30th Athletics Hall of Fame: Joel Dreessen

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – You can't replace everything. Not exactly.

What Joel Dreessen has found is new ventures and different roles can make a life feel just as complete and rewarding.

"I love my life now. I do. I mean, I definitely went through my struggles; that transition from the NFL is very challenging," he said. "Even if you think you saved all your money and you know what you're going to do, it's still and incredible void to fill, it's still an incredible shift in identity. I wasn't spared any of those challenges. I definitely went through the ringer with all that stuff."

Dreessen will return as part of the 30^th Colorado State Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in Canvas Stadium. Tickets to the CSU Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which includes a seated dinner, can be purchased here."

After playing tight end for nearly a decade in the NFL, he had to navigate a new path. Initially, he missed the locker room, the competition and the 60 hours of work for 3 hours of payoff at the end of the week in front of 70,000-plus fans.

In his final year with the Denver Broncos, he started to realize he was avoiding contact instead of seeking it out, and "it's not a way you can really play football at a high level." Stepping away and starting to write his next chapters, he admitted he went through moments of depression, irritability and mood swings.

What he has now is a couple of slices of heaven, about seven hours away from each other, where he spends his time and has found peace and contentment.

He's perfectly content with where he is now, as a husband and a father, roles in his life which bring him great joy. But it is different, and nothing he has done will complete replace his days as a football player.

It's understandable. Dreessen said he spent younger years running every decision through one filter: Will this make me a better football player. It obviously worked as he achieved his dream. And his new ones are just as grand, but they are different. It's not something he's sure everybody understands.

"All the sudden when you're 32-years old and it's gone, it was just weird," Dreessen said. "What do I do? Who am I? It's been fulfilling to be around my children, and to say it's been as awesome as playing in the NFL was, yeah, that's accurate, but it's just different.

"It's been a transition to say the least. Nothing will ever fill that void. There is nothing like running out of the tunnel on game day and feeling the energy of the stadium, catching a touchdown pass or the post-win locker room."

After spending some time in radio in the Denver Metro Area – he grew tired of talking about the person he once was -- he, his wife of 12 years, Stacy, and their two children – 11-year old son Dylan, and 8-year old daughter, Kyla – spend most of their time on 35 acres of land they bought in Castle Rock. It is where they call home, and Stacy's parents have moved into the guest house to extend the family even more.

He coached Dylan's flag football team last year, winning the championship in the 9-10 division, and is now looking forward to jumping up to the 11-12 league this season.

"It's something I can bury my mind in. Working on a project, building a piece of furniture or fixing a fence, maintaining the building on the property," Dreessen said. "Planting trees and training a horse, things like that are different, but I still have a knack for wanting to be around people, but I'd say I'm at a very peaceful place in my life right now. I'm very content with who I am and how things are going. Happiness can sometimes be a moving target, but I grew a great support system between my family and my wife who helps me find that moving target. It's a good way to live."

Dreessen also owns a cattle ranch in Texas with his parents, a business they have been growing year by year, one he named Texas Grin off of a line from the Chris LeDoux song, 'This Cowboy's Hat'. His parents live in Amarillo, but his father is at the ranch a few times a week doing upkeep of the operation.

Dreessen even wrote a poem about his new way of life.

"As early as I can recall, when I was just a young child
The thought of owning some land, made my heart and mind wild
My Uncle Randy is a hero of mine, and he'll probably always be
He started my love for Texas, that burns deep inside of me
So my body absorbed those hits, and I dished some out too
On those flights and buses, Chris LeDoux's lyrics played true
My ranch had a name, but I didn't know where else to begin
So over and over I prayed, "God, just get me to Texas Grin"
Through the Kalkas He answered, and loaned this gift to me
Use the place for His glory, and the blessings will come free
So I set out to do exactly that, build a place that I could share
A reason to be together, country life without a care
The drive from Colorado is long, but once we hit highway 273
Beers are cracked, car seats abandoned, every mile is a memory
And all of a sudden life feels so easy, all I can do is win
My heart is plenty full, as long as I am at Texas Grin
Hop into the ranger
Zip line into the pond
Sunset safari
Those worries won't last long
Roller coaster road
To excavate some pain
That tin roof starts talking
With just a little bit of rain
Bobcats under a million stars
Or a coyote in the snare
Make sure he's really dead
Or face quite the scare
Whether it's bearded hens
Or double split brow tines
That cotton candy breeze
With some Unci Randy moonshine
A carving in chalk canyon
Or catfish at the pond
Mesquite grilled ribeyes
Stop me if I am wrong
But this land feels like heaven
We set that cross on Easter morn
Jesus let that light shine down
Fill those feeders with some corn
That big buck might just show up, but you shouldn't really care
If he don't be grateful, just send up another prayer
I promise you He will deliver, I couldn't make this up
One year, Easter baskets were even discovered in the owl hut
But my favorite thing about the Grin, let me say this once out loud
Is Gary's mark's all over, and that makes me truly proud
He built most the blinds, mows the trails and sprays the weeds
Fixes fence and hollers, "Come cow!" change a well pump if you need
You see he taught me how to work, shut your mouth and get things done
A mission accomplished, a job finished, is what really ignites the fun
He won't say he loves you, and that's perfectly okay
It's better when it's shown, rather than spoken anyways
Jesus is in Daddy's heart, residing deep down within
And I know he's gonna find Him, hopefully at Texas Grin
I go down there as often as I can, mostly to be close to him
He made this place so special, just get me to Texas Grin
Each passing year the trees get bigger, and so do my babies
Valuable lessons here, nothing comes from being lazy
Those calves don't always bring high dollar, this I am afraid
But I ain't in it for the money, I am getting red dirt rich and whitefish paid
Ain't no better medicine, than this land called Texas Grin
My sweet wife agrees, and I just hope her mama knows, she married a good man
Life can throw some punches, catch ya right on the chin
But I will always get back up, just get me to Texas Grin"

As he said, he had to turn the page. In the process, he found he doesn't mind being an introvert at all, either, he said with a laugh.

Instead of interview requests, he'll spend time in his carpentry shop in the barn, building pieces of furniture. He rides his horses, which he's loved to do since he was a kid. He also has a more open schedule to pursue his passion for hunting.

He's discovered life has been good, just in different ways.

"It's been fun. Honestly, it's why I played in the NFL and saved all my money so I could be present with my children, and I love it," he said. "I do."

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