Thursday, February 4, 2010 was a typical day on Western Michigan's campus.  It was cold and most likely snowing.  The men's basketball team was taking on Mid-American Conference East rival Miami that night in University Arena.  That night was typical for everyone in attendance, everyone but Tim Balice.

Tim, a native of Ionia, Mich., was a "guest of honor" of sorts during that game.  It was the game that the letterwinners from the past fall sports season were to receive their letter jackets.  These were all first-time honorees.  Some were seniors, juniors, sophomores and even freshmen but Tim was one of only three seniors from the football team to receive his jacket on that night.

When WMU athletic director Kathy Beauregard handed the jacket to Tim and congratulated him she noticed that the 22-year old was visibly emotional.

Before we talk about the end of Tim's career, we need to know how it began with one chance meeting during freshman orientation.

Tim was quite the athlete in high school, participating in football, basketball, baseball and track.  He had interest in playing on the Bronco baseball team but fate has a funny way of steering your life in one direction or another.  At the WMU freshman orientation, Tim met Bronco football coach Bill Cubit and he told the first year head coach how he had interest in playing for his program.  Though a scholarship was not on his mind, he was set his mind on walk on tryouts the following spring.

Tim did try out but was unable to obtain one of the walk-on spots and so he focused solely on academics but he did stay in shape by participating in club and intramural sports.  He gave it another shot during the spring of 2006 and this time he stuck.  Cubit asked Tim what position he wanted to play.

"I said I didn't care, anything I could do to get on the team and help the team.  There was a crazy learning curve that first spring but it was such a great experience."

Tim settled in as a kicker but like any true competitor he did not want to be type cast as "just a kicker."

"I wanted to make sure everyone knew I worked hard and I wanted to be there.  I didn't want people to see me just as a kicker; I wanted them to say, 'Wow, this kid is working his butt off'."

Tim did put in the work, but as a walk on and the backup punter on the team his opportunity to see the field on game days was minimal.  At times, many may not even know that you're on the sidelines at home games.

"My friends always called me ghost because they said that they couldn't see me on the sideline, and most of the time it was because I didn't have a name on the back of my jersey."

Another reason Tim did not have a name on his jersey at all times?  To say he changed jersey numbers a few times would be an understatement.  By his memory, Tim changed numbers seven times throughout his career.  Officially, the number of number changes is five.  He was No. 40 in 2006, and then moved to No. 66 in 2007.  During the 2008 campaign he began with No. 57 (the infamous 'no-name' jersey) before switching to No. 36.  Finally in 2009, after making the official switch from punter to receiver, he landed on his final jersey number - No. 88.  It was also the first time in his career that he was not sharing a number with someone else on the team.

"I didn't care because I was just happy to have a number," said Tim.

Being a walk on not only has its trying moments with peers not "believing" you are on the team, like the older brothers of young Daniel Ruettiger in the 1993 film "Rudy."  Some of the trying moments can come when with the team as well.

"When I first arrived there were some guys that embraced walk ons and others that didn't, but that has improved so much.  It speaks to the program Coach Cubit has built and the type of guys he is bringing into Western Michigan."

Prior to the 2008 season, Tim had had the same spot for every Western Michigan road game - on his couch.  That all changed during the spring season.  It is known among the players that if your name is called during spring meetings it usually means one thing - you have done something wrong.  Tim's name came up and all the third year player could think of was, "Did I miss an assignment, was I late for a meeting, was I late for this meeting?"

That's when fellow walk on and long snapper Tom Harrington tapped Tim's leg and said, "Dude, coach just said you are going on the Nebraska trip in the fall."

Tim was, in a word, shocked.  But he knew this did not mean he had arrived.  So many things can change from a spring meeting until the time when you are loading up the bus for the airport to head to Lincoln, Neb.

"Prior to that I had done a lot of soul searching about whether being on the team and making that kind of commitment was the right thing for me," said Tim.  "When the week came, I checked the list 10 times just to make sure my name was actually on it."

It was.  Tim not only made that trip to Nebraska, he also made his collegiate debut on special teams during the game. 

"Seeing that crowd was an experience in and of itself but to make my college debut in that setting was awesome.  I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to play football at the Division I level."

Early in Tim's high school career even he did not think that opportunity would ever be a reality.  During his first game as a freshman, with his team tied late in the game, Tim had to punt from his own end zone.  He scrambled after a bad snap, was turned around and punted the ball behind him back into the field of play.  Unfortunately, it went right to a defensive lineman standing at the goal line for the score.

"If anyone would have told me I would be punting in a Division I game I would have punched them in the face," joked Tim.

Well move forward to the fifth game of the 2008 season and that was exactly what he was doing.  In a tight game at Temple, the coaching staff called on him to punt deep out of WMU territory.  It was a cold day so Tim made every effort to get and stay warm once he heard his number was being called.  On the way to the field, his coach told him, "Whatever you do, don't have it get blocked."  His teammates gave encouraging words such as, "Don't worry about the wind."  Something he had not worried about until just that moment.

In all that season, Tim made six travel trips, including the Texas Bowl, and appeared in three games.  His stat line was one punt for 25 yards and one rush (on a fake field goal) for one yard.  You may not think those numbers would be enough to be worthy of a scholarship but sometimes it's not all about numbers.

Coach Cubit called Tim over to him after practice one day and asked where him for his cell phone.  He told him to call his mom.  When Tim's mom, Maggie, answered she was informed that they didn't have to worry about tuition anymore, that Western Michigan would be picking up the tab.  What was her response?

"She thought it was one of my friends pulling a very mean joke on her.  Once she was convinced, she was very emotional.  It couldn't have come at a better time because of everything else that was going on, with paying for school and trying to figure out med school.

"I can't thank Coach Cubit enough.  Words can't express it.  Just to have a coach acknowledge your hard work put me on cloud nine.  I have always had a passion for this school and that one experience amplified it."

Now that Tim's playing career is over, his journey is not.  He is studying for the MCATS, which he will take on June 17.  As a way to get ready for the tests, Tim dumped all of the music off his phone and replaced it with scientific podcasts that you can download.  He is a double major in exercise science and biomedical sciences with a minor in chemistry.  He will graduate this spring and his only goal is to, "Serve the underserved."

This credo is a continuation from his time at WMU where he was one of the leaders in community service every semester.  It was something he not only enjoyed but took pride in and felt it was his obligation to give back to a town and a University that had given him so much.

"There are so many life lessons to be learned from football.  It taught me to help people and to do things that could possibly benefit people years down the line after I am no longer in Kalamazoo or at Western Michigan University."

Tim's career line is 10 games played with one punt and one rushing attempt.  He has been on the field against Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State.  He was able to travel to two postseason bowl games.  He was awarded a scholarship to play football at a Division I institution but it was the time he spent with people in the community, helping others that resonates with him the most.

"Those were great experiences, some of the best experiences I was lucky enough to have during my career."

Everything Tim experienced during his time in the Brown & Gold brings us back to that night in the middle of University Arena.  All of the work, all of the effort, all of the patience, led to that moment.

Tim, by his own account, was nervous.  He was not sure what the appropriate dress was so he wore a shirt and tie.  Of course that drew joking comments from his teammates and when it came time for the names to be announced one teammate said he was happy for Tim and joked, "Balice has been here for like 10 years." It may not have been 10 years but was a long road for someone who worked as hard as he did for as long as he did to get to where he was on that February night.

"It was a surreal experience.  I told her, 'You have no idea how much this means to me and I am sure I am the happiest person on this court right now'," said Balice.  "I was smiling ear to ear.  My entire career culminated in that one moment."