Dear Family and Friends, I always knew the day would come. I just didn’t think I’d be 35 when it finally happened. I will soon be turning in my paperwork to the NFL and formally retiring after a 12 year career. Like most NFL players, I wish I could have played a couple more seasons, but usually the league is done with you before you are done with it. It definitely was a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs and not a lot of years where I felt comfortable with my standing on a team. A dozen years of battling every day to make it another year and to prove myself against some of the best athletes in the world. I take with me plenty of fond memories and friendships that I will hold dearly for the rest of my life. Having played on five teams, I had a chance to compete with and for many incredible men and for some historic organizations. It was definitely a dream come true even though the ride was generally more rocky than smooth. There are so many people to thank that it would take hours writing down all of their names. I was lucky enough to play for so many great coaches in high school and middle school that pushed my physical abilities and made me mentally stronger. This gave me an advantage over many of my teammates in future years. Mark Hillebrand, Kevin Bowman, Bill Fleming, Curt Nelson, Carol Hammil, Pat Bollman, Todd Bowman, Dennis Streets, Frosty Ward, Jeff Tampir, Brian Moore, Carl Small, Greg Daniels, Ron Baker, Dave Hayes, Rich Kendall, and many others all had a huge influence on my athletic successes during and after high school. Specifically, I want to thank Mark Hillebrand as he played a major role in helping me get a scholarship, the only one I was offered, to Iowa State. I can’t write this letter without saying something about Jack Marlowe. Having played in some of the countries most aggressive media markets, including New York City and Miami, I have gained more and more respect for the way Jack writes. He is truly a rare gem that has had athletes and their families racing to the sports section to read up on the recent game. His memory, positive writing, and understanding of so many people and sports has me still reading the Sentinel Press whenever I get a chance. I’ve seen my name in major world newspapers and on ESPN, but getting mentioned in the Rock Pile is as good as it gets. I also want to thank my immediate family. When my mother was pregnant with me, the fourth child, my parents decided to move to Maquoketa from Chicago as they felt it was a great place to raise a large family. Growing up in the country northeast of Maquoketa, we had the perfect setting for active children. We constantly played sports and ran around the countryside as well as learning hard work; as we kept up a large garden and used only wood burning heat in the winter. It wasn’t easy living but my parents gave us everything we needed to be free thinkers and to find happiness in our lives. My mother only missed an event or two in all of my athletic years while juggling raising the other four kids, being a midwife, having a huge organic garden, and cooking almost everything from scratch. She set the standard of doing everything in her own way and it has been really only appreciated now as my siblings and I are raising kids of our own. My father played many roles as well. He was the disciplinarian, coach of little league and AAU basketball, teacher of world politics and geography, and entrepreneur running his own business on Main Street. From him, I learned to talk to everyone with whom I come into contact in my life (which makes getting milk and bread into a 45 minute task). I hope that I can pass on to my children just a few of the great attributes my parents instilled in me. My brothers, Jaffa and Jeremiah, probably deserve the most credit for me becoming the athlete that I was. Balancing picking on me and beating me up, with letting me occasionally win, probably kept me grounded but gave me the confidence to compete against anyone. Allowing me to be the “all-time” quarterback for most of our childhood probably didn’t hurt either. My sisters, Jaia and Sasha, continue to be a part of my support system for advice and direction. Both have always kept it real and honest with me as to my strengths and shortcomings and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Having two daughters of my own, I rely a lot of what I’ve learned from my sisters on how to raise them to become strong and independent women some day. Most importantly, I want to thank my partner on this entire journey, Maria Steffen Rosenfels. Having been together since we were 19 years old, she played a huge role in helping me fulfill my dream. She was always there after the tough practices and games for support and has done an amazing job of raising our three children. Maria is the glue that kept the whole thing together and had to do a lot more than most stay at home mothers. We lived in five different cities which means she had to start over with schools, friends, pediatricians, teachers and many other scenarios five times. During those transitions, I was generally training and practicing with the new team as she stayed back and prepared for the move and tied up every loose end in our lives. Now that I have been done playing for almost a year, I really understand how much work she did and does. I also realize that I wouldn’t have had the career I had without her stability and countless support which allowed me to focus on football as she took care of the rest of our lives. Thank you Maria. I am eternally grateful. Lastly, I wanted to thank the communities of Maquoketa and Andrew for all of the unconditional support I received throughout my life. Jackson County is a special place to grow up. Its natural and simple beauty surpasses any place I have lived and its people are the most honest, genuine and hard working that I have come across. That combination has produced a broad range of successes just from my high school class. Doctors, dentists, business owners, engineers, teachers, farmers, coaches, and entrepreneurs are a few of the jobs that my classmates enjoy. The teachers, administrators, coaches, and residents strongly support the students and athletes to become the best that they can be. I would have not had the successes that I had without being raised in such a wonderful place. It is an amazing area and the people are what makes all the difference.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 03:26:48 +0000
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