NORMAL — Feeling indebted to Illinois State, Kirby Peine is finally ready to make payments in the form of services rendered.
After recovering from a second surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Peine returned to the practice field earlier this week and is contending for playing time on the Redbird offensive line.
“It’s been a long journey,” Peine said Thursday. “I really owe these guys a lot here at Illinois State.”
Peine (pronounced PINE-e) was a starter on a 10-2 Fresno (Calif.) Community College team in 2018 before tearing his knee ligament for the first time right before a playoff game.