Like most offensive linemen, Naperville Central’s John Penny doesn’t seek or get much recognition for his abilities.
But Penny’s talents aren’t limited to the field. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound senior is an actor, singer and humanitarian.
Those other extracurricular activities might be even more impressive than being a two-year starter at right guard, and Penny is plenty good at that, as his teammates can attest.
“He’s a big guy, and he’s tough,” senior defensive back Ryan Spickerman said. “He’s a great leader. If you need someone to make a play, you’ll look to him, and he’ll make that play, he’ll make that block.”
Speaking of making plays, Penny has performed in two musicals during his time at Naperville Central, first in “Mamma Mia!” his freshman year.
Penny didn’t do the musical during his sophomore year because he was competing for the wrestling team, but he returned to the stage in the spring as Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast.”
“It was a lot of fun,” Penny said. “You get to pretend to be someone that you’re not. At the same time, I got to pretend like I was a big guy in town. It took some getting used to, that’s for sure.”
Playing a classic villain like the arrogant, chauvinist and murderous Gaston was an opportunity for Penny to showcase a different ability while stepping into a character utterly different from himself. And it wasn’t easy. Penny spent about 2 1/2 months rehearsing.
“It was a lot of time in practice rooms with my choir director,” Penny said. “We were running through the songs to get them memorized. They were already kind of memorized because it’s a pretty classic show.”
Spickerman, a co-captain like Penny, was unable to attend the show. But many of the Redhawks players and coaches, including head coach Mike Ulreich, were there.
“A lot of the O-linemen went and saw him,” Spickerman said. “He did a great job.”
That’s par for the course for Penny, who isn’t your average football player. Some people have told him he’s a Renaissance man.
“I’ve always loved choir,” Penny said. “I was in my church choir for a while. That really got me into choir here at school, and then they were like, ‘Hey, you should come do (the play).’ I’m like, ‘All right.’ So I signed my name down, and I was there.”
Penny is thinking about doing another show after the football season ends. Maybe it will be a more lovable character than Gaston, who is not a nice dude.
“It’s funny,” Penny said. “You can’t be a nice dude when you’re playing football, either, you know.”
Indeed, Penny enjoys putting crunching blocks on defenders and loves helping linemen Grant Ellinger, Duncan Foley, Connor Sands and Trevon Morrow do the same.
“Communication is his biggest attribute,” Ulreich said. “We do a lot of communicating up front about where our combo blocks go, and John does a great job of making sure everybody knows where we’re going.”
Penny is going places, but maybe not where you might think. He isn’t planning to play football or act in college.
Instead, Penny is leaning toward going into nursing or teaching. He works as a nursing assistant at The Pearl of Naperville nursing home and said he enjoys helping people.
“He’s such a nice guy,” Spickerman said. “He’s a guy you just want to be around all the time. He’s a great football player too.”
Penny is the type of player Ulreich loves coaching.
“He’s an amazing human being,” Ulreich said. “He’s a great leader for our team and really a great example of being a Naperville Central football player.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
