MAHOMET – The third Saturday of May was like many others for Steve Kreps: Active.

He played a round of golf at Stone Creek, watched a newphew play in a baseball doubleheader at Parkland College and then he went to DWP Golf World to hit a few more balls before helping to fry 50 pieces of chicken for a pot luck dinner.

It was a productive, relaxing and enjoyable day for the Mahomet-Seymour football defensive coordinator. Until darkness settled in and the 58-year-old fourth-grade teacher suffered a heart attack.

During the next two months, Kreps would have two stents inserted into his chest and would undergo a triple bypass heart operation.

But when high school football practice started Aug. 11, he was on the field with head coach Keith Pogue and the members of the Bulldogs' state-ranked team.

"He told me from almost the day of the incident that he would be back for football," Pogue said. "I believe it played a major role in his recovery as a motivating factor."

Back to work

Those who see Kreps on a daily basis are not surprised by the quick recovery.

"His commitment to regaining his health and fitness parallels his commitment to education and children," said Mary Weaver, the principal at Mahomet's Lincoln Trail Elementary School, where Kreps is one of nine fourth-grade teachers. "The children in his class have a great opportunity to learn from his instruction as well as from him as a person.

"He shows a true enthusiasm and commitment to the children and is a role model for all of the characteristics we want our children to strive to be. He is an amazing individual and we are fortunate to work with him."

Courtney Porter, the assistant principal at Lincoln Trail, described him this way: "Kind. Genuine. Warm-hearted. Dedicated. True-spirited. Funny. Caring. Patient.

"Daily he sets a positive example for all those he interacts with. I admire him as a person and a dedicated teacher."

Signs overlooked

The surgical procedures were performed at different times. The bypass took place in mid-July, a month before high school football practices began.

The idea was to give the heart time to strengthen following the first operation.

"When I had the heart attack, doctors said if they did the bypass then, I had a one in four chance of never waking up," Kreps said.

In retrospect, there were warning signs, but not ones which the Air Force retiree had associated with a heart condition.

"I had pain in the right shoulder blade, but the heart is on the left," Kreps said. "I gained weight, even though I was working out, and I thought I had acid reflux, but it wasn't."

When doctors worked on Kreps, they told him that the attack which sent him to the hospital in May was likely not his first, though it was the most serious.

"I'd had a series of heart attacks, but never realized it," he said.

He hopes his story will open someone else's eyes "to know and heed warning signs for heart problems."

Pogue said the message is getting across.

"He is one of those guys that just seems invincible," Pogue said. "Almost everyone I talked to over the age of 40 said something like, 'If that can happen to Coach Kreps, I better get checked out.' "

Altering lifestyle

Since his release, Kreps said, "I have followed every rule."

He has lost about 40 pounds and, with help from his wife Peggy, totally restructured his diet.

"I haven't felt a lick of pain since," he said. "I feel brand new."

Since May 16, he said. "I've had one cheeseburger," no small feat for a person who added, "I love to grill."

A recent lunch consisted of two cheese sticks, several apple slices and some unsalted cashews.

"My tastes have changed dramatically," Kreps said. "When we go to the store, we look for low-sodium products. I was a huge Diet Pepsi person, but I only drink diet soda now if it's caffeine-free. I drink a lot of water and vitamin water.

"Fried foods are out. I eat more lettuce, radishes, carrots, chicken, pork and fish. These are long-term changes. I feel great."

'Scared to death'

In addition to teaching and coaching, Kreps works part-time for the University of Illinois in the athletic ticket office. Baseball coach Dan Hartleb and former Illini wrestling coach Mark Johnson were among the people who provided support during his personal time of need.

"I was scared to death," Kreps said. "I didn't know everything that would happen. The week before the (open-heart) surgery, Dan took me to see Mark Johnson."

His role, Johnson said, was to provide support.

"When you have a friend who is struggling and looking at a pretty big event, you want to be there and let him know we'll be praying for him," Johnson said. "It helped reassure him. When you're looking at a reality like that, it's pretty frightening.

"You never know if your words are getting through. You need more than encouragement. You have to have faith, and he has that."

During the surgery, arteries from Kreps' left arm and chest were harvested as was a vein out of a leg. They were used in the bypass.

"When I woke up, I had wires and tubes coming out of my chest," Kreps said.

He was cleared to start coaching football when preseason practices began on Aug. 11, though doctors offered a caution.

"They said to listen to what my body tells me," he said. "If I get hot, get to the shade. There were only a couple times I went to the shade."

Last week, Kreps began his cardiac rehab with the realization that his friends haven't forgotten. "Dan still checks up on me," he said.

Changing course

Kreps wasn't planning on teaching or coaching when he retired from the Air Force after 20-plus years and was accepted as a student at the University of Illinois.

"I was going to be an architect," he said.

Before the family relocated from Little Rock, Ark., 15-year-old son Alecs Kreps was killed in an automobile accident in 1990.

"You think to yourself, 'I should be the one,' " Steve Kreps said. "It changed my life. After that, I got into education and I've loved every second of it. The 9- and 10-year-olds keep you young."

As he became involved in coaching – starting with the M-S program in 1993 while a student-teacher – Kreps has gone beyond athletics and the classroom.

"I've been involved with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and that has given me some good mentors to be around, Tim Johnson, Bonnie Moxley," Kreps said.

While he has sensed God's presence "in my life" since his son died, Kreps said the feeling was most evident the evening he suffered the heart attack, which included pain in his right shoulder and numbness on the right side of his jaw.

"I felt like I was in his arms," Kreps said. "God took care of me from the moment I walked into the hospital."

From the heart

Moxley calls Kreps "my accountability partner in coaching." His impact and influence has been felt by M-S athletes as well as the coaches.

He joined the school's FCA huddle eight years ago, Moxley said, when "he suspected that some of the varsity athletes on the football team might be drinking and he wanted to channel their energies toward something else."

When she heard the experiences Kreps was willing to share with the teen-agers, Moxley knew he would be a vital contributor.

"I knew from the get-go that Christ had a plan to use Steve to change kids' lives," Moxley said. "The thing I respect most about Steve is his honesty with kids in our huddle. He is frank about his past use of alcohol and about how the loss of his teen-age son, due to alcohol, changed his life. He is wise and his willingness to share his life experiences with the youth at M-S is invaluable."

Football influence

As the Bulldogs prepared for their season-opener, Kreps decided changes were needed. His conclusion was reached 48 hours before the first game.

"We changed our mental approach," Kreps said. "We made it simpler for them."

Pogue wasn't reluctant to implement the changes.

"I rely on him heavily," Pogue said. "His scheme for our first game against Mount Zion was the key to our victory. The guy has a lot of knowledge and a passion for teaching kids.

"I said last year at our banquet that Coach Kreps is the bedrock of our program. I attribute much of our success to his efforts and energy."

Pogue's sentiments were echoed by Mark Johnson.

"He's everything good about being a coach," Johnson said.

Getting stronger

To rebuild his stamina and strength, Kreps has been walking daily and has worked up to about 75 minutes per session. His heart function, which was down to 13 percent before the stents were put in has increased to almost 30 percent.

"I'll never be back to the good range," Kreps said, "but I can get back to the high-moderate range."

His motivation to follow the doctors' orders is strong.

"I'm a lucky human being, no doubt about it, and I'll do anything to stay around for my (two) grandkids," he said.

Moxley remembers the words Kreps said the first time she saw him following the bypass.

"He said, 'God must not be done with me yet,' " Moxley said. "I agree."

Fred Kroner is The News-Gazette prep sports coordinator. He writes a weekly high-school related column throughout the school year. He can be reached by phone at 217-351-5232, by fax at 217-373-7401 or by email at fkroner@news-gazette.com.