Unfortunately, when my wife Sonya goes on these trips with me, she always catches the big one.” It’s always a rush to check off a bucket list fish in any of these places. I’ve had the good fortune to fish in places like Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, here in the northwest, and back home in Florida. Between all of that going on I like to travel and fish. My daughters show Arabian horses, my son Mason plays football at Utah State and my son Madden plays football in high school and has a passion for tournament bass fishing. “When I have free time I am usually at one of my kids’ sporting events or on the boat chasing fish. In retirement, Tobeck finds joy in his family and fishing. Running an insurance brokerage is a far cry from playing in the NFL, but I use the lessons that I learned from playing football in what I do now.” I did internships in the offseason to figure out exactly what I wanted to do when I was done playing. “I had a pretty easy career transition from playing in the NFL to owning and running Griffin MacLean Insurance. Still, he sees his professional transition as a relatively easy one. It takes those guys a while to learn.”Īfter 14 seasons, it was an illness that finally sidelined Tobeck. We had one guy in Seattle go back to the grocery store three years in a row. It was always hilarious and we watched the film together as a full team the Saturday night before a home game. Tobeck explained, “We always had a film guy from the team at the grocery store, filming the players asking the unwitting grocery store employees for a free turkey. The veterans then sent the rookies with a list of players who wanted them to pick up their turkeys. I’m not sure why this is funny, but it is.”Īnother great funny tradition he recalled was sending rookies to the supermarket to pick up fictitious “free” turkeys each Thanksgiving.” Each season, Tobeck led veteran players to tell rookies that the local grocery store would give each NFL player one free turkey. At the end of the year, the guy who spent the most time on the board during the year was awarded a cow tongue. Any time someone said something the wrong way, or something that didn’t make sense, it went up on the quote board. One of my favorite things was the quote board we had in Seattle. When asked about his funniest locker room memories, Tobeck said, “All of the funny stories come from guys just being guys and in the locker room setting it can get pretty funny. It was a crazy crowd and it was quite a rush.” I jumped in to save former (Seattle) teammate, (defensive tackler) Bill Goldberg, from getting jumped by the NWO (New World Order) when he was about to pin Hulk Hogan. However, by far, my favorite story to tell is getting in the professional wrestling ring. “I’ve met famous actors, musicians, successful business people, and politicians. He recalled his unique opportunity to meet some wrestlers he watched as a child. On and off the field, Tobeck had fun in the NFL. He played in Super Bowl XL and was selected to the Pro Bowl that year. In Seattle, Tobeck played for another seven seasons and won the 2005 NFC Championship. After seven seasons and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIII with the Falcons, Tobeck signed with the Seattle Seahawks in 2000. Upon graduating from WSU, Tobeck signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 1993.Īn unlikely path to the NFL led to an even more unlikely length of career. He started college at Liberty University in Virginia, transferred to Kilgore College, a two-year junior college in Texas, before transferring to play at Washington State University (WSU). In fact, his high school didn’t offer tackle football until his senior year. Tobeck did not take a typical path to the NFL. He had a great sense of humor and he loved fishing - almost as much as he loved the game of football. But beyond being a great player on the field, Tobeck’s teammates knew him as a family man with a stringent work ethic. He protected some of the NFL’s best quarterbacks and played in some of the biggest games. In his 14-year NFL career, Robbie Tobeck, played center for the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. If he’s not there, chances are you’ll find Tobeck on the water, fishing with family and friends. Today, when he’s not working at Griffin McLean, the insurance firm he now owns and runs, you’re likely to find him as a spectator at his children’s sports games and horse shows. His locker room demeanor and on field dedication also made him one of his teammates’ favorite players. Robbie Tobeck’s 14 years in the NFL were successful by any measure. By Rachel Terrill, Player Engagement Insider
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |