Lindholm ready for season

CHADRON – Kevin Lindholm has played in every game the Chadron State College football team has been involved with during the previous three seasons.

In those 33 contests, he's compiled nearly 200 tackles and has started 22 straight games at linebacker. He's been a team captain, a 2012 preseason All-American and currently a two-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference First Team choice.

Because of those honors and strong character traits, Lindholm embodies what his head coach, Jay Long, says is an ideal 'Chadron State guy.'

"Kevin was one of the players I immediately knew would step up once I got here," said Long, who is entering his first season. "When I think of Chadron State and its typical players, he's right up there. He's tough, aggressive, has a never-quit attitude and plays sideline-to-sideline. He's the leader of the defense and I know he's going to play well this season."

The Eagles begin preseason preparations by reporting to camp Wednesday afternoon. Following team photos and meetings, the coaches will test the incoming and returning players Thursday morning before having their first practice Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m.

For Lindholm, the season can't start soon enough.

"Really, it's an honor to play football at Chadron State," Lindholm said during the RMAC's Football Media Day Monday in Colorado Springs, Colo. "A bunch of the guys on the team are just small town kids who grew up on ranches and they have a chance to play in front of crowds that are bigger than the towns they lived in. I didn't know a lot about Chadron State in high school but once I saw what the players before me had accomplished, it became easy to give that respect to them. It's an honor to be a part of it and I just hope I can help our team get back on top of the conference."

The past three seasons Lindholm has done his best to guide the Eagles back to the national spotlight. He's never missed a game and has averaged over five tackles in each game he's played. He had a season to remember in 2011 when he led the Eagles with 89 tackles, recording at least eight stops in eight different games.

"I'm not the most vocal guy in the world and so I try to lead by example," he said. "I do what I do best and that is working hard. I know the coaches expect me to be more of a vocal leader, and I know I need to work on that, but for the most part I let my play show what I'm telling the guys on the field."

Lindholm knows the Eagles will have a tough task ahead of them this season. They begin with three difficult games on the road – Montana State, Angelo State and the RMAC opener at Colorado Mesa – before hosting Western State for Family Day on Sept. 22.

He said if the Eagles can get through those first three games healthy, the potential for a special season exists.

"Like Coach Long said, we have a lot of history and tradition and that's not going to go away," he said. "There are a lot of hard-working and talented guys on the team. We need to make the most of our opportunities and focus on one game at a time.

"I can't wait for the season to begin and to play at Montana State in the opener, but there's something special about playing at Elliott Field. The adrenaline is incredible before a home game and it's always a rush to ring the bell and walk down the hill. I knew I arrived as a CSC football player when I walked down the hill for the first time."

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