Klecko finding ways to surpass famous dad
If he never makes another play in the NFL, at least he can tease Joe about this: If the Indianapolis Colts beat the Bears on Sunday, he'll have three more Super Bowl rings than his dad, who retired with zero.
''When he won the second one, he came home and said, 'Dad, do you want to try it on?''' his father said in a phone interview from the Colts' team hotel in Fort Lauderdale. ''I told him to get it out of there and not to bring it back. It's a running gag we have going.''
From the time Dan Klecko first remembers watching his father on the football field, he has tried to duplicate the charismatic, blue-collar personality that made the New York Jets defensive lineman so popular in the NFL's largest market.
He even took many of the same paths, starting with Temple University, where Joe Klecko earned All-America honors and Dan was the Big East's defensive player of the year. Both started their pro careers in the Northeast, Joe with the Jets, Dan with the New England Patriots. And both eventually wound up in Indianapolis.
The primary difference was that the older Klecko had a prototypical defensive lineman's body at 6-3, 263 pounds when he entered the league in 1977.
Dan Klecko is a pudgier version. His 5-11, 275-pound frame seems more conducive to fullback than defensive tackle in today's NFL. He has 33 tackles in four years and one career start.
So when he lumbered toward the end zone in the AFC Championship Game, it drew a typical family response.
''We went nuts,'' Joe Klecko said. ''It was awesome. My wife and the kids and I, we were all high-fiving each other.''
When he got to the NFL, the younger Klecko got lost behind bigger players. The Patriots cut him in September, and the Colts quickly claimed him off waivers.
What coach Tony Dungy liked was Klecko's versatility, and he worked him into the offense.
If growing up a Klecko wasn't tough enough, imagine what it was like trying to figure out all of Peyton Manning's audibles.
''There's a lot of stuff to learn,'' he said.
Finally, in the regular-season finale, Manning checked to a fullback swing pass, and Klecko scored on a two-yard catch.
''He called me that night and said, 'Hey, Dad, I scored a touchdown today just like -- oh, wait a minute, you never scored one,''' Joe Klecko said.
AP