There are sources of inspiration all over the place for Niles Brinkley.
Like when the sophomore cornerback on the University of Wisconsin football team opens his locker in the basement of the McClain Center and sees his late sister’s face smiling back at him.
Or when he flips open his cell phone and gazes at another smiling face, this one his 2-year-old daughter.
Or during a spare moment in practice, when he looks up at the empty seats at Camp Randall Stadium and imagines what it would be like to have 80,000-plus fans cheering for him after a big play.