Hillenmeyers hunger for Super Bowl success
Henry Hillenmeyer is best known in Nashville as CEO of the beloved Cooker restaurant chain. His son Hunter, 26, is the Bears' starting strong-side linebacker who led the Southeastern Conference in tackles as a senior at Vanderbilt.
The Cooker was popular in the 1980s and '90s and known for its comfort food. Hunter was a Cooker food runner as a teenager.
''We had pot roast, meat loaf and a huge array of fresh vegetables [the 'three' in the South],'' the elder Hillenmeyer said. ''Our kids have eaten healthy food all their lives, and my wife [Sally] works out every day. Hunter won't even drink carbonated beverages.''
Hillenmeyer, 63, is semi-retired. He also was a director of Southern Hospitality Corporation, franchising Wendy's restaurants throughout middle Tennessee. This week he has been seen around Nashville wearing his son's replica No. 92 Bears jersey with ''DAD'' emblazoned on the back.
Hunter is the youngest of five boys. His older brother Taylor played golf at the University of Miami (Fla). Their father earned a B.A. in economics from Yale, where he was on the basketball and crew teams.
''I tried to get Hunter to go to Yale,'' Hillenmeyer said. ''He said he didn't want to go because they played Mickey Mouse football in the Ivy League. He wanted to play against Florida and Alabama to find out how good he was. He bet me $10,000 that he would graduate summa [cum laude], and he won the bet. That's hard to do when you play football in the SEC.
''Hunter grew up so tough because his older brothers kicked him around,'' Hillenmeyer reminisced with a smile. ''And Hunter was the football. The boys used to put him in a laundry basket and send him down the stairs.''
Hunter also is lifelong friends with pro golfer Brandt Snedeker, who last week finished third in the Buick Invitational after earning his PGA Tour card last fall. They have been classmates since nursery school.
The entire Hillenmeyer family planned to fly to Miami to watch the Super Bowl. They will not be surprised if the underdog Bears cook the Colts.
''Hunter has an extra sense about him,'' his father said. ''He is very competitive. If somebody tells him he can't do something, his attitude is to show them. No one was even sure he could play SEC football.''