Have No Fear, Nece Is Here

Before taking the field for one of the best games of his UCLA career, linebacker Ryan Nece looked into the Kansas stands, found his mom, and shot his arms out like a 747.

Turns out, Cathy Nece has an intense fear of flying and almost stayed home in California. A late-night call to Ryan on Thursday was the only reason she decided not to cash in her ticket.

“He told me I have to face my fears,” she said. “I did it because of him.”

Good thing she did. She gritted her teeth through a bumpy flight, and her son repaid that loyalty with a huge game. He had a fumble recovery and scored on an interception return--his first touchdown as a defensive player, at any level.

“That was huge for me,” said Nece, son of NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Ronnie Lott. “It’s something I can tell my grandkids about.”

If so, he might want to doctor the story a bit. This was no picture-perfect catch. In fact, he had so much time to watch the ball and think about wrapping his hands around it, he nearly dropped it.

“It actually hit me in the chest and bounced up,” he said. “I basically had to catch it twice. I said, ‘I cannot drop this thing.’ I’ve scored in practice before, but those don’t count.”

Nece’s 22-yard return gave the Bruins a 20-3 lead, providing them with all the points they would need in a 41-17 rout.

That Nece is even on the field is a tribute to his toughness. He underwent two shoulder surgeries in the off-season. His left shoulder was reconstructed, and his right was scoped. For a while, his coaches were unsure if he would be ready to return in time for his senior season.

“He’s definitely back quicker than we thought he’d be,” Coach Bob Toledo said. “He’s been pretty amazing.”

Nece credits some of his ability to anticipate to film study. Forget video games, he’s into game video. He will spend hours a week watching it, wearing out the buttons on his VCR.

Even as a tyke, when his dad was playing for the San Francisco 49ers, he was fascinated with football.

“He’d sit by himself in front of the TV as a 4-year-old and watch an entire game,” said Cathy. “He’d always walk around the house with a football too.”

She and her son would play catch daily, and Cathy even hung a tire from a tree in the yard so Ryan, who played quarterback at San Bernardino Pacific High, would have a passing target.

That said, Ryan didn’t play football until eighth grade, instead concentrating on baseball and basketball.

“I wanted him to do other things,” his mother said.

Being the son of an NFL star made for some lofty expectations, as well, many of which haunt Nece even now.

“Even your teammates will joke around about it,” he said. “They say, ‘You aren’t as good as your dad,’ or, ‘Your dad could have made that play better.’ That gets under your skin. I’m not even comparable to what my dad was. He kind of founded the safety position.”

Regardless, Nece felt good about what he was able to do Saturday. He was delighted, too, that his mom and girlfriend made it to the game.

The women took different flights, but both endured armrest-clutching turbulence Friday as their planes descended through stormy skies over Kansas City.

The last time Nece flew with his mother was when he visited the University of Washington on a recruiting trip. There were a few rough patches during that flight, and each time the plane jiggled his mother pushed the call button for the flight attendant.

“I just wanted to know what each little bump meant,” she said. “Ryan had his headphones on and was just sinking deeper and deeper into his seat. I think he was embarrassed.”

That recollection made her laugh, but not for long.

“I don’t want to talk about it too much,” she said. “Because now I’ve got to fly back.”