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When 2003 Onalaska High School graduate Andy Towner joined the military two months after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, getting sent overseas in the war on terror was a distinct possibility. But even he didn’t realize then how much of a positive influence it would have not only his life in general, but his football career at UW-Stout.
Towner playing at Stout wasn’t a surprise, as he was a second-team all-Mississippi Valley Conference selection as a defensive end in his senior season in 2002. He also has plenty of family history in the football program at Stout, with uncle Jeff an all-Wisconsin State University Conference selection in 1971 and cousin Josh, a 1999 Onalaska grad, a two-time all-WIAC lineman.
But his playing career took a detour from 2003 to 2005. He didn’t make the team as a freshman, was on the scout tem as a sophomore and then got deployed to Iraq in June, 2005.
“When I was overseas, football was a thing that kept me going,” Towner said. “I was able to lift weights at pretty much every base while overseas and it was a way to get away from it all. Being able to come back and play football was exactly what I needed.”
Towner was released from active duty Aug. 21, 2006. He didn’t delay returning to football, participating in Stout’s practice the next day.
“It was nice to jump right into it,” Towner said. “Football helped me come back from overseas. It kept me busy enough to keep my mind off the deployment.”
And return he did. While Towner’s pre-Iraq game showed some glimpse of his future impact as the team’s Scout Team Player of the Year in 2004, Towner played seven of 10 games in 2006, mainly on special teams, including six tackles and a tackle for loss against UW-La Crosse.
Towner also played in seven games last fall after being voted a team captain and was part of a three-man rotation at linebacker. This season, after being voted a captain once again, he led the Blue Devils with 74 total tackles and was second on the club with 12 tackles for loss, while also breaking up two passes and forcing a fumble. Towner capped his season by joining his uncle and cousin in earning second-team all-WIAC honors.
“I’ve had really good coaches that taught me the position (linebacker) and kept pushing me,” Towner said of his improvement from not making the team in ‘03 to all-league player in ‘08. “I told myself my freshman year that I would play here and be a good player. I just kept working and never let anyone tell me I couldn’t do it.”
Beyond the rediscovering the joy of football, Towner has received another blessing since his return from Iraq. He’s been able to play with his younger brother and self-described best friend, 2005 Onalaska grad Greg. Greg Towner finished with 37 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and a sack this fall.
“Playing with my brother has been so much fun,” Towner said. “We’ve pushed each other from the time we were playing football in the back yard and that didn’t change when we went to college. He and I were lifting partners each offseason and we both had each other’s back on and off the field.”
At the time of his deployment, saying Towner was a little leery of the future would have seemed natural. But Towner said his time in Iraq helped his mental acuity for football, which he describes as “about 90 percent a mental game.”
“It gave me the mental edge needed to play football,” Towner said. “Iraq gave me the mental toughness to push through barriers I had placed in front of me that were stopping me from succeeding. Going to Iraq gave me the confidence to be a better player.”
Towner will graduate in May with a degree in construction management, and hopes to one day take over the family contracting business, TCI. Towner is the son of John and Rita Towner of Onalaska.
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