’d make $225,000, but Vincent realizes that nothing is guaranteed.

As much as Tim Vincent talks positively about his time on the DeKalb campus, he doesn’t want to come back – at least not for the fall semester.

Vincent has yet to graduate NIU, and needs only a semester of student teaching to get his degree in elementary education. He is signed up to student teach this fall at Clinton Rosette Middle School in DeKalb, 650 N. First St.

As serious as he takes his academics, First-Team All-MAC Academic, and as much as he loves teaching, the only kids he wants to be around come August are the ones after the Bears preseason games that he’ll be signing autographs for.

“We’re certainly happy for Tim,” NIU coach Joe Novak said. “I think he’s capable of playing in that league. I think [the Bears] are looking for some people in his spot.”

One of nine tackles listed on the Bears’ 95-man roster, if Vincent wants to make the cut, he knows what he’ll have to do.

“I don’t really know what kind of shot I have, but right now I’m just working hard,” Vincent said.

Hard work has been something attached to Vincent just as his name always is to the dean’s list.

In high school, the work ethic began to show itself, and Vincent’s mom can attest to it.

“When he got into high school it was a passion for him,” Doyle recalled. “He wore out the remote control for the TV, forward and reverse, all the time watching game film of other teams. One time he called out the other team’s play before they ran it.”

His studious habits on the gridiron, strenuous efforts in the weight room and pulsating love of the game allowed Vincent to lead Galena to the 1A State Championship his senior year.

The work ethic rolled over to NIU just as surely as a defender in Vincent’s path would find himself on his backside – he led NIU with 16 pancake blocks in 2003.

In 41 career games as a Huskie, the Galena-native started 39 at left tackle and played 2,970 snaps from 1999-’02. He redshirted in ’98, then played a couple years with current Colts offensive lineman Ryan Diem. As a junior he allowed only one quarterback sack all year en route to a second-team All-MAC honoring. He finished off his career garnering a nod on the First-Team All-MAC Team while blocking for the nation’s second leading rusher, Michael Turner.

For now, Vincent plans on working out in Lake Forest with the other Bears free agents and rookies until his third and final mini camp next week. From there, practice begins in Bourbonnais on July 25.

“I grew up a Bears fan watching games pretty much as long as I can remember,” Vincent said. “I know I’m more familiar with the tradition of the Bears and how they go about doing things than most people.”

Now he just wants a chance to be a part of that tradition.