Former Seahawk shares keys to success with La Conner players

All football players are faced with adversity at one time or another and in many cases the most difficult challenges come after their playing careers are over.

That was the message delivered to the La Conner High School football team last week by someone who has tackled big tests on and off the field.

Former NFL defensive end and linebacker Joe Tafoya, a member of the Seattle Seahawks’ 2006 Super Bowl team, has since gone on to become a successful entrepreneur. He met with La Conner players to offer them encouragement as they struggle through a tough rebuilding year amid a slew of injuries and string of lopsided shutout losses.

“I’m so glad my boys understand and appreciate the opportunity to have Joe Tafoya come speak and share football and life experiences with them,” head coach Charlie Edwards said of a young Braves roster that is coping as best it can with weekly growing pains, often lining up against teams from larger schools with more seasoned players.

Tafoya related how during his youth he had trouble competing against his older brother, who seemingly beat him “at everything every day,” Edwards recounted.

Over time, Edwards said Tafoya told his players, it made him stronger.

Like members of this year’s La Conner team, Tafoya dealt with more than his share of injuries. His pro career ended prematurely in 2008 when he sustained torn ligaments in his foot. Prior to that, Tafoya had injured his shoulder while playing at the University of Arizona and fractured an ankle in his first preseason game as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer rookie.

When healthy, he was a valuable contributor to the Seahawks, Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals. He finished his pro tenure with 93 tackles and four quarterback sacks.

Edwards said Tafoya’s large NFC championship ring quickly got the attention of La Conner players.

“The boys had some good questions for him,” said Edwards. “Like what was the toughest city to play in. He said Philadelphia. They asked him to name his favorite NFL team and season. He answered the 2005 Seahawks and said that team was made in the locker room because of the positive team atmosphere.”

Tafoya stressed that his drive to succeed did not end when he heard his final NFL whistle.

A communications and computer science student in college, Tafoya parlayed his academic work into a path that has led from the gridiron to the board room.

Upon his retirement from football, Tafoya acquired a mobile entertainment company that focused on fan engagement. In 2012 he and former player Kerry Carter launched a sports marketing company, again centered on fan engagement.

Tafoya specializes in mobile apps, a venture that has allowed him to channel the zeal and competitive nature that were assets in his football life.

His story is unlike that of many former NFL players.

“There’s a whole series of things that happen to a guy when they’re done playing in the NFL,” Tafoya has said, “and none of them are really positive.”

Some ex-players deal with depression. Money worries arise. Lifestyle changes become necessary.

Tafoya, though, decided very early in the process to bank on his background as a pro athlete, seeking out prospective mentors who had followed his football career for business advice.

In turn, he never fails to offer advice sought by young people.

“Joe took the time to not only speak,” Edwards said, “but also signed autographs for every player and even talked to individual players afterward. He really made an impression and hopefully a lifelong connection.”

This was not the first time Edwards had brought a former college and NFL player to town. He was a longtime friend of the late University of Washington and Seattle Seahawk defensive back Nesby Glasgow and hosted him here on several occasions.

Edwards and Tafoya are friends of long standing as well.

“I met Joe a few years ago,” said Edwards, “and have kept in contact with him.”

They are on such good terms, it turns out, that Edwards knows Tafoya is a sasquatch fan.

“So,” Edwards related, “(Swinomish carver) Kevin Paul was gracious enough to carve a sasquatch to gift him.”

Tafoya’s message to La Conner players was to not let intimidating forces, be they sasquatches or hulking opposing linebackers, block their ultimate pathways to success.

“When you’re passionate about something and you really enjoy what you’re doing,” Tafoya explained in an earlier interview with Bleacher Report, “you strive to achieve.”