When a chop block from an Iowa offensive lineman took Dan Kwapinski’s knee and buried it into the artificial turf of the Metrodome last year — ripping apart his anterior cruciate ligament in the process — it wasn’t surprising that the injury led to some of the most agonizing pain Kwapinski had experienced.
But the pain didn’t come from the injury itself — the defensive tackle went on to finish the game before learning the severity of the injury. The torment came when he learned he wouldn’t be able to play in the Music City Bowl, a 29-14 win over Arkansas and Minnesota’s first bowl victory since 1985.
“It was a rough time for me,” said Kwapinski, who prior to the injury led the team by playing in 23 straight games. “Sitting and watching was way worse than any physical pain. Almost worse than the Music City Bowl was sitting and watching the 15 bowl practices with all of my friends and teammates going at each other.”
Kwapinski did his best to act as a coach off the field during rehab, watching from the sideline and giving pointers to his teammates. For the first time in his career, Kwapinski found himself on the patient’s side of the rehabilitation process.
“I was really lucky all through my whole career of not having any major injuries,” Kwapinski said. “I had some experience rehabbing with people because I was planning on going into physical therapy. I worked three summers down in Burnsville, (Minnesota), doing actual rehab with patients, and I’ve seen a lot of knee surgeries and had helped people rehab from those. It was kind of strange to be on the other end of it.”
After his six-month rehab, the Gophers’ senior co-captain is back in top physical condition and back on the field.
And although Kwapinski’s numbers — 10 tackles and one forced fumble through five games — are far from eye-popping, his guidance and stalwart play have inspired the rest of the Gophers’ defensive line.
“He’s the toughest person I’ve ever met,” said Anthony Montgomery, the Gophers’ sophomore defensive end. “He’s one of the hardest working players on this team and a leader.”
Standing at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Kwapinski can bench press 400 pounds, making him one of the strongest on the Gophers’ defense. After redshirting in 1999, Kwapinski’s playing time and on-field production have grown every season, as he made the conversion from defensive end to tackle.
Playing mostly as a backup in 2000, Kwapinski recorded five tackles in nine games, including his first career sack against Northwestern. He became a starter the next season and registered 23 tackles in 11 games, only to top that his junior year with 25 tackles — 16 of them solo — in 12 games.
“He does everything the right way and his technique is always perfect,” Montgomery said. “He’s worked with me a lot in the offseason to get my technique to where it should be.”
A three-time academic All-Big Ten selection, Kwapinski brings the same focus that has fueled him on the football field to his courses. In 2002 he received Minnesota’s Butch Nash Award, which recognizes competitiveness on the field and in the classroom, and having already graduated with a degree in biology, he has abandoned physical therapy in favor of studying pharmacy as a graduate student this year.
“I don’t have much of a social life anymore,” Kwapinski said. “I just try to set a good example, to show everyone else how to work hard.”
