When former Warhawk quarterback Matt Blanchard arrived on campus in 2009 after transferring from  Northern Michigan, the NFL was one of the last things on his mind.

Then, his assignment was to back up starting quarterback, Jeff Donovan. In addition to quarterback, Blanchard worked at wide receiver at UW-Whitewater, working hard in the weight room and posting some of the best power cleaning numbers on the entire team.

Fast forward to Mother’s Day 2012 when Blanchard was informed that after trying out for the Chicago Bears, he would be offered a three-year deal with the team.

A Lake Zurich, Ill. native, Blanchard signed without hesitation, excited to play for the team he watched growing up.

“It was a great Mother’s Day gift of course,” Blanchard said. “It was obviously unexpected at the time but it was really a great gift.”

While an NFL dream seemed distant in 2009, two years as the starting quarterback for the Warhawks sparked attention on a national level.

In his two years under center, Blanchard threw for 45 touchdowns with only five interceptions. It wasn’t until his senior year when Blanchard realized he had the potential of being an NFL quarterback some day.

“Scouts showed up throughout the season to take a look at a couple of us players,” Blanchard said. “Seeing those guys in person and meeting a couple of them really gave me my first sense of this being an opportunity. And then it was after the season that I got contacted by some agents and really started considering the seriousness of it all.”

After spending the entire summer studying the playbook and preparing himself for training camp, Blanchard said he arrived at camp with the goal to play his best and see where the chips fell.

Bears quarterback coach Jeremy Bates said he has been impressed with Blanchard so far.

“He’s a big, athletic kid who has a really good stroke,” Bates said. “He came into the first workout and there [were] a couple things he needed to work on and I mentioned it. He has a bright future. He’s a grinder. He stays up for practice and stays late in meetings. [UW-Whitewater] should be proud.”

With Blanchard’s highly-decorated football career, proud might be an understatement. Blanchard is only the 24th player in Warhawk football history to successfully pursue a playing career in professional football. His effort in practice hasn’t gone unnoticed by his position coach.

“He’s poised, he’s confident, and he looks like he belongs,” Bates said. “He’s got a long way to go, of course, and so do a lot of these guys, but he’s taking the right steps.”

Blanchard’s first preseason appearance came against the Denver broncos on Aug. 9, where he went 6 for 7 for 53 yards and an interception. He was responsible for the only scoring drive of the game for the Bears, which led to a Robbie Gould field goal.

Blanchard’s time from the preseason opener and beyond was limited. Teams will occasionally hide young players they are high on but want to stash on the practice team.

This strategy prevents from having the player put game repetitions on tape, thus diminishing interest from other teams.

Shortly before their fourth preseason game, the Chicago Bears cut the three-time D-III national champion.

The Miami Dolphins, a team that was high on Blanchard prior to the draft, called him for a try out, offering him a spot on their practice squad.

After cutting third-string quarterback Josh McCown, the Bears too offered Blanchard a spot on their practice squad.

On Saturday, Blanchard chose his hometown team over the Dolphins and now the Bears hope some of Blanchard’s winning ways from college will rub off onto his new professional team.

Bates said he thinks Blanchard’s 25-0 record as a starter in college is a good thing to add to an organization like the Bears.

“You know, there’s something about winning,” Bates said. “What he did is special. That’s our goal, to win. He’s a winner. You don’t just luck into that, and it does translate to [the NFL.] Hopefully the Bears can get something like that.”