CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- When he was a kid, Mitch Trubisky spent so much time hanging around the football field that Mentor (Ohio) High coach Steve Trivisonno eventually gave him a job as a ball boy. Ostensibly, Trubisky's primary function was attending to the footballs, but his position also afforded him a chance to play catch with the players, rub elbows with the coaches and ride the team bus for games.
Trubisky was 12, and he had a seat on the bus with the biggest stars in town.
"That was one of the best experiences of my life," Trubisky said.