CHICAGO — Fabbians Ebbele, a mountain of a man on Arizona's offensive line, has been the Wildcats' Mr. Reliable for the last four seasons.
The Simeon graduate and Roseland native has played in 50 consecutive games, starting 49 of them, at right tackle since being inserted into Arizona's lineup in fall 2011.
"Just thank God for the gifts he's given me and my physical ability," said the 6-foot-8, 315-pound redshirt senior, who's already graduated with a degree in economy and industry.
Justin Breen says Ebbele was able to follow his high school team's success this year:
"I do what I have to do to stay productive and have had productive years. And thank God I've had no injuries," added Ebbele, whose No. 10 Wildcats (10-3) face No. 20 Boise State (11-2) in Dec. 31's Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.
Ebbele was a sought-after recruit who was highly coveted by Illinois among others. He chose Arizona because of its football program's consistent success, it offered his desired major, and he "liked the weather out here," Ebbele said.
Ebbele is considered a potential NFL draft pick, but if that doesn't work out, he wants to run a business like his father, Fabbians Ebbele Sr., a Nigerian immigrant who started as a cab driver in Chicago and now owns the company.
"My thing was I had to compete with my dad," Ebbele said of his father, who earned a master's degree before buying the cab company. "And when I was being recruited, I looked at the roster [in Arizona], and there were a lot of seniors who I could really learn a lot from."
Ebbele redshirted the 2010 season, and has been a mainstay on the O-line his entire playing career.
His head coach at Simeon, Jesse Chick, said Ebbele is displaying the same dominance he exhibited as a Wolverine.
"He controlled the line for years here," said Chick, of Ashburn. "He was such a technician, and he knew how to position himself. And he's really good at absorbing the amount of information he takes in."
Two of Chick's former players are on NFL rosters: Nate Palmer of the Green Bay Packers and Zach Moore of the New England Patriots. Chick believes Ebbele will be joining them, in part because of the footwork he developed as a member of Simeon's varsity basketball team.
"Every coach says if a lineman has good feet, he has a great chance" of playing in the NFL, Chick said. "And Fabbians has some footwork that's unbelievable."
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