LINCOLN, NEB. ? Andy Kadavy believed he was meant to play football for Nebraska, and he wasn’t going to let blindness in one eye keep him from reaching that goal.

Getting cut by the Cornhuskers wasn’t going to stop him, either.

The history of Huskers football is filled with stories of small-town Nebraska kids who walk-on and eventually earn scholarships. Kadavy’s story goes beyond the norm.

“He’s an inspiration in so many ways,” coach Bill Callahan said.

Despite being blind in his right eye, Kadavy has earned a scholarship and become a backup linebacker, making key contributions on special teams.

He’s never used his lack of sight as a crutch.

“I still have one good eye,” he said. “It’s not like I’m completely blind.”

Kadavy grew up about 20 miles west of Lincoln in Seward. California and New Mexico State offered football scholarships, but Kadavy loved Big Red. So when coach Frank Solich asked him to walk on as a fullback in 2002, Kadavy eagerly said yes.

“That was my dream, and if Cal and New Mexico State thought I could play at that level, I thought I should give it a shot at Nebraska,” Kadavy said.

It was during his senior year at Seward High that Kadavy began having problems with his right eye. When he sat in the back of class, the blackboard appeared fuzzy. He got glasses, but they didn’t help.

Gradually worsened

The vision in his right eye gradually worsened. By his sophomore year in college, all vision in that eye was gone.

“I couldn’t have seen it if a train was coming at me,” he said.

A specialist in Omaha diagnosed Kadavy with Coats’ disease, a rare disorder that leads to the detachment of the retina. He underwent five painful surgeries in an attempt to save his vision, all to no avail.

“It was very hard to watch what was happening,” said Kadavy’s mother, Teri Stuhr. “There were times when I told Andy that continuing to play football wasn’t good for his health. I was afraid that one hard hit would make the blindness permanent. It turns out it was permanent anyway.

“Andy not playing was not an option. He had played since he was a little boy. That would never be something he could give up.”

Doctors told Kadavy he could continue playing if he wore a visor on his helmet to protect his left eye.

All along, he did the best he could to keep his blindness a secret to all but a few close friends.

“I don’t think anybody ever really noticed it,” said his friend and teammate, safety Brandon Rigoni. “I can’t say I ever saw a particular play on film where I thought, ‘Wow, that happened because he couldn’t see out of that eye.’ Guys on the team joke with him about it. He doesn’t dwell on it.”

Kadavy said it wouldn’t do him any good to be angry and pout about his misfortune.

“I forgot what it’s like to have two good eyes,” he said. “I can’t act like it’s never gotten me down. I’d like to play with full vision. I try to keep a positive attitude about it.”

Caught in a logjam of 11 fullbacks, he struggled to earn a place on Solich’s team. During individual meetings after 2003 spring practice, running backs coach Tim Albin thanked Kadavy for his effort and then told him he was no longer needed.

“That,” Kadavy said, “was a killer. I was so ashamed. It was horrible. I didn’t listen to him. I kept going to workouts, showed up in summer, kept doing everything.”

During one of his summer workouts in the weight room, defensive coordinator Bo Pelini struck up a conversation with him. Kadavy said he begged Pelini to give him a look. Pelini agreed.

Clean slate

Kadavy started with a clean slate when Callahan took over for the fired Solich in 2004. Kadavy said he didn’t tell any of the new coaches about his blind right eye – until after last season – for fear of giving them a reason to cut him.

“I was a walk-on struggling to get on the field,” Kadavy said. “With the difficulties that come from just being a walk-on, I didn’t want to say, ‘Hey, coach. I can’t see out of one of my eyes.’ If it comes down to it, he’s going to say, ‘Who do I put on the field – this kid who can see or this kid who can’t see?”‘

As a football player, Kadavy already has been rewarded. It came in August when Callahan gave him a scholarship.