By Dan Ninham
Aiden Neadeau is a member of the Red Lake Ojibwe Nation. He is a graduating senior at Bemidji High School and was a three-year varsity letter winner and two-year starter in football.
Neadeau recently signed his national letter of intent to continue his education and football playing career at the NCAA DIII University of Minnesota Morris.
Neadeau knows who he is an indigenous person and this guides him as he moves forward. He said, “I’ve always been taught to respect others and my opponents and to always take pride in who I am and what I do. I’ve also always been taught to stay humble and show love to all creation.”
“My grandmother Rochelle Johnson has always inspired me the most,” said Neadeau. “She is the real life example of resilience and she’s shown me how to never give up and to always keep going. She showed me what true kindness and respect are and taught me to always show kindness to everybody.”
“My position coach Carey Woods has been a huge motivator to me,” said Neadeau. “He’s been one of my biggest supporters and has been right by my side helping me perfect my craft and always making sure I have a positive attitude. I give so much credit to him to be in the position I am in today and I couldn’t have done it without him.”
Bemidji HS assistant football coach Carey Woods said, “Honestly he’s put in the work and has asked great questions along the way. He had a positive attitude and worked his tail off.”
Uncle Ogema Neadeau had more to say about his nephew and how he maneuvered being a high school football and hockey athlete. He recalled, “When Aiden was a second year Squirt hockey player he was playing in a home tourney and got a little banged up in the first of two games on a Saturday. During warmups of the second game he decided that he wasn’t able to play. With a little encouragement he played the second game and had his best game of the season.”
“I don’t recall who they were playing but he had the game tying and game winning goals that day. I think he realized that he had more in the pain tolerance tank than he knew. I don’t think he’s missed any games without having a serious injury since then, he’s played thru pain,” added Uncle Ogema.
The Bemidji HS football program usually had a run first and run second game plan and did not often have a down the field wide receiver option unless they needed it.
“Like any wide receiver he wanted the ball but the plays weren’t typically down the field,” said Uncle Ogema. “Although it was difficult for him at times he did his best to stay positive and did his job by blocking down field. He had a goal of playing college ball and sent his highlight video to a few schools.”
“What I loved the most about his video was the portion of him blocking; it was fun to watch him destroy kids until the play was over,” said Uncle Ogema.
The blocking strength of this wide receiver caught the attention of NCAA DIII University of Minnesota Morris head football coach Marty Hoffmann. Last season the UMM Cougars were Upper Midwest Conference Champions with a 7-4 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs. They started the season with a 0-3 record and turned the season around by winning seven straight before the playoffs.
Coach Hoffmann said, “We are thrilled to have Aiden join the program! He has good size and runs well. He runs sharp routes and has great hands. He is also an aggressive blocker which shows his team first mentality.”
Being a team first athlete fared well for this Bemidji HS Lumberjack and will carry on to being a team first UMM Cougar.
