Joe Schobert is a retired NFL Pro Bowler who is devoting the second act of his professional career to advocating for the West’s wild places.
Joe was born and raised in Wisconsin, and despite having an exemplary high school football career, he was not offered a scholarship to play college football. So he took matters into his own hands and walked on at the University of Wisconsin– four years later, he was awarded the Jack Lambert Trophy as the nation’s best linebacker. He was then drafted by the Cleveland Browns, and a few years later, he earned a spot on the NFL’s Pro Bowl team. After a successful career with teams including the Browns, Jaguars, and Steelers, Joe recently retired and is leaning into the next phase of his career.
Since childhood, Joe has loved the outdoors and wide-open spaces. During his time with the Browns, he began leveraging his influence and resources to raise awareness and funds for conservation-focused organizations. Through an NFL fundraising initiative called “My Cause, My Cleats,” he spotlighted several Colorado-based conservation organizations on the NFL’s international stage. Back in 2021, his non-profit of choice was my old employer, Palmer Land Conservancy, and before that, he supported the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. His most recent fundraiser is called the NFLPA Fishing for Conservation, which was created to raise funds for the amazing team at Western Rivers Conservancy.
As you’ll hear in this conversation, Joe loves the West, loves hiking, fishing, and outdoor adventure, and loves exploring wild places with his wife Megan and their two young sons. He also understands and appreciates the wide range of threats facing everything from family farms and ranches to public lands to river ecosystems, and he is committed to doing his part to protect these invaluable resources. So in this conversation, we talk about it all– from Joe’s inspiring journey at the highest levels of professional athletics all the way up to this summer’s first annual Fishing for Conservation, which took place at Lake Tahoe. At his core, Joe is a focused, humble, and action-oriented guy, and it was such a treat to learn the origins of his talents and how he has applied those talents to both football and conservation.
A huge thanks to Joe for joining me for a chat, and for his years-long commitment to western conservation. Enjoy!
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Photos courtesy of Joe Schobert
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RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 3:20 – Joe’s upbringing
- 6:15 – When it became clear that Joe was a talented athlete
- 9:30 – Discussing how, despite his clear talent, Joe did not receive an athletic scholarship to college, and how he pushed past that
- 18:15 – When Joe arrived at the University of Wisconsin
- 20:15 – What Joe is most proud of doing at Wisconsin
- 22:15 – Whether or not there was room for other activities (besides school and football) during Joe’s college experience
- 25:00 – When the NFL became a possibility for Joe
- 26:30 – How Joe chose an agent
- 29:45 – Discussing the Combine
- 32:30 – Discussing the NFL Draft
- 35:15 – Discussing training camp with the Browns
- 37:30 – Joe describes the training camp balance between preparing to work as a team but also working against teammates for a spot on the roster
- 39:00 – The importance of “intangibles” and “soft skills” in the NFL
- 40:45 – When conservation entered Joe’s brain, and how he ended up in Colorado
- 50:00 – Joe’s nonprofit, and the conservation fundraiser he held in Lake Tahoe
- 55:15 – Joe’s recent river trip in Montana
- 58:00 – Joe’s retirement and family life
- 1:00:30 – Joe’s book recommendations
- 1:03:15 – Discussing the need for action
- 1:06:00 – Joe’s parting words of wisdom
Information Referenced:
- Joe Schobert
- Jim Leonhard
- J.J. Watt
- Athletes First LLC
- NFL Combine
- Von Miller
- Miles Garrett
- Muskie
- Colorado Fourteeners Initiative
- Palmer Land Conservancy
- My Cause, My Cleats
- Western Rivers Conservancy
- Bob Marshall Wilderness
- Schotime Dance Center
- Deep Creek by Pam Houston
- The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- Rick Ridgeway – Purpose-Driven Adventurer
- Dylan Tomine – Protecting What He Loves
- Luke Smithwick – A Life in High Places
- Brendan Leonard, Part 2 – On Running, Creating, and Other Irrational Passions
- Mike Foote – Perfection is in the Process
- Chris Burkard – The Art of Suffering
- Nick Offerman – Empathy, Nuance, & Good Hard Work
- Kristine Tompkins – Nothing to Lose
Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes
