So here stands Eric McClenahan, once again on the sidelines, clipboard in hand wearing a backwards baseball cap, signaling plays to the huddle.

New year, same story. McClenahan is again a reserve quarterback, relegated to giving pointers that are unique to a sideline observer. For his fifth straight year, McClenahan is on the outside looking in.

Since his 1999 junior season at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, Eric has started just 3 games, every other game of his career, including 20 at Azusa Pacific, began with Eric on the sideline. He is a fine quarterback, but every season circumstances seemingly get in the way, leading Eric to wonder if even God wants him to be a starter.

“I’d like to play the good Christian, but I’m not going to lie,” said McClenahan, “this is tough.”

A year ago he nearly quit the team over similar circumstances, but in the grand scheme of his life, this doesn’t compare to the battle that seemingly has no end. Eric has football in perspective, knowing that his playing days will close out next year. His sister Kelly, on the other hand, doesn’t know if or when her struggles will end, and for Eric that is the hardest thing in life.

Eric and Kelly are the best of buddies. There is no fighting among these siblings, only mutual admiration. She is 5 years his junior. And unlike most teenage girls, her brother is her hero, and she is his.

Kelly has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects her muscle tone and motor skills, which includes her ability to communicate and comprehend.

When she was born, her parents, Pat and Karren, seemingly completed the All-American family, one son, one daughter, and a job for Pat that allowed Karren to stay home with the children. They lived in a nice area of Glendale, Calif., with nearby grandparents to dote on the kids. About the only conflict in the McClenahan household stemmed from the fact that Karren was a UCLA grad (her father Jim Brown played football at UCLA in the 1950s) and Pat was a USC alum (for over a decade he produced the television broadcasts of USC football and basketball for Prime Ticket/Fox Sports).

However, within months after Kelly’s birth they realized her development was behind, and in time doctors discovered the cerebral palsy. For 16 years now life in the McClenahan house has been different than expected.

“The hardest parts are definitely when (Kelly) has seizures,” said Eric, “and that’s something we’ve dealt with all her life. They’ve gotten better, but a couple of weeks ago she had a big one that lasted 7 or 8 minutes.”

The seizures usually begin with twitching in the face. More serious ones advance to the point where her breathing becomes labored as her lungs clog. Medication is available but doctors have tried to limit the use because of the side effects.

“It’s hardest because she goes from a happy, somewhat normal girl, and all of a sudden you see the affects of cerebral palsy,” Eric added. “It hurts her, and that’s definitely the hardest time right there for me.”

While she often has small seizures that last 5 or 6 seconds, it’s the big ones that really alter Kelly’s life. Following a several-minute seizure, the medication is significantly increased to prevent another major seizure. Doctors slowly bring her off the dosage over the course of one or 2 weeks, but those are long periods of time with Kelly being groggy and lying in bed most of the time.

“She’s not Kelly,” described Eric about the times following the 2 or 3 major seizures she has each year.

Still, there are triumphs in her life. Today she attends special education classes at Hoover High School in Glendale, having worked her way through elementary and junior high special ed courses. And nothing, not even throwing a touchdown pass, can beat the times when Kelly sings or shares something she has learned.

“When I go home for vacation, she’ll say, ‘Eric, watch me,’ and she’ll start counting on her hands, and I’ll say, ‘good job, Kelly.’ She’ll then say, ‘Eric, watch me,” and count to 10 over and over again. This past year she learned how to sing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ … that was the best. We make her do it all the time. It’s also the best because we believe that God is working in her life. Even if she can’t express it or necessarily explain what is happening, God is still moving in her heart. You can tell something is going on when she sings.”

Kelly’s favorite number is two. Ask her what time it is at any point in the day and she’ll tell you it’s 2 o’clock. Ask her a random “how many,” and she’ll say “two!” And it’s not by coincidence that Eric sports jersey No. 2 this year.

After wearing No. 11 throughout high school and his first 2 years at Azusa Pacific, Eric requested a change in jerseys for the 2003 season. Selecting the new number was easy – No. 2 in honor of Kelly – the reason to change was more complex.

“I haven’t had the best attitude about being the back-up,” said Eric. “I just needed a complete change. It started with working out a little harder this summer than I have in the past, and I wanted a completely different identity. I didn’t want people coming back thinking, “oh, there’s No. 11 again.”

A year ago now Eric walked into head coach Peter Shinnick’s office intent on quitting the team. Spring ball didn’t go as well as planned. The quarterback position was wide open after a sub-par season by Luke Winslow. But Winslow beat out McClenahan to keep his starting position for the 2002 season and now a couple of freshmen had arrived in fall camp to push McClenahan as the No. 2 quarterback. Eric wasn’t having fun, and to be honest, he wasn’t much fun to be around.

It’s not unusual for players to quit during 2-a-days, and typically Shinnick shakes a hand, wishes the best and sends the player on his way. But not this time.

“I said, ‘Coach, I’m not having fun,’” Eric recalled of his attempt to quit. And before he could get another word out, Shinnick interrupted, “Nope, I’m not letting you quit. You’re not quitting. No, can’t let you do that.”

Sometimes just being wanted is more important than playing, and that was the difference for Eric.

“We talked about my role on the team and that it has a lot more to do with it than playing,” said Eric. “I believe God brought me here for a purpose, and I don’t think that purpose was to sit on the bench for 3 years and quit. The relationships I’ve made with the guys on the team are so valuable. I just need to see that and put my ego aside.”

And then there’s the Kelly factor too.

“She’d be upset. She really likes coming to my games whether I’m playing or not. She just likes that she is at Eric’s game."

McClenahan wants to be a college football coach someday. His goals are lofty, wanting to be the “man” someday at USC or UCLA. No doubt, wherever Eric is Kelly will be there. She always has supported her brother on the sidelines.