METAMORA — Cam Nickel is making a name for himself at linebacker for Metamora.

That's no easy task for a player whose family tree carries some big athletic names.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior has 30 tackles in the first three games of the season, 10th among all defensive players in the state. On opening night, in a 28-17 win over Sterling, Nickel piled up 14 tackles, just three short of reaching the IHSA single-game records list.

"I love being able to go out there with everyone, see what we're capable of doing together," said Nickel, a straight-A student who wastes no time. He works for Oberlander Electric as a forklift operator and delivery driver and in a chiropractor's office.

"There's just no other feeling like it, playing for a purpose and to meet internal goals together," he said. "Every day, I want to see how I measure up."

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There's a lot to measure up to in his family heritage, too. His father, Travis, played football and baseball in high school. He has an uncle who had a tryout with a Major League Baseball team, pre-empted by a knee injury.

And then there is Pat Borders and Elbie Nickel.

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Pat Borders was a former MLB catcher who played 17 seasons and nearly 1,100 MLB games with Toronto, Kansas City, Houston, St. Louis, the Angels, the White Sox, Cleveland, Seattle and Minnesota. He was named World Series MVP in 1992 and hit .450 to lead Toronto to a championship.

Borders was also a member of Team USA's gold medal winners in the 2000 Olympics. He is one of only five players in history to win a World Series and Olympic gold medal in baseball.

And he's something else.

"He's my third cousin," Nickel said. "I met him when I was younger. When I heard I was his cousin, I looked up videos of him and watched him play. He's an athletic freak.

"It's crazy to think I'm related to that guy."

He's also related to former Pittsburgh Steelers three-time Pro Bowl tight end Elbie Nickel, who is his great-uncle. Elbie played 11 seasons from 1947-57 and compiled 329 catches for 5,131 yards and 37 touchdowns, big numbers for that era. He is a member of the Steelers All-Time Team, the Steelers Legends Team and the Steelers Hall of Honor.

"I looked up his stats," Nickel said. "My uncle got me a scrapbook he made about him, and gave it to me for my birthday. I've been driven past the house in Ohio where he used to live. He lived my dream, which is to play in the NFL."

There is more. Aside from his father's athletic history and his uncle's shot at the MLB, Nickel has a grandfather who was crew chief for Wilson-Inman Motorsports in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series during the mid-90s.

They are all part of a family tree that includes his father, Travis, his mom, Nichelle — a caregiver — and his older brother, Bryson, who played some youth football.

Growing up football

Cam Nickel initially didn't want to play football. In second grade, he was asked to fill in on a youth team that belonged to a friend of his father. He didn't come back in third grade.

But he did in fourth grade, and everything seemed different.

"I fell in love with it," said Nickel, whose family at the time was living in Russell, Ky. "I moved from defensive end to running back and it was so fun, so intense."

By the time he was in fifth grade, the family moved to Illinois as his father had a new job in the Peoria area.

That fifth-grade football season was a big one for Cam Nickel. He was selected to play in a youth All-American Hall of Fame Game at the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in June of 2018.

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Nickel played only football until seventh and eighth grade when he added basketball for two seasons. He dropped hoops and returned to football only as he entered high school, wanting to focus on training and playing football.

It's working. He started at linebacker for Metamora as a sophomore last season. In the offseason, he says he focused on weight training and eating better and gained nearly 20 pounds. Now he patrols as the Redbirds' Will linebacker.

"My dad was my coach for a couple years back in JFL," Nickel said. "He put me at linebacker. Coaches have kept me there ever since. I've had no problem at that spot, it gets me into the play. I love it."

The love is mutual.

"He does the work, and he's making great progress," said Redbirds coach Jared Grebner during a preseason visit. "He's a key part of our defense."

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Nickel had 20 tackles all season as a sophomore. But after three games this season, he had 30 and Metamora is 2-1. He's found an identity as a linebacker. And he carries linebacker toughness, too. He dislocated his shoulder during Metamora's Week 2 game against Washington. Unwilling to come out of the game, he told no one he was hurt.

"I'm a huge Ravens fan," he said. "Looking back, that comes from seeing Ray Lewis, what a great linebacker he was, I always loved that guy and just had to watch him.

"I'm more into college football now. We're big Ohio State fans in my house."

Asked what NFL running back he'd like a chance to tackle, he said: "Derrick Henry. I think I could get him down. Might hurt, though."

For now, he'll settle for taking down Mid-Illini Conference running backs and building a football-worthy college resume.

"I'd love to play college football someday," he said. "Right now, I'm focused on what is happening here. We're all about being there for each other, having each other's back.

"We count on each other and trust each other. That's what the Metamora name is about."

Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Metamora linebacker's family tree has branches in MLB, NFL, NASCAR